“Wicked” author Gregory Maguire pulls back the curtain on Elphaba’s childhood in his new prequel novel.
Helen Maguire Newman; William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
It couldn’t have been easy… Read on for more.
It’s high noon, though the thick jungle canopy allows too little direct sunlight to prove the moment.
Gregory Maguire, author of ‘Wicked’ and its upcoming prequel ‘Elphie’.Credit:Helen Maguire Newman; William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
She doesnt know why.
Nessa has the rheumy chest and is resting in the girls' tent.
Nanny is distracted in Melena’s quarters.
Karis Musongole played young Elphaba in ‘Wicked’.Universal Pictures
Melena hasnt gotten up for several days.
For the first time Elphie feels well, what is it she feels?
Is it loneliness or is it fear?
She isn’t sure.
There’s all this talk of the migration of jungle cats.
They steal invisibly through the growth all around her, she can tell.
Today the grown-ups have left Elphie alone.
Probably in the hopes that shell be eaten alive.
It isn’t fair.
Nessa is safe in her cot.
Only Elphie, standing in the middle of the circle of tents.
Let the cats come and get me.
It’ll serve you right if I get devoured.
She starts to chant a little.
Elphie twists her fingers and makes up some nonsense words.Seppada seppada meppada me, somebody somebody, twiddledy twee.
He-body, who-body, me-body, you-body.
She hardly realizes that she is singing.
The words come spring-loaded with a melodic intention so her voice just follows.
And this is when she makes the acquaintance of the polter-monkey.
She doesn’t call it that at first.
Its just a creature on the side-lines, crouching.
It looks as if it is eating its own knuckles.
“You’re a nasty-looking little piece of monkey business, says the girl.
The monkey swivels its head a quarter-turn and bares its considerable burden of teeth.
It isn’t a smile, nor has Elphie been trolling for one.
But any monkey knows how to keep itself hidden if it wants to.
So this nervy bundle of fuzzy shadow has come forward by its own design.
Is it even really there, or is Elphie making it up out of boredom?
In any case, the company is welcome.
What do you want?
The creature isnt going to help her figure it out, but still it doesn’t flee.
It opens its mouth again with a shocking hinged jaw.
At first Elphie thinks it is yawning.
Then she gets it, maybe, and replies with some more ribbony phrases.
Pumpernickel rock, snickerlicker snock, she sings.
At this the creature drops its curled hands to the ground.
It is carrying something in one of them.
Its mouth closes and its eyelids lower, as if anticipating sleep.
She has sung it out of hiding, that’s what she’s done.
Better ghost company than none at all.
It sways a little and holds its own elbows, a gesture looking uncommonly like one of Nanny’s.
Out of green jungle air Elphie creates an aria to tease it forward.
Having an audience spurs invention.
She is forging a crescendo, and the polter-monkey is in a trance.
And then
“Elphie, for the love of Lurline, quit the caterwauling,” hollers Nanny.
Maybe to drown Elphie out?
In any case, before the girl can see how or where, the polter-monkey has disappeared.
Leaving her alone all morning, and just when something decent is happening, messing it up.
Elphie, tend to your sister!”
But first Elphie skirts the grass where she thinks she’s seen that creature.
On the ground lies the small pair of tongs that has gone missing.
Melena is in a state of dishabille, but this is normal for her.
The girls might not have noticed except that there is so very much exposed belly.
“Somebodyeat a big lunch,” says Nessa.
“Come to Mama,” says Melena.
Her hair is lank across her pillow.
She’s thrown up a little.
Nessa wrinkles her nose when Elphie wheels her closer.
Melena stretches out her arms.
Having none of her own, Nessa always attends to her mother’s.
“They just bounced right off didn’t they,” says Nanny.
She is preparing a basin of warm water and soap and folding a stack of small flannels.
“I couldn’t bear the chafing.”
Melena’s face twists.
Nanny mutters some coded instruction, Melena grits her teeth against the ailment but comes back to herself.
Elphie, are you filching things from here and there?
“Youd say no in any case.
Just cut it out, Elphie.”
One of the more expressive bodily gestures she can make.
“I want you to be good, Elphaba Thropp,” says Melena.
She says it twice more until Elphie finally lifts her chin and looks her mother in the eye.
“I haven’t said so before, but I’m saying so now.
I want you to tell me that you hear me.”
“You hear me and you remember what I say.”
“I found the missing tongs in the grass.”
Elphie takes them out of her pocket.
“Give them here, you pinching thief.”
“I never did, I never stole them or hexed them or anything’d them.”
Elphie, hot in the cause of justice for herself.
“I think theres a lone monkey hanging around the camp.
It’s been taking things.”
“They smart and they keep to their own kind.
No rogue monkey hanging around us, Elphie.”
“Elphie, don’t spout nonsense, you’re making it worse,” says Nanny.
“Stop taking things, that’s all.
Now give your mother a kiss.
She isnt feeling herself.”
“Then who do you feel like?”
Melena’s face contorts.
“I feel like a muskrat giving birth to a baby hippo.
You girls better go.”
Full- body pain wrings her for a moment.
When she can catch her breath: “We’ll have a baby brother or sister for you soon.
Elphie,no more stealing.”
“Mercy, the mouth on you.
Go to law school, if they’ll have a girl like you.
If they even take girls.
Good-bye, my darlings.”
This is the only good-bye, casual, flung down like a damp kerchief.
They leave as Frex is arriving home in his punt.
Ti’imit tells Frex he isn’t welcome in the tent now because the hour has arrived.
Frex doesn’t hold with that peasant prohibition.
He goes in to greet his wife and pray for her.
Later, they largely agree this was the big mistake.
Men visiting their wives in childbirth is not done.
From the book ELPHIE by Gregory Maguire.
Copyright 2024 by Kiamo Ko LLC.
To be published on March 25, 2025, by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
