Sunday, December 09, 2018

This Week's Oz Short Story

I'm taking a break from The Lost Tales of Oz this weekend to present a very brief story, "The Troublesome Party of Oz" by Nick Campbell, which recently arrived with the annual Christmas card from the International Wizard of Oz Club, an organization I have now been a member of for over forty years. The card often cowes with humorous pondering on Christmas in Oz or musings on Oz books that could have been, but this is the first time I recall it coming with a short story! As the events of The Tin Woodman of Oz are wrapping up, the Shaggy Man is delivering his report via the magic telegraph (as first mentioned in the introduction of The Patchwork Girl of Oz) as Dorothy stops in, disappointed that there won't be a royal wedding and reception party. Suddenly, the telegraph goes haywire, and for the first time it's not a message from Mr. Baum! The first part of the message is lost, but it's obvious that someone is coming to the Emerald City for a visit. So, the cancelled wedding reception is quickly turned into a welcoming banquet for whoever it may be. The weather in the Emerald City starts getting windy and cold, however, and Dorothy even predicts that it might snow! Sure enough, the next morning, the whole city is blanketed in white, and Ozma almost cancels the party—until the snow speaks to her! Sure enough, the snow is the visitor. To facilitate communication, Ozma and Dorothy make snowmen, and the party goes on as an outdoor winter fair.

I have little to add, other than that it was a fun piece, and I hope this starts a trend of more stories in future Christmas cards. This was a nice touch!

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