The Land of Stories Oneshots, Short Stories, and Headcanons

The Land of Stories What If...? Chapter 1

(this very first part is word for word. And btw, we're pretending Bob is there)

Charlotte's options were limited. Telling her co worker the truth was out of the question, and there were very few lies that could explain why so many costumed adults were gathered there. Coming up with something that wouldn't get Bob into trouble with the hospital was nearly impossible. 

"They're performers." Charlotte said. "Bob and I wanted to surprise the patients and the staff with a little entertainment." The characters were impressed by how convincing Charlotte's lie was, especially one that had been thought of on the spot. Dr Jackson and the Carmichaels were touched by Charlotte and Bob's generocity.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Mrs. Carmichael said. "They remind me of a circus! When is the performance? We'd love to see it."

"In three days." Charlotte fibbed again. "In the multi purpose room, at eight o'clock."

"It'll be a late night for us, but we'll be there!" Mr. Carmichael said. 

"That is so kind of you, Charlotte." Dr. Jackson said. "What show are they performing? Is it something I know?" Charlotte looked to Bob for assistance. After a moment, his face lit up.

"They're doing a shortened version of Wicked." Bob said. "We actually just decided. That's why they're dressed so differently. They showed us all the shows in their repertoire so we could choose one." Charlotte was impressed.

"We'll be looking forward to it!" Dr. Jackson said. "May I spread the word, or are you still keeping it under wraps?" Charlotte laughed.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag now." she said. "Feel free to let everyone know."

"Sounds terrific!" Dr. Jackson said. "The kids are going to love it. I do like Wicked myself. We'll let you get back to rehearsals." Dr. Jackson and the Carmichaels left the commissary. Charlotte turned to Bob.

"What made you think of Wicked?" she asked.

"My late wife loved Broadway. It was her favorite show and the last show we saw together." Bob explained. The characters were staring at them.

"Well," Charlotte said. "It looks like we're putting on a show in three days." Bob stepped forward.

"I guess since this was my idea, I'll take charge of it." he said. "So, casting will have to be first." Bob thought for a minute. "Well, since the story is very similar to that one..." he said to himself. He finally looked up. "Okay. Red, you're going to be Glinda." Red bounced forward. 

"Ooo! That sounds fun!" Red frowned. "Wait, who is Glinda?" 

"I'll tell you later." Bob said. "Goldilocks, you'll be Elphaba, and Jack, you'll be Fiyero." Jack nodded, but Goldilocks wasn't too thrilled.

"Acting was never my thing." she said. Jack nudged her.

"Come now, don't make it too hard on this poor man." Jack said. Goldilocks sighed.

"Fine." She crossed her arms.

"Okay, Robin Hood, you'll be the Wizard." Bob said.

"BUT HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Robin Hood asked. "I CAN'T DO MAGIC."

"You won't have to do magic." Bob explained.

"I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND. HOW CAN I BE A WIZARD WITHOUT MAGIC?" Bob smacked his palm on his forehead.

"Moving on," he said. "Are there any human girls here who want to play Nessa?" The characters looked at each other. Catfish Kate raised her hand.

"I've always wanted to act." she said. Bob shrugged.

"Okay, you'll be Nessa. Will Scarlet, you're going to be Boq, and once he becomes tin, the Tin Woodman will play him, obviously." Peter Pan raised his hand.

"Can I have a part?" he asked. Bob nodded.

"Actually, I was planning on having you play Chistery, the flying monkey."

"Cool!" Peter said and jumped into the air.

"Do we have any old ladies here?" Bob asked. The characters shook their heads. Bob sighed. "Well, Trollbella, would you mind being Madame Morrible? We can get you stilts or have you stand on someone's shoulders to make you taller." Trollbella nodded.

"Madame is a title that I've always found myself worthy of." She said. Everyone ignored her. Bob cast Admiral Jacobson as Elphaba's father, the Lost Boys as the Winged Monkeys, and the rest of the Merry Men and some of the Starboardia pirates and sailors as the ensemble. The rest of the pirates and sailors were assigned to build the set, the cyborgs were the lighting crew, and the rest of the Fairy Tale World inhabitants helped where they could. Charlotte and Bob were busy writing the script, so they almost didn't notice when Conner's binder of short stories flipped open. They turned just in time to see Alex and Conner step out of the beam of light, followed by Blaze, Whipney, Morph, Bolt, and Professor Wallet. 

"Wow!" Bolt said. "This is amazing! A whole other dimension!" Charlotte and Bob ran over to the twins and hugged them.

"You're here just in time!" Bob said. "We were caught by one of our coworkers. Charlotte told them that they're performers, so now we have to put together a show in three days. Conner, could you help me with the script?" The twins were a little overwhelmed from all of the information, but once their brains caught up, Conner nodded. Bob led him over to the script he and Charlotte had started.

"That was a great cover up, Mom." Alex said. Charlotte nodded. "Oh, I almost forgot. These are the Ziblings: Blaze, Whipney, Morph, and Bolt, and Professor Wallet." Charlotte waved.

"Are any of you good at sewing?" Charlotte asked. 

"I can turn into a sewing machine." Morph said. 

"That'll do." Charlotte said. "You'll help with costumes. What can the rest of you do?"

"I can fly and create electricity." Bolt said.

"I can create fire." Blaze said.

"And I can control my hair." Whipney said, making her braids wiggle.

"That's great! Bolt, you can supply the power for the cyborgs. We don't want to use all of the hospital's electricity. Blaze, you can supply fire for the special effects, and Whipney, you can get the props on and off of the stage." The Ziblings nodded, not even asking what they were helping with. Charlotte began assigning tasks to everyone, and the characters got to work.