Most people know that the Wizard intended to fly Dorothy out of the Land of Oz in a great balloon. This concept appears both in L. Fank Baum’s original book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and in the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”

In Mr. Baum’s original book, we are told the Wizard first arrived in Oz by balloon, which was carried from Nebraska to Oz by a great tornado. In my new book, “The Lost Wizard of Oz,” we get a hint as to where that tornado might have come from. In Oz, nothing happens by chance. Something or someone is usually working behind the scenes, like the Wizard himself, hidden behind his curtain. We could say the same thing about real life. What look like coincidences often turn out to be much, much more.

The Wizard’s Balloon Ride: A Risky Escape Plan

In Mr. Baum’s original book, the Wizard tells Dorothy the balloon that brought him to Oz was filled with helium gas. The problem is that there is no helium in all the land of Oz. Not one bit. Foolishly, he suggests that filling a balloon with hot air might be able to carry them over the poisonous desert and back to America. He admits that hot air is not nearly as effective as helium and is afraid the balloon may crash in the desert. Nevertheless, he is willing to try because he wants to help the little girl and he is tired of being king. People are beginning to catch on that he is a fraud.

Dorothy turns out to be very lucky she is not in that balloon. In “The Lost Wizard of Oz,” his balloon does, in fact, crash into the desert. All of us have faced problems that we feel have no good solution. Sometimes we take a foolish risk. Unfortunately for the Wizard, he is about to learn the hard way something my Daddy use to tell me: “Son, it is a lot easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble.”

Great advice, Dad, though I have to admit I didn’t always listen. Besides, sometimes getting out of trouble is half the fun.