"Of course," replied Dorothy. "You now have power over yourself. That is harder to accomplish than obtaining power over ten million people. And because you have power over yourself, you have obtained the respect of all who come into contact with you. So now you have power over everyone. But this is the power of love, the strongest power in the universe. These little dictators and government officials who think they have so much power are pitiful sights to behold. They have no power at all compared to you, now."
"Well, isn't that something?" replied the Witch incredulously, shaking her head. "Isn't that just something?"
Chapter Twenty-three:
Up, Up, and Away
By this time, the little group had walked all the way back to the river. They had passed very few people on the way. They had not even seen any Octapong when they walked through Octapongland. Once in a while they caught a glimpse of someone, but it seemed to Dorothy as if people were deliberately avoiding them.
"It's me," said the Witch suddenly.
"What?" said Dorothy.
"It's me," repeated the Witch. "I'm the reason."
"You're the reason for what?" asked Dorothy.
"I'm the reason people are avoiding us. They don't know I've changed."