The two travellers continued on their way for some time, wandering gaily along through the colorful countryside, the Scarecrow now and then doing a little fan-dance for Dorothy, and Dorothy singing some of the fannish songs she knew.
She had just finished singing a happy little tune called "When You Wore A Beanie And I Rode A Pogomobile," when a great lion bounded into the road, growling ferociously.
"Stop!" roared the lion. "I am in the mood for feuding, and I want to feud with you!"
The Scarecrow jumped back frantically, falling all over himself and making quite a comical sight. Dorothy, seeing a teeny-tiny beanie perched atop the monstrous head of the lion, burst into gales of laughter, and when she saw the floundering Scarecrow, her laughter only mounted.
The lion frowned and grumbled. "Well, do you want to feud with me?"
"Oh, I don't want to feud with anybody!" Dorothy managed to gasp, between giggles.
"No, no, no no nonono!" screamed the Scarecrow, who had fallen on his back and was trying to get up at the same time and put his beanie back on. At the sight of this, Dorothy once more burst out in delighted laughter.
And suddenly a most incredible thing happened -- the lion started to cry! Great tears rolled out of his eyes and he set up a terrible moaning and groaning; he covered his eyes with his huge paws, and rocked back and forth, making a very strange sight.
"Why, what is the matter?" said Dorothy, for she had a very gentle heart and didn't like to see anyone cry.
"Oh, I started to feel so terrible," blubbered the lion. "I tried to be a brave fan and start a feud with you, but you just laughed. I'm a terrible coward, and don't really know how to feud. Do you know that I've never started a feud with anyone in my whole life?"
"Well," said Dorothy, "that's hardly the way to start a feud; I mean just jumping out in front of a person like that."
"Yes," said the Scarecrow, recovering himself now that the lion seemed very harmless. "You should know better than that!"
"But it was the only thing I could think of, and if I'd waited any longer, you would have been out of the forest, and I just HAD to feud. I hope I didn't hurt you, though." With this, the lion started to wipe his eyes with his tail, and really looked very friendly and kind. "I wish something could be done about my cowardliness," he said, "because I've always been on the defensive in feuds with other fans, and nobody can stop a fellow if he gets in there first, you know."
Dorothy smiled kindly. She didn't feud with anybody herself, but she knew that to a lot of people it was the most interesting part of fandom. "Why don't you come with us?" she suggested. "We're going to the Amber City, where I'm going to have the BNF help me get back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants to get a new beanie to protect his headbone from unfannish thoughts. Why, I bet the BNF would be able to help you out too."
The bright little fanne, smiling so sweetly, cheered up the lion immediately. "Oh, could I?" he asked. "I'd be so grateful! I've always wanted to meet the BNF, but I've been afraid I'd meet someone and he'd start feuding with me, and ..." With that, the huge beast almost started to cry again.
"Now, now, don't cry," said Dorothy. "Now that you've decided to do something about it, everything will work out wonderfully." So the three companions started out on the road of purple brick, talking of the fans they had met, and of conventions. The lion boasted proudly of the costume he was going to wear to the South Gate Convention.
"Oh!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Are you going to leave IZ to go to South Gate?"
Her two friends turned to look at her. "Of course not," said the Lion. "We shall merely follow this very same road until we come to the south gate of the Amber City, where it's always 1958, and where the annual convention is always held."
Dorothy was astounded at this, and wondered that such a wonderful fairy fandom could exist, where time stood still in 1958 and all roads led to the Enchanted Duplicator.
(Data entered by Judy Bemis)