JENNY JUMP'S ADVENTURES IN TIME AND SPACE

A Continuation of "Jenny Jump and the King of Oz"

by Damon Z. Pythias

When Jenny Jump materialized in her bedroom, her first thought was that she had left her Turn-Style in the past. However, a quick look around the Style Shop revealed that the magical device was in its accustomed place. Jenny was too tired to use the Turn-Style, so she went to bed in the clothes that Pastoria had given her.

The Duchess awakened at nine o'clock the next morning. She changed into a white dress, ate a few pancakes, picked up her bag of fairy gifts, and hurried toward the Royal Palace, intending to tell the story of her adventures. Jenny was quite shocked to see the same castle that she had seen in the past. The Soldier With Green Whiskers stood before the front gate.

"Why, Omby Amby, what happened to Ozma's Palace?" asked Jenny.

"It's just ahead, where it usually is, Jenny," replied the Soldier. "Of course, it's actually King Pastoria's Castle. Don't you remember?"

"What's the date today?"

When Jenny discovered that she was in her proper time, she became more puzzled than ever. She hurried down a path, into the Castle, and to the Throne Room. In this room, King Pastoria sat on a high throne, with Ozma on a lower seat at his right. Pajuka, in his human form, was seated in the chamber, as were many other courtiers, some familiar to Jenny, and some unfamiliar.

"I thought you abdicated, Pastoria," Jenny told the King.

"Why would you think that?" questioned Pastoria.

"Who are the Rulers of Oz?" asked the Duchess.

"Glinda rules the Quadlings; King Cheeriobed and Queen Orin rule the Munchkins. The Gillikins are ruled by King Gil-"

"King Gil? What happened to Joe King?"

"He's King of UpTown, of course. And the Winkies are ruled by King-"

"I thought the Tin Woodman was Emperor of the Winkies."

"The Tin Woodman?"

"Yes. Nick Chopper."

"Isn't Nick Chopper that wood-cutter in the Central Blue Forest?" asked a strange Knight.

"I believe he is," said Pastoria. "Are you feeling all right, Jenny?"

"I'm not sure," replied Jenny.

"Well, you had better see a doctor." The King told a page to fetch Herby, and this Medicine Man soon entered the room.

"Come with me to my office, Jenny," said Herby.

The physician led the Duchess through the halls of the castle, eventually coming to a spacious chamber. Once Herby and Jenny had entered this room, the Medicine Man closed the door.

"Now then, what seems to be wrong, my dear?" asked Herby, after the two had seated themselves.

"Well, first of all," replied Jenny, "the Herby that I know is shorter, and his eyes look different."

"What sort of eyes does he have?"

"They look like cough-drops."

"Cough-drop eyes? How odd!"

"Yes, but they're what you had. Also, Ozma ruled Oz, and Pastoria retired and became a tailor. The palace was different, and there was an Emerald City around it."

Jenny attempted to remain calm as she said this, but Herby detected some frustration in her voice. Therefore, he walked over to a hanging cupboard to get some Comfort Pills.

"Why do you need a cabinet?" asked Jenny. "What about your medicine chest?"

"Medicine chest?" questioned the doctor.

"Yes. The Herby I know has a medicine chest in his body."

"And how would such an odd thing occur?"

"Well, it happened when old Mombi threw you into that cough syrup."

"Mombi?"

"Yes, the old witch Mom-Wait a minute! Now I know why everything is so different! I have to see Pastoria."

Jenny Jump hurried out of Herby's room, and back to the Throne Room, where the King was holding court. The Duchess interrupted a dispute over a farm by telling Pastoria, "We need to talk privately, Your Majesty. And right now!"

Pastoria led Jenny into a small room. Once inside, the Duchess asked, "Remember when I saved you from Mombi the Witch?"

"Of course!" replied Pastoria. "Didn't we celebrate Jenny Jump Day last month?"

"I don't know. You see, it was just last night that I went back in time. Mombi was supposed to enchant you, but I stopped her, and ruined the space-time continuum."

"I don't think I quite understand."

"I changed history, Your Majesty, and now I have to change it back. Maybe Glinda will be able to help me. Where does she live?"

"In a palace in the Quadling Country, near the Great Sandy Waste."

This was the same location in which Jenny was used to Glinda living, so the half-fairy quickly put on her fairy shoe, stamped her foot, and flew out an open window and away toward the south.

Eventually, Jenny reached Glinda's Palace, which looked as the Duchess remembered it. Jenny landed, announced herself to a girl guard, and soon stood before Glinda in her Throne Room.

"Is something wrong, Jenny?" asked Glinda, noticing the worried expression on the girl's face.

"Yes!" replied the Duchess. "Everything is wrong! I changed history, and now I have to change it back."

"Why, what do you mean?"

