Fiddle's Revenge by Arianna Brown

Fiddle’s
 Revenge
      by
Arianna Brown

“So, they captured the Lion and flew him deep into the forest. Fiddle laughed when he
saw the struggling Lion . . ..”

“Fiddle’s Revenge”
                                by
                          Arianna Brown

                       First Place Winner
                     Division B, Grades 8-12
                                in

                “Oz: The Writing Contest”
                      sponsored by
           The International Wizard of Oz Club
The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature
                     The Fresno Bee

                          Illustrated by
                          Mark Gonzales

                       Published May 16, 2010, by
       The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature
                   California State University, Fresno

“Fiddle’s Revenge”

      The carefree band soared high above the Great Forest of Oz. Plucking fat purple bananas
from treetops, everyone chattered happily as they ate. Everyone except Prince Kuku, who flew
behind his brother, King Tofu.
      I should be in front, thought Kuku, flapping his powerful wings. I should be wearing the
Golden Cap. I should be ruler of the Winged Monkeys.
      The Golden Cap had been returned to the monkeys a year earlier by Glinda, the Good Witch
of the South. The cap was magic. Whoever possessed it could command the Monkeys three times.
Now, with the cap securely on Tofu’s head, the Monkeys were free.
      While the rest of the group flew from tree to tree, Kuku and Tofu stopped to eat on a cliff
overlooking the darkest area of the forest. “Something troubling you, brother?” Tofu asked.
      “Nope,” Kuku shook his head. Peeling his banana, he bit the end. “Just wondering why you‘re
King.”
      “I am first born, Kuku.”
      “Cut out that stuffy pants royal talk,” snapped Kuku between mouthfuls of fruit. “It’s just me
and you. First born . . . First in line . . . bleh. Why not me? I’ve got royal blood, I learned to fly
first, plus I’m far better looking. Bet you can’t even catch—think fast!” Kuku flung his half-eaten
banana toward Tofu but his aim was terrible. The banana hit the tip of the Golden Cap, knocking
it off Tofu’s head, and over the edge of the cliff.

                                                  1

Deep in the belly of the Great Forest, black velvety moss slithers along mushy ground,
smothering flowers, destroying anything colorful. A dark, miserable spot: full of scratching trees
and blood-sucking insects. It’s believed by animals of the forest to be the saddest place in all of
Oz.
     Tofu and Kuku didn’t know how they would explain to the Monkeys that they’d lost the
Golden Cap, but Kuku didn’t worry much. He thought only tiny bugs ventured that deep into the
forest. What Kuku didn’t know, what nobody knew, was a very horrible creature did live deep in
the forest—a monster seeking revenge.
     The Lion was known to be the most courageous King, a beloved ruler who’d saved the forest
animals by chopping off the head of an enormous killer spider. However, not everyone adored
the Lion. In the pit of the forest lived the dead spider’s son—a disgusting creeper, bigger than an
elephant, with eight powerful legs and rows of jagged teeth. The spider’s name was Fiddle, but
there was nothing musical or joyful about Fiddle. Unlike his mother, Fiddle wasn’t aggressive.
Not that he wouldn’t kill if given an opportunity. Fiddle was definitely more hateful than his dead
mother. But he was terrified of everything, especially the Lion. So he preferred to remain alone,
wandering the miserable depths of the forest.
     One morning Fiddle was slurping a drink from the pool when he noticed something shiny
floating on the black slime. He reached into water and fished it out. Inspecting the shiny object,
he discovered it was a cap with directions written inside the lining. Following the directions,
Fiddle slapped the wet cap on his hairy head. Standing on his four left legs, he said the words,
“Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!” Next, jumping to his right four legs, he said, “Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!”
Finally, the spider jumped on all eight of his legs and finished with, “Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!”
     He heard a thunderous sound of flapping wings. Suddenly, there were hundreds of Winged
Monkeys surrounding him. Fiddle was terrified. Before he could rip the cap off and run, the
largest Winged Monkey bowed low before him. “What is your command?” the Monkey asked.
     “Who-hoo are you?” Fiddle stammered.
     “I’m Tofu, King of the Winged Monkeys. You have called us by the charm of the Golden Cap.
We will obey your commands three times.”
     “Anything?!” Fiddle asked.
     “Correct.” Tofu answered.

