Drucilla is napping on her bed. She has had a long night battling a leaky roof in the insekt hotel. At this very moment, she is dreaming about moving into her new beehive. Sad to say, its construction has only just begun, so it will be a long time before Drucilla’s dream comes true. The queen cannot hear Dalton tiptoe into the chamber. When he sees that Drucilla is fast asleep, he turns to leave. In a rare moment of indecision halts at the door and turns himself around to approach the queen again. This repeats itself twice until the queen is pulled out of her dreams by Dalton’s frustrated sigh.
Drucilla (sits up and blinks): Who’s there?
Dalton (stands erect): Captain of the Royal Guard, my queen!
Drucilla (yawns): Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that?
Dalton: Your Majesty did mention it. Still it would seem to be a habit I would rather not lose.
Drucilla: Dalton, that is dangerously close to insubordination.
Dalton: Forgive me, you Highness.
Drucilla rolls her eyes at his stubbornness. Dalton smiles mischievously. For a moment, both are about to burst out laughing, but Drucilla manages to control herself. Following her lead, Dalton wipes the smile from his face.
Drucilla: Is there a reason why you came to see me? Or did you just want to watch me sleep?
Dalton: I would not wish to disturb your Majesty for such a trivial reason.
Dalton’s mouth opens and closes without the slightest sound escaping. He steps out into the hallway where whispering could be hear on the other side of the door. A moment later, he appears once more in the small chamber. Still, he hesitates to move toward the queen.
Drucilla: Dalton! Come here and tell me what’s going on?
Dalton reaches the bed in four strides and stands at attention at Drucilla’s shoulder.
Drucilla (closes her eyes): Well? Speak out, Captain of the Royal Guard!
Dalton (blushes nervously): You have a visitor …
Drucilla: Yes?
Dalton: … Drucilla.
The queen’s mood lightens considerably now.
Drucilla: Now you’ve got me curious. Aren’t you going to tell me who it is?
Dalton: Yes, well … I’m not quite sure if you will want to see this visitor.
Drucilla: Why not?
Whispered Voice: Just tell her!
Drucilla: Yes, Dalton, tell her!
Dalton (sighs): She came here of her own accord. I didn’t invite her.
Drucilla taps her forefoot impatiently on the mattress.
Drucilla: Dalton! Either you tell me right now who it is or leave my chamber and take her with you!
Dalton jumps at the queen’s anger. Before he can pull himself together enough to announce her guest, a green face becomes visible in the doorway.
Face: It’s Helen.
Drucilla: Haaaa!
Drucilla draws her blanket up to her chin and sits up in bed. She hopes with all her heart that this is a nightmare form which she’ll soon wake up.
Helen (enters the room): Please, don’t be afraid! I only wish to talk to you for a little while. I feel terrible about what happened the last time I was here. I know you threw me out and told me never to come again. But I thought you might allow me to apologize anyway.
Drucilla (stares at her suspiciously): Dalton, go out and see what the sky looks like. (To Helen) Where’s your sister?
Dalton leaves them alone to check the weather.
Helen: Glinda is in Oz. I came by myself.
Drucilla: Right.
Helen: Please believe me. It’s true. My sister doesn’t know I’m here.
Drucilla stares at her with a scowl on face. Helen looks down at the floor and shuffles her feet.
Helen: I didn’t tell my sister I was leaving Oz. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving Oz. And this time, it’s for good. I’m never going back there again.
Drucilla: What do you want here?
Helen: I only want to apologize … and help you if I can.
Drucilla: I think you can help us most by staying away.
Helen: Please let me do something. I can’t sleep at night. Every time I close my eyes, I see that tornado heading straight for your beehive.
Drucilla: Well, that makes two of us.
Helen: Drucilla, everything you said about me was true. I did enrage my sister, and I did it on purpose just so she would show you her bad side.
Drucilla: Why?
Helen: I didn’t think her bad side would be that bad. Honestly, I never dreamt she would throw a tornado at you. (Drucilla opens her mouth to speak but Helen stops her.) I don’t mean to say something nasty about Glinda. She feels at least as bad as I do about what happened to your beehive, maybe even worse.
Drucilla: Well, I don’t know …
Helen: She feels so bad, she has even started going to therapy to try to change her ways.
Drucilla: Really?
Helen: Yes, she doesn’t tell me much, but I think she’s starting to gain some insight.
Drucilla (waves her feelers thoughtfully): And you?
Helen: I gained a lot of insight the moment you threw me out of here.
Drucilla: Huh!
Helen: I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I’ve done. I only want to make up for it a little. I can’t replace your beehive with a wave of my wand. I’m not that powerful. But I could still do something for you.
Before Drucilla can answer, Frank’s ragged voice is heard in the corridor singing Zippedi doo-da. A moment later, the monster appears in the doorway with a big smile on his face and a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. But when he sees her visitor, he quickly covers his face and runs away screaming, Helen gathers up the flowers he drops in the hallway.
Helen (troubled): That happens to me all the time. I wish I could look like Glinda, even if it were only for a day.
Drucilla (pushes her blanket away): Do you think you are so ugly that Frank ran away from you?
Helen (sniffs): Why else would he do that? You saw how happy he was, singing and smiling as he marched through the corridors.
Drucilla: Do you find yourself that ugly?
Helen nods.
Drucilla: But I thought you had a boyfriend. Surely he doesn’t find you ugly.
Helen (begins to cry): I never had a boyfriend. I only said that because I wanted you to think someone liked me.
Drucilla lays a forefoot on Helen’s arm.
Drucilla: Do you really think Frank ran away because he thought you were ugly?
Helen: You’ve already asked me that.
Drucilla: Helen, Frank ran away because he’s ashamed of his own face.
Helen stops crying and looks in the queen’s eyes to convince herself this was the truth.
Helen: He thinks he’s ugly?
Drucilla: Didn’t you notice his scars?
Helen: Well, of course I did. But scars don’t make a face ugly. They only make it scarred.
Drucilla: Maybe you should tell him that, dear.
Helen (jumps up): I will! Where did he go?
Drucilla (smiles): You’re a witch. You’ll find him.
Helen sails out of the chamber. Drucilla leans back and smiles to herself. She is napping again when Helen and Frank return. Helen’s tears have vanished and Frank is grinning from ear to ear. Drucilla wakes up at the sound of their happy sighs.
Frank: Hid wa wake ya?
Drucilla: Not really. I have to get up anyway. I can’t stay in bed the whole day.
Frank (looks into Helen’s eyes while speaking to the queen): Do ou know Helen?
Drucilla: I sure do.
Frank: In’t she wunnerful?
Drucilla: It would seem so.
The witch looks as though she has drunk her own potion. She sees nothing and no one but Frank. Without another comment, Drucilla gets up and quietly leaves the couple in her chamber. She meets Dalton at the door looking utterly dumbfounded.
Drucilla: Come with me, Dalton! I have some book jackets to hang up.
Dalton: But what is …
Drucilla: Helen may have left Oz, but she won’t be leaving us for a very long time.
