“‘I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!’ That’s what I said to her.”

“Cackled to her is more like it.”

The Wicked Witch turned at the voice. Her eyes were wide with ire, but they softened when she realized who the speaker was. “Oh, it’s you, Toto. Yes, you’re probably right. I probably did cackle at her.”

“Yes, but she was a spoiled child, wasn’t she.” The little talking dog licked his paw. “And that dreadful dog. Such a farm animal. Ruffian. Cur. It is so unfortunate that we have the same name.”

The Wicked Witch lowered her eyes. “Well, you know… I actually created you from her dreadful little dog.”

“You what?!”

She tried to smile at Toto. It was a weak attempt. “Yes. When I had that little dog in my clutches, I could hardly stand it. But he looked into my eyes… It was all I could do to pry my eyes away. I took some of that mongrel’s fur and voilà! Here you were.”

Toto thought for a moment. The two had a moment of awkward silence. “So that’s why you let her go without any muss or fuss.”

“Yes.”

Toto shrugged. “Ah well.” Then, he smiled (as much as dogs smile). “Okay. So who do we torment now? You let all those wimps off the hook. Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, your little pretty...”

“And her little dog, too.”

“…and her little dog, too.” Toto was a bit perturbed by the interruption, but he nevertheless continued, “So who is there left to torment? Glenda? The good people of Oz? The Lollipop Guild?”

The Wicked Witch slumped her shoulders and looked down at her feet.

“Right. None of them are afraid of you any more. I guess we’ll just need to pick on somebody else for a change.”

The Wicked Witch looked at Toto. “Or we could just hang out and play fetch. I could make you doggy treats. I could knit you some doggy sweaters. We could…”

Toto interrupted with a quick bark. He looked beyond the Wicked Witch. She followed his gaze, but could not see a thing. She turned back to Toto.

“As much fun as all that sounds…” Toto was sure his sarcasm was lost on the Wicked Witch. “…I am sure it is not what L. Frank Baum intended at all.”