The Return to Oz

The return to Oz- On a brisk October morning, one hundred and twenty-five years after Dorothy returned to Kansas, the world found itself in a horrible place in its history. The world sadly was at war, and all the countries of the world, near and far, were ravaged by blight, foul weather, and unkindness to all who would not join the conflict.
On that very day, Ethan, a farmer's son from the great state of Kansas, learned that his father had been reported as missing in the great conflict in far off lands he'd barely heard of except from the newspapers floating around town.
Ethan had just turned fifteen, didn't care much for school because the other boys made fun of him for being gay. It wasn't so much that he was gay that they took offense to, but more that Ethan was a dreamer and seemed to believe in everything, cared about everyone, and what appeared to be a "Boy Scout," as Richard Ames called him.
But what to do? He was, after all, only fifteen. Too young to join the military, too small to help at the packing factory or work at the Military Complex that he passed every day on his way to school. But he had to do something-anything but sit around and mope all day. He did have one friend he could always count on: "Windsor," his beloved dog. Windsor was a schnoodle, a mix between schnauzer and poodle. He was the smartest dog Ethan had ever known.
Windsor had sort of picked Ethan to live with. He showed up one day at the farm clear out of the blue. Why, he even walked over to Ethan and sat right down next to him at lunchtime as if he'd always been there waiting for his bit of Ethan's lunch.
On that brisk day, the wind had picked up and was tossing Ethan forward and back as he made his way to school. As he was about to pass the gates of the Military Complex, Windsor ran through the gate, and three military guards yelled and ran after him.
** And so, a new journey, a return to Oz begins