e water. This would be the highlight of the
whole parade! Simon was very proud of himself. He pushed his magnificent
float into a large storage locker behind the palace. The room was dusty
and cobwebby enough to assure him that it was not used very often and
that his surprise would not be discovered before the day of the parade.

"Now I'll need to find a bucket and fill it with water," he said.
Looking around the room, he noticed an oak bucket that was already full
and which was just the right size for his sculpture. He quickly secured
it in place in the papier mache Dorothy's hands. "If this doesn't get a
lot of loud cheers from the crowd, nothing will!" He rubbed his paws
with glee.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER FOUR:

AN UNFORTUNATE OUTCOME

The day of the big parade came swiftly. Sir Simon and Kabumpo were
vastly proud of the surprise they were about to spring on the people of
the Emerald City. Indeed, it was a delightful parade. The Fuzzy Yellow
Wogglebugs had put together a choral group that sang a bouncing tune as
they marched at the head of the parade. Mr. Tinker followed them with an
electronic float that tossed candy canes out of its windows to the
people below. Princess Saari came next, riding atop a magnificent float
that seemed to radiate all the colors of the rainbow. She was followed
by Pegina the Pegasus, who flew just above the heads of two mighty
dragons. Button-Bright, Trot, and Betsy Bobbin had put together a kazoo
band and played "Ease on Down the Road" as they marched along behind the
dragons. The Elves of Elfland followed, having constructed a float that
resembled Egor's fantastic Funhouse out of hundreds of carnations. A
gray spotlight shot out of the windows at certain intervals to circle
around the Funhouse and resemble a cyclone. No one knew how the Elves
had managed to make the light do this trick, but it was an Elven secret,
so no one asked.

Many other quaint and delightful spectacles were there to be seen and
enjoyed. But it was the marvelous Dorothy and Wicked Witch sculpture
that caught the attention of everyone. It reminded all of the reason for
the annual celebration, and all were happy to recall the way they had
been freed from the heartless whims of the cruel-hearted old woman.

At the end of the parade, all eyes were fixed on the image, and Simon
signaled to Kabumpo to let go of the spring. The Dorothy statue splashed
the sugary Witch right on her head. Unfortunately, the