"Oh dear. Which way?" she asked herself.
"Well, some people like to go that way." Said a voice.
"Huh? Who said that?" Daria yelped, startled.
She looked around, but didn't see any one. Once she settled down, the voice spoke again:
"And some people like to go this way."
"Who's there?" Daria called, standing up and looking around again.
But the only one there was a scarecrow, pointing down the road closest to him. Daria sat down again.
"Of course, others like to go both ways." The voice spoke.
Daria leapt again.
"Who?" she called.
Then she spotted the scarecrow, now pointing in two directions.
"Why, it is you! The scarecrow!"
"Who me?" said the scarecrow. "Never!"
"You're talking right now."
"I am? Oh yeah, I am... I'm sure I would have remember that, except I don't have a brain."
"How can you not have a brain?" Daria asked.
"Well, when the farmer made me, he forgot to give me a brain." The scarecrow answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh."
"Say, could you do me a favour?"
"Sure, what?"
"Do you suppose you could get me off this big stick I'm hanging on? It's really uncomfortable, and I have an itch."
"Oh, sure."
So Daria slipped through the fence, stepped behind the scarecrow and lifted him off the pole. He was very light.
"Oh thank you!" the scarecrow said, reaching behind and giving himself a scratch. "Ahh."
Daria smiled.
"I'm Daria and this is my dog Toby. Do you have a name?"
"Taylor. So, where are you going?"
"Oh I'm off to see the Wizard of Oz to get him to send me home."
"Oh."
"Would you like to come with me?"
"Well, I don't know if I'd be much help. Not having a brain and all."
"Oh well, if the Wizard can send me home, then he should be able to give you a brain."
"Really? You think so?"
"Sure!"
"Great. When do we leave?"
"Well, we can go right now if you want."
"Even better! Off to the Wizard?"
"Yep!"
And so Daria and Taylor picked a path at random and started walking down it.