Yellow Apples

There is silence. Oz speaks again.

“I have just figured out Elphaba is a wicked witch.” Gasps go though the crowd. They know we were something, once. “As many of you may not know, or have forgotten. There is a spell in place that turns wicked witches green. If she has nothing to hide she’ll remove the gloves.” He noticed. Using what I told him against us. Glinda begins to say something. I shed the gloves. Revealing my green hands. Glinda hands me something. A blue journal. Nessarose’s dairy. I put it in a yellow bag.

“Wizard of Oz!” I say my voice louder with magic. “You have made an enemy out of the wicked witch of the West. I will kill you one day!” I call up a spell like the trick I had seen him do earlier. Black smoke fills the air. I’m gone by the time they realize what’s going on.

~

I fallow the yellow brick road. Then go down a sliver brick one. I change my clothes with magic. A simple black dress with a ripped and torn layered skirt. Black and white stripped tights. Heeled black boots. A dark yellow cloak hides my face from view. I wear no crown. I have blisters from walking. I’ve never been so tired. Then I come across a town. Relived I walk faster. Then I realize it’s Tune Town. Exactly what I needed. I think with sarcasm. I walk in. People are performing on a wooden stage. I pass a traveling puppet show. I go around the dance mob in the street. Someone is singing to someone else about how in love they are. The table they share mysteriously lights on fire. I find a tavern.

“Can I get some water?” I ask.

“If you want water. You have to sing it. It’s the law.” The lady sings. Life’s a musical, and the worlds a stage. Tune Town can be fun, but I really hate it today.

“Can I get a glass of water?” I begrudgingly sing. I decide not to stick around. I leave. I ignore the musical number happening to my left. Then I come across a very, very long forest. Filled with many, many apple trees. I could see very far away other rows, and rows of other fruit trees growing, but this section here seemed to be apples. Red, green, gold, and yellow. I could hear them whispering to each other. Some of them about me. ‘Strange traveler’ they called me. “Why they way out here?’ Asked another. Then I heard a sound. A creaking. Or rather two creaking sounds. One of medal, and one of wood. I moved out of the way just as a yellow painted wooden cart filled with apples rode past.

“You alright?” A tin person I hadn’t noticed chopping wood asked.

“Yes thank you.” I call, and they continue working. I keep walking until I make it to the a sign post. To the right is Pumkinhead Hallow. To the left is Bear Center. Straight a head is the the Great Orchard. Which must be wear I am now. I walk until I find a village. It’s filled with green skinned Winkies, and tin woodsfolk. As well as a few family’s of flying moneys. Among a few others. There’s no sign, but I imagine most tend to the orchard. A guard wearing a yellow uniform tips their hat to me. I curtsy, and hurry along. I pull up my gloves. Not wanting to be recognized. I put a hand on the book in my pocket. Glinda gave me Nessarose’s dairy for a reason. First food, then shelter, the an income. Any income. After everything as I was I couldn’t summon gold, nor create it. So that left me the old fashion way. I went to the town’s News Board. There was an article about me here. I took it down quickly setting it alight. The painting wasn’t very accurate, thank wickedness. I took the first easy job I found. Picking apples in the green part of Great Orchard. It start from tomorrow for the next three weeks. I felt my skills were better used elsewhere, but I was hardly a Queen anymore. I was wicked. They wouldn’t want me. Wouldn’t accept me. My own parents didn’t. Oz didn’t. There was no place for me here. So I would do what I could for the West. Even if that meant something as simple as picking apples. Glinda would have helped in any way she could. So could I. The village is small, and nameless. I watch as two more carts filled with apples roll away. There’s whole teams of people out picking. I see a glass china person, and a stuffed bear. More green Winkies, and tin folk. And even what seems to be a few families of Emeraldins. The town is made out of wood houses painted yellow. There’s daffodils and yellow lilies growing in gardens. People wear mostly yellow, but a few wear other colors. I even see a black house, a green one, and a grey. There’s a few more guards. The land is flat, and filled with trees. The sky bright blue with a few grey clouds, but to the left is far more cruel weather. Dark black clouds, casting shadows so thick the earth looks black too. Black soil with dying grass, rocky pathways, the sliver bricks cracked and chipped away, fog filled hills, and a large looming mountains. Forming gorges, and cliffs. There’s forest there too. Not like here. Not talking trees. No there’s trees are thick with pointy twisting branches. A forest of dead trees. Maybe they were the talking sort of trees once, but we’ll never know now. They look like the corpses of trees one way, or the other. They say it’s haunted that forest. The Black Forest. Despite the fog that rolls down from those hills this town its self is cozy. Like a spooky campfire story with a good ending. The people here seem less happy (not by much) than the ones in Emerald City though. I notice some of the yellow brick road is cracked, the house’s paint starting to chip, and the some of the clothes torn though not yet rags. It seems I have a lot of work to do. Still I am hungry, and too tired to do a spell. Too tired to work. I sigh. Driven by hunger, and wickedness I walk around the town. There are yellow picked fences. A farm or two. Filled with vegetables. It would be easy to steal those. Then I smell apple pie. I fallow the sweet sent. I seek over the fences with ease looking at a small cottage made out dark dusty colored yellow bricks. The nicest house in the town by far. So I don’t feel as bad when I jump the fence. I look around. Cinnamon, and spices fill the air. I see it cooling on the window sill. I swipe it. The tin is hot enough to burn my hands, but even at my weakest fire, and heat never bothered me. I sit under a non talking tree. Then hear a crack above. I look up. My clothes are a little ragged, and torn. Not wanting to use magic, and energy to fix it. I look like I traveled a very long way. The person in the trees has green skin, and wears a simple, loose, yellow, short sleeve t-shirt with a v-neck, and black leather pants. Work boots. They take something out of the cream satchel they carry. They drop it to me. It’s a fork. I sit down eating the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted.