                                                2

Fiddle thought for a moment. Then a wicked smile spread across his repulsive face. “I want
food,” Fiddle demanded.
     “Done.”
     “Wait! Not just anything. Food to make my web strong like rope.”
     “Very well. We shall go now and return with food.”
     When the Monkeys returned, Fiddle gobbled the food they brought. “Tasty chow.” Fiddle
smacked his lips. “Know what else I want?”
     “Yes?” Tofu sighed.
     “Bring me the Lion, hold him tightly, while I spin my web around him.”
     The Monkey King shook his head. “I don’t think–”
     “DO IT!” Fiddle snarled.
     The Monkeys hated the command. They liked the Lion. Unfortunately, they were bound by
the magic cap. So, they captured the Lion and flew him deep into the forest.
     Fiddle laughed when he saw the struggling Lion. Quickly, he began tying up the captive
Lion, using his new super-strong web. Fiddle was enjoying this so much, he didn’t notice one
Monkey slip away.
     Kuku flapped his wings furiously as he raced North. All my fault, he thought. He was out of
breath by time he arrived at the great gate of the Emerald City.
     “Need . . . to . . . see . . . Scarecrow,” Kuku panted. The gate’s guard immediately led Kuku
into the city and to the palace library where the Scarecrow was reading.
     “Good day,” greeted the Scarecrow, looking up from his book. “Did you come to read?”
     “No,” Kuku answered. “There’s trouble in the forest. You are the smartest ruler in all of Oz.”
Kuku spent the next half hour explaining to the Scarecrow how Fiddle had used the magic cap to
capture the Lion.
     “We must rescue the Lion!” declared the Scarecrow. “I’ve got an idea.” He whispered his plan
into Kuku’s ear.
     The Scarecrow climbed onto Kuku’s back. They flew out of the Emerald City. First stop was
the Deadly Poppy Fields. The Scarecrow collected as many scarlet poppies as he could hold. He
knew the smell of the powerful flowers caused animals to sleep. He hoped it might work on
spiders. The Scarecrow secured the poppies in a tight bag, trapping their scent inside. Then they
journeyed West toward Winkie Country.

                                                3

Winkle Country was extremely hot and dry. There were no trees because it never rained,
which made it a perfect home for the Tin Man, since he was prone to rusting. The Tin Man lived
in a great castle that had once belonged to the Wicked Witch of the West.
     Kuku and the Scarecrow arrived at the castle. After hearing about the Lion’s troubles, the Tin
Man agreed at once to travel to the forest and help save his friend.
     Meanwhile: Fiddle waited for his prisoner to grow weary. He planned to attack once the
Lion was too weak to fight back.
     Kuku dropped the Tin Man and the Scarecrow in the forest. He wished the pair good luck,
and told them where to find Fiddle. After Kuku left, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man snuck slowly
toward the clearing where Fiddle held the Lion captive. They spied Fiddle from behind trees.
They were surprised something so ugly actually existed.
     “Ready?” the Scarecrow whispered to the Tin Man. The Tin Man nodded. The Scarecrow
opened the bag of scarlet poppies, scattering them into the clearing.
     Moments later, Fiddle was snoring loudly. “Now!” instructed the Scarecrow.
     The Tin Man charged into the clearing. He lifted his axe to chop off Fiddle’s head. But when
he saw the sleeping spider, the Tin Man, whose heart was the purest in all of Oz, couldn’t bear to
bring his axe down, even on something evil like Fiddle.
     When Fiddle awoke from his nap the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Winged Monkeys were
standing around him. Fiddle was terrified until he remembered his new power. “Who are you?”
he sneered at the Scarecrow and the Tin Man.
     “Who are we?” The Scarecrow sounded surprised. “We’re rulers who’ve come to welcome
the new King.”
     Fiddle was confused. “Huh?”
     The Scarecrow continued, “We understand you’ve captured the Lion. So, that makes you the
new ruler of the Great Forest, right?”
     The wicked spider smiled. “Yes,” he purred. “Suppose I will crown myself King.”
     “Excellent!” replied the Tin Man. “Just pass the test, then—”
     “Test?” Fiddle interrupted. “What test?”
     “Don’t you know?” asked the Scarecrow. “All rulers take the test!”
     “Fine.” grumbled Fiddle. “What is it?”
     “Prove you’re smart,” said the Scarecrow.

                                                 4

“Also kind,” added the Tin Man.
     “Don’t forget brave,” said King Tofu.
     “Prove it, how?” Fiddle asked.
     “The Monkeys fly you into the desert,” said the Scarecrow. “If you’re brave and smart, you’ll
find your way back.”
     “I can’t!” Fiddle barked rudely.
     “Tie your strong web around a tree,” hinted the Tin Man. “Follow it home.”
     Fiddle felt uneasy. “That’s all?”
     “Kindness,” reminded the Tin Man. “To prove you’re kind, you might . . . return the Winged
Monkeys’ cap.”
     “No!” Fiddle refused. “I’ll be nothing again.”
     “Don’t care about being King, huh?” asked the Scarecrow.
     Fiddle sighed. After commanding the Monkeys to carry him into the desert, he tied his web
around a thick tree, then passed Tofu the cap. The Monkeys lifted the giant spider and flew him
out of Oz.
     The moment Fiddle was out of sight, the Tin Man cut down all the webs, freeing the Lion,
and destroying the spider’s trail. The Monkeys dumped Fiddle in the desert where he wandered
lost forever.

                                                5