The Displaced Witch

By Stephanie Ayers

Rainbow hair. Inked skin. New magic. Strange world.

Effie Thropp is no longer in Oz. She's in a strange world where no one bats an eye at her green skin, but she still feels out of place until she finds new magic that helps her fit in. Is this magic powerful enough to work in Oz? There's only one way to know, but is she willing to risk her new life to find out?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crazy Ink
• Release date: Sep 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201516604

Book preview

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Witchcraft is just a manipulation of science, after all. Dr. Henry Jekyll

Note from the author:

For authenticity purposes , the author has chosen to use British slang where appropriate throughout the story. Here’s a short key to some of the lesser-known words:

Bobby/Peeler-police officer

Bollocks-swear word

Wanker-derogatory name

Joshing/diddling-terms that mean being fooled or made to believe something untrue

Tea leaf- thief

Cabbaged- robbed/stole

Nick- police station

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Prologue

Hatta spun his hat and spun his hat again, but no matter how much he spun it, he couldn’t escape Oz’s witch of the north and her ghastly plan to marry him. Little did he know, but every time he spun his hat, another character from Oz disappeared. Instead of melting like everyone thought, Effie Thropp, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West, disappeared to a whole new land that accepted her exactly as she was, green skin, pointed hat, and all. She just didn’t know it yet.

Chapter One

E xcuse me, Effie asked the person bustling past her. Can you tell me where I am? I’m just a little lost.

The man grinned widely. That’s easy enough to do in London. Just look for the bridge. He raised his cap and moved along his way.

Effie looked around and huffed. Plenty of people milled about, but she still had no idea where she was. London, he’d said, but there was no such London in Oz. 

Excuse me, she asked the next person who looked friendly enough. 

The woman’s eyebrows rose, but she paused in her travels. What can I help you with?

I’m a bit lost. Can you tell me where London is? Effie asked.

You’re standing in it, the woman answered. London is the capital city of England, which is a part of the British Isles, a European nation on the planet called ‘Earth,’ the lady huffed before rushing off with her head shaking. 

Earth, Effie mused, a smile spreading across her face. Excuse me, she asked the next person she saw.

Yes, the man answered.

How far away is Kansas? she asked.

Too far to walk, the man quipped. It’s across the pond. Way across the pond.

Thank you, Effie said, beaming.

But what Effie didn’t know was that by the pond meant an entire ocean apart. She rounded a corner and saw the river Thames. 

Hmm. I wonder if that’s what he meant? she asked herself. That doesn’t look too far to walk, though it would take some time in these horrid boots.

She walked in the direction of the bridge, paying no mind to the shop windows she passed along the way until a large display of soft soled shoes with a check mark on the sides caught her eye. She stared at them for a moment, awestruck at their simplicity and appealing comfort.

The bell chimed as she went into the store, but no one greeted her as she expected. She pulled her hat a little lower trying to hide her green skin, but no one had batted an eye on the street. She hoped it would be no different in the store. The shoe display was open from the inside, so she made her way to the front of it and picked up the red pair with the black check mark. Plopping down in the window, she pulled her boots off and slid the shoes on. They pinched her feet, but she was so enamored with them. 

A little pain for pretty shoes is worth it, she said, leaving her boots where they were and climbing out of the display window.

Effie paused and listened to the silence. When she heard no one moving, she shrugged. Well, okay then, she mumbled and went back out to the street. 

The street looked the same as it had when she went into the shop, but she’d lost sight of the bridge. Strange metal beasts roamed the road, but she ignored them and stepped from the sidewalk to the street. A man jumped out and grabbed her just before one of the speeding beasts plowed her down.

Are you nuts, woman? On a suicide kick or something? the man said when they’d recovered their breath.

Effie’s brows drew together, and the corners of her eyes frowned. She pushed herself away from the man. I have no idea what you mean. What is suicide? Why did you grab me like that? 

You were about to be flattened by that truck. Do you wish to die?

That beast wouldn’t dare kill me. Only water can do that, Effie stated.

The man looked her over. 

"I don’t know where you’re from or even from what era you’ve come, but those things will kill you. You have to wait for the road to clear of cars before you cross it."

He pointed to the corner where a large traffic light had been installed. You see that?

Effie nodded.

Every street corner has one. That’s the best place to cross. There’s even a button you can push to stop traffic. I highly recommend you start crossing there, lady.

The man grunted and left Effie to herself. 

Well then, Effie huffed.

She searched for the bridge again. Either she was lost, or it was just beyond her view. What she wouldn’t give for a flying monkey to show up, but they were back in Oz, and she had no idea how to get back there. Unless...

Excuse me, Effie said loud enough for a passerby to hear.

Yeah, whatcha need? a young woman answered.

Where can I find monkeys?

The woman’s eyes widened. The zoo, she answered before she continued on her way.

The zoo, Effie mumbled. I wonder what kind of kingdom this ‘zoo’ is.

It ain’t a kingdom, lady, it’s a place, a young man said in passing. He didn’t bother to stop moving on a strange board with wheels beneath his feet.

Effie watched as he expertly maneuvered around people, his foot tapping the ground occasionally as he rode. 

Interesting, she said and joined the throng of people bustling along the sidewalk. She spied a man on a two wheeled vehicle and stopped in front of him.

He stared at her but didn’t acknowledge her until she spoke.

The zoo. Where is it?

You’re on the wrong side of town if you want the zoo, he said. He looked her over again. You aren’t from around here, are you? If you don’t tell my boss, I’ll give you a lift.

Effie laughed. As if I knew your boss.

Alright, then. Climb on.

He patted the empty seat behind him. 

"What? You "mean on that?"

Are you joshing me? You’ve never seen a motorbike before? Where are you from? The man tried to hide his surprise, but his widened eyes and gaping jaw hadn’t escaped Effie’s notice. 

Not here, Effie answered. 

She studied the motorbike and determined it was safer than a broom at least. Maybe faster, too. She sat on the seat behind him but almost fell off when the motorcycle merged into traffic. The man grabbed her arm and tucked it around his waist.

You best hold on, he said. Lean into the curves, and the ride will go much smoother.

Effie took his advice and watched his movements. When he moved, she moved, and soon he stopped and pulled along the sidewalk.

Here you are, he said, pointing to the open entrance of the zoo. 

Effie slid off the motorcycle and stared at the area in front of her. She’d never seen anything like it. 

Do you know where the monkeys are? she asked.

The man snorted. No. Never been inside. I’m sure there’s a map for the zoo somewhere. Nice to meet you, lady. Stay safe.

He pulled off into the traffic without a backwards glance. 

Effie sighed. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day, and it was only getting started.

Chapter Two

The zoo was nothing like Effie expected, and melancholy lined the bridge of her nose, the corners of her eyes, and turned her lips into a frown the farther she went. Animals better left in the wild were on display everywhere she turned, but she saw no monkeys anywhere. Elephants, rhinos, and hippos were bound by large, light-colored brick walls. Giraffes stretched their long necks into the trees from deep, enclosed caverns. Penguins danced and played in a watery oasis behind a glass wall. 

She gasped as she followed a sign pointing down a path that led to something called Ape House. It was another light-colored brick enclosure, but rusty-orange orangutans swung from branches behind a metal, see-through enclosure. 

The smell hit her first as she entered the building. Fresh feces mingled with the stench of hot fur, and her nose wrinkled in dismay. Monkeys of all sizes lay on cement floors behind glass. If they’d ever had wings, they’d been