~

I sleep under the trees. Non talking ones. I turn my cloak into a blanket. It’s the best I can manage right now. I put my cloak back on. Clasping it. I look at where I need to meet for an interview. I meet with an Emeraldin man. He has green hair, and a green beard. Black clothes, with red, and yellow accents. He shakes my hand.

“Nice to meet you Miss. Elphaba. Say you have the same name as the Princess.”

“Yes it’s very popular.” I say. Which isn’t a lie. I learn Mr. Jasper’s family has owned this land for generations. That they, and the two towns over take care of this patch of apple trees. This villages takes care of the green apples.

“So.” He say when we’re done. “No experience, but it sound like you have a good education.” He says. Going to school houses after eighteen, or in my case seeing tutors after eighteen is rare. Healer, scholars, and astronomers might, but the average Oz citizen learns a trade right after school. Most believe in learning by doing. So does Mr. Jasper. “Well it’s only two weeks. If you’re good enough at it you can stay. I’m sure you’ll learn fast.” I did learn a great many things. Me and my sisters learned cursive, waltz, ballroom dancing, table etiquette, horse back riding, at least three languages, and obviously we each learned an instrument at all at our mothers request. We all had extra tutors to teach politics. All this on top of the basics, and access to a very large royal library. Our father drilled into us the importance of learning how to run a country fairly. Even as he it seems was only ever average at best at it. Glinda was the only one who knew how to cook, and clean with out magic. I was a fool. A fool who relied on magic her whole life. “No just go over there, and fallow Eve’s lead.” I walk over to a young woman about my age. She has loosely curly black hair, and brown eyes. Green skin. Her clothes are a yellow dress with red lace, and black work boots. I watch her a minute. Then start picking my own. It doesn’t take her long to correct me on something.

“No, no, no. Twist the stem then pull.” I can’t even pick apples right, hooray. I think sarcastically.

“Don’t feel discouraged.” A person says walking up. “My sister corrects me on how I do it, and I’ve been working here as long as she has.” A person who looks very similar to Eve says. It’s the person from the tree. Wearing work clothes. They have green skin, brown eyes, and black hair. They’re very handsome. Straight black hair perfectly combed. Warm brown eyes, and skin the color of the grass valleys in Emerald City. I’m sure they recognize me, but they say nothing. “I’m Theodore. He, him. You’ve met my sister Eve. She, her.”

“I’m Elphaba. She, her.” I say. I try to pick up an apple basket and fallow Eve, and almost drop it.

“I got it.” He says. Like his sister carrying it with ease. I’m rather impressed. “Have you had breakfast?” He asks casually. I only think about lying for a moment. I shake my head. He tosses me a yellow apple. I bit into it. “If you even want to stop by our house for breakfast you’re welcome to.” He says with western hospitality.

“Our mom makes the best breakfast in town. Portage with cinnamon and apples, apple cobbler, apple cremes.” Eve adds.

“We do eat other things besides apples here.” Theodore says. Eve laughs.

“But I’d get used to them.” Theodore makes sure we’re out of ear shot.

“If you need a hot meal though seriously just stop by. Little wooden yellow house with the jasper path. Can’t miss it.” I nod.

“Thank you.”

“So we’re you from?” Eve asks as I pretend that my helping them carry the baskets does something.

“Emerald City.” Deciding to tell us much of the truth as I can. Still fearing if I tell them I’m the wicked witch I’ll have Oz to deal with. I fear he and any witch hunters he works with may be able to kill me. Besides they don’t want me as their Queen. Though I wonder if Glinda can handle Oz with only Nessarose to help.

“What are you doing way out here?” Theodore asks. I think a moment.

“Finding myself.” I say with a sly smirk. The truth, but not an answer they’ll completely understand.

“You want to be an apple picker?” Eve asks.

“I don’t know.” I tell them. I didn’t. It wasn’t my dream. My world has always been that of a future queen. An heir to the West. I didn’t think the simple life was for me. I still don’t, but if being queen wasn’t an option. Could I find something else to fulfill me? If I had to guess it wasn’t apple picking.

“She’s back!” Someone cries from the forest. Theodore leaps in front of me taking out a simple dagger. Theadore runs toward the danger. I fallow. To whatever danger awaits.