To Stop the Donkey Curse on the Dead Man's Gun:
Pinocchio's family of course were completely oblivious to what was going on with Charlie Bucket and Veruca Salt in the 2005 Willy Wonka world. The blue faire felt it best not to involve them in that mess while the Dead Man's gun was still at large and in the hands of the Coachman and the Ringmaster. What was going was a three world wide problem that had to be handled one world and one mess at a time and the assignment for Geppetto's family was to neutralize the donkey whammy on that gun or at least get it away from the Coachman and the Ringmaster.
Pinocchio spent most of the day spying on the Coachman who always seemed to come to the livery stable with a donkey to sell. Sometimes they were young and small like the boys of pleasure Island but at other times they were fully grown and proved that even adults could come under the Donkey Curse now that it was amplified by the whammy inherent in the Dead Man's Gun. One time Pinocchio followed the Coachman and the Ringmaster out of Deadwood and saw exactly how the new donkey transformation process worked.
It seemed that the Coachman was now making his donkeys from Native Americans of the Dakota Sioux Nation by simply presenting the gun to them as an apparent gift for traveling through their lands un scalped. Pinocchio cringed in fear from seeing a young Dakota boy undergo the same transformation that Lampwick went through and he almost went through in their first trip to Pleasure Island. This time the Donkey Curse seemed to pass into the Dakota boy from simply touching the gun with a kind of poison ivy like reaction.
Pinocchio realized that this was the worst version of the Donkey Curse yet and that the Coachman and the Ringmaster absolutely had to be stopped this time. He ran back to Deadwood after seeing the donkey transformation again as fast as his small legs could carry them. On the way he saw John Worthington walking about on all fours pretending to be a simple fox rather than an anthropomorphic one as part of his own duty for the mission.
Once he saw who the simple forest fox really was Pinocchio addressed him. "Its worse than we think."
"What do you mean." John Worthington asked Pinocchio.
"The Coachman and the Ringmaster are converting Dakota Sioux into donkeys." Pinocchio answered. "If their chiefs get wind of this they might go on the warpath and destroy and scalp everybody in Deadwood and I wouldn't blame them if they did. This donkey curse from that gun is the worst one EVER. All it requires is a touch of any part of that gun to any bare skin to turn someone into a donkey just like it only takes a touch of poison ivy to make one scratch and itch. The Coachman and the Ringmaster have to be stopped TONIGHT before some Dakota war chief finds out what they are doing with that gun."
"I have already found out, white boy who talks with the animals."
Pinocchio turned around to see a Dakota Chief in full regalia with his head topped with an eagle feather head dress that had a tail extending all the way to his leg calves. Beside him were two other Dakota who only wore the Native American wooden chest protectors and leather pants and moccasins. The leather pants were kept up with a belt that held a scabbard for a steel hunting knife.
"We know all about the white man with the red coat and the buffalo man in the circus outfit and their bad medicine gun that turns our people into slave animals for sale."
"How do you know about the gun?" Pinocchio asked the Chief.
"I had it once." the chief returned. "It was bad medicine even before the white man with the red coat and the buffalo man in the circus outfit got hold of it. I know also that the white boy who talks with animals is also out for justice against these two for events that happened in the original land of the white man similar to what is happening to my people now with the bad medicine gun.
"Yes, that's true." Pinocchio returned. "The one with the red coat who I know as the Coachman used to turn boys into donkeys on an Island amusement park that is now run as a straight park and orphan's home by my father. The one you refer to as the buffalo man is known in my world as the Ringmaster and he is the man who added more "bad medicine" as you call it to that gun. You seem to know a lot about that gun, can you tell me more about it?"
"Yes," The Dakota chief returned. "It is said to come from the white man's hell and was made after the Smith & Wesson Schofield model revolver by the angel of death himself. It was brought to earth to punish criminal greed with death. This death will not come only from shoot outs but has come from any source of lethality in this earth, the rattlesnake, the scorpion, lightning, drowning, falling off buildings or horses. When the gun has done its job of capitally punishing all of those criminally greedy people destined to receive it, it is said that the reaper death will reclaim it. This bad medicine is directly implied by the stylized S and G which was on the gun before the Ringmaster as you call the buffalo man put his own bad medicine on it. Those letters were the initials in a phrase on an ancient obscure white man language that translates into current English as "To bring down and to destroy" or something like that."
"Thank you, sir." Pinocchio said to the chief.
"And thank you for getting rid of the bad medicine that has placed itself in this land, White boy who talks with animals." The chief returned.
"About that." Pinocchio said to the chief. "You see, the fox you saw me talking to, John Worthington, Is a very special animal who comes from my world. In that world his talking in no more unusual than ours. There is also a talking cat in Deadwood that is a part of this. His name is called Gideon or simply "Giddy".