Jenny Jump related her odd experiences to the Sorceress. When she had finished, Glinda said, "You should return to the time that you are accustomed to. Otherwise, it could have dire consequences on the Balance of the World. However, I do not know how to send you there."

"Well, neither do I," stated Jenny, "unless there were another thunder-storm. Wait a minute! That's it!"

"What?" inquired Glinda. But Jenny did not answer. She had already flown out of the castle, and was steadily climbing high into the sky.

Once the Duchess reached the upper part of the Troposphere, she placed her fairy glass on her eye. She then searched for the Palace of the Rain King, which she soon found and entered. Inside, the powerful King was sitting at a desk, examining maps and papers.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," said Jenny.

"What?" exclaimed the Rain King, looking up from his work. "Who are you?"

"I am Jenny Jump, half-fairy and Duchess of Oz. I have come to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of favor, Miss Jump?"

"Last night, a thunder-storm in the Emerald City-"

"The Emerald City? I have been all around the world, and I have never heard of such a place."

"That's because it doesn't exist anymore. You see, a bolt of lightning hit my Magic Turn-Style, and sent me back in time. I accidentally changed the past, and I would like to go back and change it again."

"So you want me to provide a thunder-storm?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Rain King shook his head. "I believe that would be too risky, my dear. Striking this Turn-Style with lightning may not send you to the same time that it did before. Besides, I really cannot spare any thunder-storms."

"Then how will I return to my own time?" asked Jenny, who was on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, another visitor arrived in the castle. This one was a black-haired girl, who appeared to be about Jenny's age. She wore a black dress, clock ear-rings, and a stop-watch on a golden necklace. She inquired, "Is Miss Jenny Jump here?"

"I'm Jenny Jump," replied the Duchess. "Who are you, and why do you want to see me?"

"I am Zeitra, the Mistress of Time-Travel. My job is to aid other time-travellers. I was supposed to assist you in the past, but I was busy helping a Greek witch at that time. It appears that you have made several mistakes, and I have come to stop you from making any more."

"Can we go back to Pastoria's time, and stop me from destroying Mombi?"

"Of course. That's why I'm here. Hold my right hand, and we'll begin correcting history."

After Jenny grabbed Zeitra's hand, the Mistress wound the stop-watch on her necklace, and pressed the button on its top. The two girls promptly disappeared, and then reappeared in exactly the same place.

"Where did you come from?" questioned the Rain King.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty? I just asked you about going back in time, remember?"

"No, I do not. Now, please leave me alone. I have a good deal of work to do."

"Why doesn't he recognize me?" Jenny asked Zeitra.

"Because, although we are in the same place, we are in a different time. The Rain King's Castle looks the same, but the Earth looks quite different."

"I see," said the Duchess.

"Whom are you talking to?" inquired the King.

"The girl right next to me. Don't you see her?"

"No. You are the only girl I see."

"Come on, Jenny. Let's leave," advised Zeitra.

Jenny Jump followed the Mistress out of the castle. As both maidens flew through the sky, Jenny inquired, "Why didn't the Rain King see you? He has fairy eyes, doesn't he?"

"He does. However, only those who are not at the correct point in the space-time continuum can see me. This applies to fairies as well as mortals. Now, let's go down to the Earth."

The two girls descended, soon coming upon a green country, with a castle in the middle. Jenny recognized the castle as the dwelling of Pastoria, and she promptly flew to the north, where she knew she would find herself.

When the Duchess arrived in the forest, she saw herself talking to Pajuka. At that moment, the Jenny Jump on the land said, "I'm Jenny Jump, a Duchess of Oz. Who are you, and where in Oz are we?"

"I'm, uh, a goose," replied Pajuka. "And I'm not sure where we are. It's some forest near the Royal Castle of Oz."

"Well, come on, goose. We have to stop that witch from enchanting your King."

Jenny quickly landed in front of herself, and shouted, "Stop! You must not harm Mombi!"

"Who are you?" inquired the other double. "You look exactly like me!"

"That's because I am you. When our Turn-Style was struck by lightning last night, you were sent here, which is the past for both of us. Then, before you returned to your own time, you destroyed Mombi, altering the course of hoztory."

"How do I know you're really me, and not one of the witch's tricks, meant to stop me from helping the King?"

"What year is this, goose?"

When the goose replied, Jenny asked, "And who rules the Land of Oz?"

"Why, King Pastoria, of course."

"I remember now!" exclaimed the Jenny who had not met Zeitra. "Mombi turned Pajuka, Pastoria's Prime Minister, into a goose, right before she enchanted the King!"

"Correct. Now, what you must do, Jenny, is travel to the south, until you reach Glinda's house. She does not live in her palace at this time. Someone there can help you. Goodbye, Jenny!"

"Goodbye, Jenny," returned the other Jenny. This other Jenny then set out toward the south.

