The last thing Jason remembered before the world turned upside down was the howling winds rattling the windows of his small farmhouse. Then, with a roar and a sudden lurch, everything went dark. When he came to, the sight before him was like nothing he’d ever seen. The air was warm and fragrant, the sky was impossibly blue, and the ground beneath him was paved with shimmering golden bricks.

He stood in Munchkinland—or so the tiny people had called it—when a beautiful woman in a shimmering pink gown appeared, introducing herself as Glinda, the Good Witch. Her voice was soft and kind as she explained that the only way to find his way back home was to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and speak with the Wizard. With a pair of ruby-red boots that somehow fit him perfectly, Jason set out, feeling equal parts confused, determined, and irritated by the strangeness of it all.

The road was quiet at first, the only sound his boots clicking against the golden bricks. Then, in the distance, he saw a lonely figure standing in the middle of a field. It was a scarecrow, perched on a wooden pole with a faint breeze ruffling her tattered clothes. Her face wasn’t just painted—it was expressive, her eyes watching him approach with a mix of curiosity and hope.

“Uh… hello?” Jason called out, unsure of how to address her. “Do… do you talk?”