"Well Whatever he is your and your animals are good medicine." the chief returned. "I'm a medicine man as well as a chief of my people and can feel this, You do not seek gold like the Deadwood white men but wish to right the injustices brought about by the bad medicine gun since it came into the possession of those who have it now. You and any other members of your party are welcome on our land." With that the chief went back into the woods with his two attendants and John Worthington came out of hiding."
"That is a close one." John Worthington said. "I almost got you scalped on this trip."
"Nonsense." Pinocchio said. "You heard what the Sioux Chief said. He has the magic of his own people with him and well knew our reasons for being on Sioux land. As you may have heard I sort of made a promise to that Chief. We've got to get that gun out of donkey converting action TONIGHT!
Deadwood, Dakota Territory, 1878:
Pinocchio, Geppetto, John Worthington, Gideon, Stromboli and Jimminy all met in Geppetto's hotel room.
After observing the latest person to donkey conversion with the Dead Man's Gun and having his conversation with the Sioux Chief, Pinocchio and John Worthington came back to Deatwood to report the results. It was at moment that even Geppetto realized that time was of the essence. The gun was being used against the Sioux and this met potential war if it were not stopped.
The plan that Geppetto devised involved Gideon, Stromboli and Pinocchio. Basically the plan was to get the Coachman and the Ringmaster to believe that Stromboli. had reverted to crookedness in order to get them out of their room in the hotel / saloon where they were staying. If the Coachman left the gun in their room It would be up to Pinocchio and Gideon to make the grab for it. If they had it with them that job would go to Stromoli. Lampwick and Peter would make the grab for the gun if either Pinocchio, Gideon or Stromboli failed at it.
It was with this in mind that Stromboli entered the hotel / saloon where the Coachman and the Ringmaster were staying. He was pretty sure that he would find the Coachman and the Ringmaster in the combination gambling hell / bar room of the establishment. He found them playing at a Faro table near the bar.
"Hello," Stromboli said to the Coachman.
"What do you want with us." The Coachman returned. "You and that fox friend of yours have abandoned us a long time ago."
"Well, I'va been having second thoughts abouta that." Stromboli said. "There isa no profit ina Pleasure Island asa it isa being run now.
While Stromboli was engaged in conversation with the Coachman, Pinocchio and Gideon snuck up the stairs into the hotel part of the establishment.
"You should have thought of that when you sided with that Blue Fairy and Gepetto's family against me and my adopted son." The Coachman returned. "Now leave us."
"Buta I hear thata you have a new way ofa making the boys into the donkeys." Stromboli said. "Maybe I cana lead you to some prospects."
"Sorry Traitor." The Coachman returned. "But we already have prospects lined up. The Indians of the Dakota nation. They are not well liked by the gold happy residents of this town so they have become a perfect source of people to turn into donkeys by my new method."
"Yes," Stromboli said. "Buta I already know froma conversations with Pinocchio thata the local Dakota chief isa on to you. You will nota survive another attempt witha them.
Meanwhile Pinocchio and Gideon found the room where the Coachman and the Ringmaster were staying.
Gideon being the more accomplished sneak thief of the two began looking in all the areas of the room where a handgun or more likely a wooden box containing a handgun might be kept. Gideon finally found what looked like what they were looking for under a pillow on the hotel room bed. It was an elongate wooden box that looked just large enough to contain a long barreled handgun like the Dead Man's Gun.
Gideon opened the box and confirmed the exact nature of its contents, a fancy gold engraved blue steel revolver of the Smith & Wesson Schofield type with the intermeshed silhouettes of a donkey's head and a boy's head where the original S G initials should have been. This was the gun that Gideon and Pinocchio were looking for.
"Don't touch that thing whatever you do!" Pinocchio warned. "Any bare skin contact with it is enough to turn a person into a donkey. Leave it in the box and we will take the whole thing with us back to Geppeto's
Room. Then I think we can call the Blue Fairy tonight and get out of here."
"Not so fast." a voice came from behind Pinocchio. He turned to see the Ringmaster at the door.
"You two aren't going anywhere." the Ringmaster said. "I picked up with my magic that Stromboli's so called reversion to crookedness and his attempt to link up with us was a complete fraud. Once I figured that out I knew that someone would be after the gun while his phony attempt to re align with us was going on.
I had no idea that it would be you but my adoptive father will be very pleased with this development Pinocchio. He has been wanting to turn you into a donkey from the moment you escaped Pleasure Island.
Now all it will take is one little touch from the contents of that box that Gideon is holding and my Adoptive father will have his wish come true."
The Ringmaster then took the box containing the Dead Man's Gun in hand and produced his own Colt Peacemaker. "You will now come with me if you please. My adoptive father will want to do this little transformation in private. Then we will see how much we can get for you, Stromboli and Gideon with the gold miners here. They use donkeys you know, under their Spanish name of burros."
