This Week's Oz Short Story

The first story from the 2000 issue of Oziana, celebrating Oz's first century, was "The Invisible Fairy of Oz" by Frederick E. Otto. Fred was one of the greatest Oz storytellers of all time, having previously made many contributions to Oziana, as well as the research tables at all three of the big Oz conventions of the twentieth century. He had passed on by this time, but Oziana still had a few of his unpublished stories, including this one. It is definitely a love letter to Thompson's Oz, as events and characters from several of her books are recalled, notably Faleero, Kabumpo, and Pumperdink from Kabumpo in Oz, and Pastoria, Humpy, Pajuka, and Snip from The Lost King of Oz. The invisibility cloak from The Gnome King of Oz also makes an appearance. And it is said cloak that starts things off, as Jellia Jamb discovers it and decides to get it repaired (if you know The Gnome King of Oz, you know why!) After being rebuffed by Jenny Jump (so even the Neill books get into this), she takes it to Pastoria's tailor shop. Absentmindedly, he takes the cloak out for a test run, and, while invisible, stumbles across the now-disenchanted Faleero, plotting to do something unpleasant in Pumperdink and taking it over at last. But he is soon discovered, and immobilized and put in a storeroom. Pastoria has no way of warning anyone—until he remembers his flying ears! While the ears go off in search of Ozma, in Pumperdink Faleero uses the invisibility cloak to kidnap Princess Pajonia and hold her for ransom until Pompus turns rule of Pumperdink over to her. He reluctantly agrees, and is about to abdicate, when Ozma and a rescue party arrive in the nick of time. Faleero is captured, forced to drink water from the Fountain of Oblivion, and exiled to the Forest of Burzee, where they hope she will become a proper, good fairy.

Fred really knew Oz, and everyone is absolutely spot on and true to their characters. And it was a lot of fun seeing characters meet up who hadn't in the books. It all feels a little light and frothy, yet at the same time the stakes are big, much like the best of Thompson's work. I really enjoyed this one.