The Lizard of Oz: Chapter Eighteen
Mr. Shermin
Cloud Nine was still on top of Mount Parnassus. (They were lucky that it hadn’t drifted away). So Miss Osborne gave everybody sunglasses from Plato’s package, and they all climbed into or onto the little green VW and rode slowly and carefully down the path to the right — toward Ome.
Going down the mountain wasn’t at all like going up. Nothing looked the same, and it seemed they’d never get to the bottom of it all; but they did.
And there at the foot of Mount Parnassus stood Mr. Bacon’s Library.
Miss Shelby went right back to teaching Mr. New Man how to read. She picked up one of the books they had looked at before and read, “Her father was Yesterday and her mother was Tomorrow. And they loved her very much…”
Miss Osborne found a copy of Alice in Wonderland — one that had a photo of Mr.Carroll on the dust jacket. After that, she carried that book wherever she went.
Cindy came running toward her. “Mr. Shermin is acting funny, Miss Osborne,” she said. “He’s swimming back and forth in the fishbowl, and the water around his head is boiling.”
“Boiling?” asked Miss Osborne. “I hope nothing’s wrong. He hasn’t said anything in the longest time.”
The class gathered around the fishbowl.
“He looks very depressed,” said Gaynell.
Mr. Shermin said in a voice that everyone could hear, “What’s the point of it all? I don’t know most everything. There are all these lands that I never dreamed of. I don’t even know all the questions, much less the answers. I’ve just been living in a fishbowl.”
“Gosh,” said Donny, “he’s knocking his head against the wall.”
“Quick!” ordered Miss Osborne. “Hand me that fishbowl! If we don’t stop him, he might crack it.”
She reached inside the bowl to try to stop him; but no, it cracked, and the water spilt on the floor.
Mr. Bacon came rushing up, “Barbarians!” he shouted. “What are they doing now? Breaking fishbowls and spilling water all over my Library.”
But he stopped short, in shock, for there stood Mr. Shermin, the teacher, wearing glasses, smoking a pipe, and standing in a puddle of water and broken glass.
“Gosh,” said Donny, “Mr. Shermin is a person again.”
“Welcome… I mean …. how do you do?” said Miss Osborne. “I mean, welcome back, Mr. Shermin,” she stumbled over her words, trying to figure out what had just happened and what might happen next.
The kids were glad to have Mr. Shermin back as a teacher.
“You were much more fun as a teacher than as a fish,” Gaynell said, giggling.
Mr. Shermin said, “Not so fast, now. I’m not about to go back to my old ways. No. I won’t be a teacher, and I won’t be going to Winthrop. Not right away, at least. I want to go back to the Underworld and talk to Mr.Plato. After that, I don’t know. But you just may see me again.”
Then he turned to Mr.Bacon and said,”You’re just the man I wanted to see. I’ll be needing a backpack and some climbing boots and books — lots of books. I’ll need a lot to eat along the way.”
Soon Mr. Shermin, with a heavy load of books, started the long trek back up the mountain — all alone.
Watching him leave, Miss Osborne sighed, “If only we could find the Promised One.”
Miss Shelby asked, “Miss Osborne, who is the Promised One?”
“Mr. Plato said that there’s a legend that a Promised One will bring back the fire of enchantment from Oz and Ome.”
Mr. Bacon interrupted, “What’s your name again?”
“Miss Osborne.”
“Of course,” concluded Mr. Bacon. “You may be the one — Oz Born, born for Oz. Oz is your destiny. You were born for this quest. There’s no way you can abandon it and just go home.”
“Or maybe it’s Miss Shelby,” added Mr. New Man. “She Shall Be. Whatever Shelby shall be.”
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Links to other chapters and the story of how this story was written.