Pinocchio and Gideon had no choice but to accompany the Ringmaster. He took them to an obscure ally in Deadwood behind one of the many rent by the hour "hotel" cathouses the town abounded in where the Coachman and Stromboli were waiting.
"Welcome, Pinocchio to the first day of the rest of your life, as a DONKEY. This time nothing can stop your transformation. One touch of this gun, even in a non lethal location on it like the frame or the barrel side and the transformation is inevitable. Please give me the instrument of transformation my adopted son."
The Ringmaster turned the box over to the Coachman who immediately opened it.
"You first." The Coachman said to Pinocchio. "Touch the gun and become a donkey or die a boy from the other in the Ringmaster's hand."
"It was at that point that Stromboli shoved the Coachman so violently that the gun literally went flying straight up out of the box and landed hard on the Coachman's UNCOVERED head."
"Oh NOOOO! HE HAW! NNOT HE HAWWW! AGAIN! HE HAWWWW!" the Coachman's braying told all assembled that the whammy was now working on its exploiter now. The Coachman suddenly grew donkey ears and a tail and found himself having to take the quadruped position as the transition took place for the second time on him. At the same time a transformation was also occurring in the Dead Man's Gun as the donkey and boy engraving on the frame was replaced by the original stylized S G initials. The Ringmaster's whammy was now gone from it but the original bad luck to the death one hinted at in those letters and their hidden meaning, To take down and to destroy, still remained.
It was at this point that the Blue Fairy again returned in a flash of brilliant blue light. She was accompanied by a somewhat stout bearded man.
"You are needed in the England of the Year 2005." The Blue Fairy announced. "Your mission here is in over now that the donkey curse is off that gun but Charlie Bucket has been abducted by Veruca Salt and Willy Wonka needs the help of you and your family to get him back. He already has the help of the other three Golden Ticket winners, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beuregarde and Mike Teavee but it is not enough Those three may know a lot about candy, sports and technology but they know nothing about De Spell's magic.
"Who is that guy with you?" Pinocchio asked the Blue Fairy.
"He is the builder, engraver and original owner of that gun." the Blue Fairy announced. "You might best know him as the tenth plague on Egypt."
"You mean he is the personification of DEATH?" Pinocchio asked.
"Yes." the man answered. "But you do not need to fear. I'm not here to take any of you. But I am giving you permission to take my gun into the year 2005 for possible use against the Black Triangle. That bunch sounds just like the kind of people I made the gun and put the whammy on it for."
"But If I touch it won't I die." Pinocchio asked.
"Not necessarily." the man returned. "You see the whammy as you call it on the gun simply enhances certain aspects of the character of the human that possesses it. If that character is badly flawed it enhances that aspect and eventually leads to the possessor's death but if the person's character is basically good that aspect is enhanced and the possessor will simply pass the gun along without dying as a result of his encounter with it."
"Go ahead." the Blue Fairy told Pinocchio, "take it. Your record character wise shows that you are one of those who will NOT die from having possessed it."
"Pinocchio went to the gun and picked it up making sure that the muzzle was pointed in a safe direction and keeping his eyes on the S G initials making sure that they did not morph into the donkey and boy engraving again."
"There is just one more problem." Pinocchio said. "You told me these things are illegal in 21st century England."
"And indeed they are." the Blue Fairy returned. "But perhaps that aspect of the gun may be useful against Veruca Salt. Besides in the 21st century it will not be leaving Willy Wonka's candy factory until the time comes to use it. Now let's re assemble the rest of your family for the trip to the factory."
The Blue fairy placed a transport bubble around Pinocchio, Gideon, Stromboli, The Coachman who was now a donkey for a second time and the Ringmaster and lifted from the onscure ally to the main street. Waiting there were Geppetto, Peter, Lampwick, Jimminy, (in his under hat matchbox being held by Lampwick) and John Worthington Fox.
"I see the mission came out okay." Geppetto said to Pinocchio, "But I hear we have another one."
"Yes," Pinocchio said. "Charlie Bucket is in trouble. He has been abducted by Veruca Salt for some revenge scheme.
"Charlie in trouble with Veruca Salt!" Geppetto responded to the shocking news. He had come to love Charlie Bucket and his family as much as Willy Wonka did. "Then we must get to 21st century England quickly."
With that the Blue Fairy expanded the transport bubble to include the entire family and lifted it off to Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory.
(Ending announcement of the Dead Man's Gun episode)
The Coachman and the Ringmaster, Two crooks who felt they could make huge profits through a whammy that could restore slavery by turning people into beasts of burden. They discovered that a whammy is a two edged sword, when it is added to that of the Dead Man's Gun.