Floating above the Yellow Brick Road, the Wicked Witch of the West hovers on her broom and watches four companions walking below her. The Tin Man, a Scarecrow, and a Lion tell the girl that the Witch is a hermaphrodite, a lesbian, a married man, the spurned lover of a married man, abandoned by her mother, and possessed by demons. Hurt by these rumors, the Witch comforts herself with the reminder that the politics of Oz turned her into who she is.

In Rush Margins, Melena is ready to give birth to her first child. Her husband Frex, a minister, worries about the timing; he has an important day with his parish and hopes the baby will wait to be born. The fact that he prioritizes work over his unborn child angers Melena, though she knows Frex is devotedly moral and committed to the parish.

Frex asks a local woman to help Melena while he’s away. Before properly setting off, Frex reviews the letters he’s received about the problem called the “Clock of the Time Dragon.” The Clock of the Time Dragon is an immense clock engraved with decals and composed of tiny figurines of animals, fairies, saints, peasants, and royals.