so be it.
Skeptics have always existed and, I assume, always will. Some people
like to doubt the reality of certain phenomena that appears quite
obvious to others. I suspect it makes them feel secure: something they
no longer have to deal with. Well, good luck, my little friend. I'm sure
you will find your way home. Oh, incidentally, I almost forgot. I didn't
want to one-upmanship Dickens and Twain in their presence, but I was an
actor too, you know--long before those two. You might also like to have
my autographed sketch. You will note the difference in my spelling of my
name and the later versions." He stuffed a piece of paper in Graham's
shirt pocket as he exited.

As the plane's doors closed behind Shakespeare, the flight attendant
brought Graham a refreshing glass of lemonade. His thoughts turned to
Telly, who had been so sad at being left behind. He eagerly looked
forward to seeing the little guy again.

Graham slept the entire trip back. He awoke just as the plane taxied to
the terminal. And who should be waiting in exactly the same place as he
left him but Telly, who was so glad that Graham had returned that he ran
up and hugged him for the longest time.

"I knew you'd come back," he said. "That's why I waited. I knew that the
plane couldn't be going to America. In fact, I still don't believe that
there was any plane or airport or anything. I think it was all some
trick of the Witch to confuse us. Planes simply cannot exist in Oz.
Transportation is either by foot or via some magical contrivance such as
the animated Gump or the famous Red Wagon."

"Well, I hate to disappoint you," replied Graham, waving the bundle of
letters, photographs, and drawings in his hand. "But where do you think
these came from if the whole thing was some kind of hallucination? And
how could I read German words if the words weren't in my consciousness
to begin with? And I certainly couldn't have made up Shakespeare's
words."

"And I hate to disappoint YOU," answered Telly, quite tartly, "but you
might wish to look behind you."

Graham turned to look behind him to catch a glimpse of the entire
airport fading away. Not only that, but the papers in his hand had also
faded away to absolute nothingness. "Oh, no!" cried the boy. "Now I have
no proof of my experience!"

"That's because it never happened," Telly replied dryly.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

THE WINKIE COUNTRY

Oz was as unlike America as it could be, yet also familiar. I