"As for you, Pajuka," said the Duchess, "you can't help your King at this time. However, he will someday be restored to his own form. I would like to tell you more, but it might have serious effects on the time-space continuum."

Jenny Jump stamped her fairy foot, and soared back up into the sky, where Zeitra awaited her. The puzzled Pajuka tried to make some sense of what happened, but, since he could not, he returned to the water to practice swimming.

"Good job, Jenny!" approved Zeitra. "You have saved Mombi, and the future."

"Can I return home now?" asked the Duchess.

"Not yet. First, you must come with me to another time."

Without bothering to ask any questions, Jenny once again took hold of Zeitra's hand, and waited for the Mistress to transport her through time. After the transportation, the Emerald City could be seen to the south.

"See? You have restored the city," stated the Mistress of Time-Travel. "But this time, our mission is not in Oz, but in the Great Outside World."

Jenny followed Zeitra through miles of sky, eventually reaching Ireland. Here, the Mistress led the Duchess into a cave, where a Leprechaun was seated on a stone table.

"I tire of this place," the Leprechaun was saying. "No one in Ireland even believes in Leprechauns no more. And finding cheese be so hard."

"Is that Psychopompus?" whispered Jenny.

"Yes," was Zeitra's reply. "You must tell him to come with us, Jenny."

"But won't that change history?"

"No. Psychopompus is destined for travel, but he does not know it. We must help him."

Jenny Jump walked over to the table, and called out, "Psychopompus! You must come with me!"

"And who be ye?" asked Psychopompus, turning around the face the visitor to his cave.

"You don't know me yet, but you will someday. Just come with me. It is your destiny."

"Very well. I'll be comin' with ye. Where are we goin'?"

"I don't really know. We'll be following my guide, whom you can't see."

The Leprechaun followed Jenny out of the cave, since he really had nothing better to do. The Duchess of Oz held Psychopompus, and stamped her fairy foot. She then followed Zeitra through the sky, across the Atlantic Ocean, and into a New Jersey mountain range, which Jenny recognized.

"As you probably know, these are the Jenny Jump Mountains, your former home in New Jersey," stated Zeitra. "Now, we must visit your old house."

The Duchess remembered the way to her house quite well. Once she reached this building, she stopped next to an open window. Inside, Jenny's mother was holding a baby, and conversing with Jenny's father.

"Well, what should we call her?" asked the father.

"Why don't we call her Jenny?" suggested the mother. "Then she would have the same name as the mountains."

"Jenny it is."

"You must watch over that child," the older Jenny told Psychopompus. "You will be her godfather."

"Ah, that I can do," said Psychopompus. "I have always wanted to be guardian to a wee one, but I never before had the chance."

"Goodbye, Psychopompus," said the Duchess, as she grabbed Zeitra's hand. "I'll see you again sometime."

"Let us return to Oz, before I send you back to your own time," advised the Mistress of Time. And the two girls began their flight across the United States.

"You did quite well back there, Jenny," approved Zeitra.

"So I assigned Psychopompus as my own guardian?" questioned the Duchess of Oz.

"Yes. That was why you were sent through time in the first place."

"Does that happen often?"

"More often than you might think."

"And who sent me back in time?"

"I don't know. There are many mysteries about time-travel that even I do not understand. But we have reached the Emerald City, so it is time for you to leave."

"Goodbye, Zeitra," said Jenny, as the Mistress began to wind her stop-watch.

"Goodbye, Jenny. I'll see you later, if you ever again become lost in time."

Zeitra pressed the button on her watch, and Jenny was quickly sent to the same place in a different time. The Duchess could no longer see Zeitra, so she did not know if the Mistress was still there or not.

Jenny flew down to the entrance to Ozma's Palace. She then entered the castle, and rushed through the halls. The Duchess was so intent on seeing her old friends again, that she almost tripped over the Glass Cat.

"Would you watch where you're going, Jenny?" complained the glass feline.

"Sorry, Bungle," said Jenny. "Oh, by the way, who is the Ruler of Oz?"

"Why, Ozma, of course. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes!" And Jenny continued her run through the corridors, eventually coming to the Throne Room, where Ozma was holding court.

"Good morning, Jenny," said Ozma.

"Good morning, Ozma," replied Jenny. "I'm glad to see you on the Royal Throne again."

"What do you mean?"

"I have just returned from an adventure."

"Well, after I'm through holding court, I'd like to hear about your adventure."

Later that morning, a large crowd of Ozites, including Pastoria and Pajuka, gathered in the Throne Room to hear about Jenny's adventures. The recital sparked thoughts in the minds of many people. Pastoria thought of his transformation by Mombi, and tried to picture Jenny rescuing him. Herby wondered what life would be like without his medicine chest. And Pajuka remembered the day when he had met the two Jenny Jumps, which he had been puzzled about for years, and finally realized what had happened.

THE END

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