Of Oz Qartulad — The Wizard

When they reached the , the Wizard was not a man, but an ancient, crumbling ნუცა (icon) of Saint George — hollow inside. A hidden projector played a recording of a old მესტვირე (troubadour) singing polyphonic songs.

One afternoon, a sudden თოვლიანი ქარი (snowy wind) roared down from Mount Kazbek. The air turned to white crystal. Tako, who had been fetching water from the spring, grabbed her family’s old felt cloak. But the wind was stronger than any დევი (demon) from her grandmother’s stories. It scooped her up, spun her past the frozen waterfalls, and dropped her— thump —into a valley where the grass was the deep green of a Georgian summer and the sky was the blue of ancient cloisonné enamel.

Then, a — not golden, but russet as the autumn forests of Borjomi — paced nervously. "I have no courage," he whimpered. "I ran from a კაკაბი (mountain hen) this morning." The Wizard Of Oz Qartulad

The Scarecrow blinked. "I do remember the cheese recipe." The Tin Soldier touched his dented chest. "It is warm." The Lion stood straighter.

And inside her pocket: a dry tarragon leaf, a copper bolt, and a single russet hair. When they reached the , the Wizard was

"I have no heart," he said, "but my chest dented to protect Tako. Is that not… something?"

A small wooden sign, carved in მხედრული script, read: (Ozi). The air turned to white crystal

"You don't need me," the recording buzzed. "The Tarragon Scarecrow has recited every mountain pass since we left. The Tin Soldier wept rust when Tako fell. And the Lion—you charged a witch. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is fear that said 'I will go anyway.'"