Chapter 3 - Annabelle makes a friend

The morning had come to the sleepy village. The church bells in the tower began to ring, and the townspeople emerged from their homes to start their day. In Geppetto's workshop, Pinocchio's new daughter Annabelle was sleeping soundly in her father's old bedroom with Figgy. The kitten woke and looked over at the puppet girl sleeping peacefully. She slowly approached her face and licked her cheek.

"Annabelle. Wake up, Annabelle." Hearing Figgy's voice, Annabelle opened her eyes, sat up and yawned.

"Is it time to wake up Figgy?" She asked while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yes, it is. It's morning time which means we have to get up so we can eat and play."

"I wonder if my dad and Jiminy are awake," Annabelle tried to stand up, but as soon as she tried to move, she began to wobble and tumbled off the bed. Her wooden body clattered on the hard floor. "Ow!"

"Are you okay, Annabelle?" said Figgy jumping off the bed and looking her over.

"I forgot I don't know how to walk yet." Annabelle felt annoyed that she had once again failed to walk and picked herself up. Pinocchio heard the noise and came running into the room.

"Annabelle! Are you alright?" He looked down, and she was sitting on the floor.

"I fell off the bed, Daddy." Pinocchio picked her up off the floor and checked to make sure she hadn't damaged herself. She appeared to have no injuries due to being made of sturdy wood.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was so excited that you came to life last night I forgot to teach you to walk," He felt irresponsible for not thinking of this sooner. It was evident he had a lot to learn about being a parent. "Let's get you dressed and then I'll teach you to walk. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Annabelle smiled and kissed Pinocchio on his cheek. He sat her on the bed, removed her sleeping gown and helped her put on her blue dress, hat, and clogs. He then carried her downstairs where Jiminy was waiting for them.

"Good morning Pinocchio and Annabelle," he greeted them.

"Morning Jiminy. Did you sleep well?" Pinocchio asked.

"I slept great Pinoke. It's good to be back sleeping in my own home again. So how does it feel being a father?" Pinocchio looked at his new daughter and smiled proudly.

"I couldn't be happier. Though I think I still have a lot to learn about being a dad."

"Well if you need advice I'll help you any way I can. After all the fairy asked me to be her conscience, so we're both responsible for her."

"Thanks a lot, Jiminy. Now young lady let's get you walking." He placed her on the floor to stand up, but Annabelle wobbled back and forth, losing her balance again and fell.

"Why do I keep falling?!" Annabelle whined. Pinocchio wondered why Annabelle was having so much trouble balancing herself. He picked her up and ran into the workshop. "Where are we going daddy?" Pinocchio placed Annabelle on the table and examined her legs. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't reply to her at first. He bent her legs a few times and realized what the problem was.

"Ah-ha! I see what the problem, Princess! The joints in your knees are too loose. That's why you keep falling." He explained.

"Can you fix them, daddy?"

"I sure can! Your grandpa Geppetto taught me all about how to fix problems like this!" He took out a bolt tightener and used it to tighten the metal pins in Annabelle's knees that held her thighs and ankles together hoping it would help her balance better.

"Ouch! Daddy that hurts!" Annabelle cried.

"Sorry, Annabelle!" Pinocchio was surprised she felt pain. Being made of wood, she shouldn't have been able to feel anything at all. Jiminy had been watching Pinocchio work from one of the shelves above.

"That man is pretty determined," he said talking to one of the figurines next to him. "Looks like he still has some things to learn about crafting too." In less than a minute, Pinocchio finished up tightening Annabelle's joints.

"There, how does that feel?" Annabelle bent both her legs and they felt less loose than they did before.

"That feels much better!" She smiled and clapped her hands.

"Great! Let's give this another try then." Pinocchio brought her back into the living room and placed her on the floor to stand up again. This time she stood up perfectly without wobbling at all. Pinocchio then stood over her, held up her arms and demonstrated to how to walk. Annabelle found it tricky to mimic Pinocchio's movements, but within minutes she was walking around entirely on her own.

"Look, daddy, I can walk!" She cheered starting to get the hang of it. She was so excited that she starting moving faster.

"Annabelle! Slow down! Watch out!" Pinocchio shouted. Right when he said this, Annabelle stumbled and crashed into a shelf knocking it over and breaking a vase. Pinocchio ran over and picked her up.

"Look what you did young lady! You broke your grandfather's favorite old vase! You have to be more careful!" Pinocchio scolded her.

I'm sorry, daddy," she whimpered looking like she was about to cry.

"You don't have to so hard her, Pinoke!" said Jiminy. "It was an accident! She's new and doesn't know any better! You were just as energetic and clumsy when you were a puppet!" Realizing his mistake, Pinocchio breathed calmly and looked at Annabelle.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to yell at you. Just try not to walk so fast next time. Ok?"

"Ok! Hehe!" She giggled playfully. Pinocchio then set her down, cleaned up the broken vase.

"Now then, let's have some breakfast, shall we?"

"Sounds good, Pinoke," Jiminy agreed. "I haven't eaten since I got back. I can't wait to taste your cooking."

"What's breakfast daddy?" Annabelle asked not understanding the concept of eating.

"You go ahead and start cooking, Pinoke. I'll explain it to her." Jiminy did just that while Pinocchio prepared some breakfast for them. Annabelle walked around exploring the house when Figgy came over accompanied by a large black cat with yellow sleepy-looking eyes and a white face, belly, and paws. It was Geppetto's old cat Figaro who was a kitten when Pinocchio was younger. Now he was much older and had a grumpy look on his face.

"Hey, Annabelle!" said little Figgy, "This is my daddy Figaro."

"Nice to meet you, Figaro, I'm Annabelle." She reached out to pet him, but Figaro frowned and back away from her.

"Oh Great! Just what we needed! Another walking talking puppet!" He said rudely.

"Daddy! That wasn't very nice! Don't be so grouchy!" Figgy scolded her father. Figaro looked at his kitten and shook his head.

"If there's one thing I've learned Figgy, it's that puppets are nothing but trouble! Remember how I told you about all the trouble master Pinocchio caused for poor old Geppetto?" Pinocchio walked into the room and saw Annabelle talking to the cats. Even though he couldn't understand what they were saying to her, it was cute that his daughter could hear what they said.

"I see you met Figaro. He was my little kitten when I was a boy."

"I don't think he likes me, daddy," replied Annabelle with a sad frown.

"Figaro's just old, princess. He's not as young and energetic as Figgy is." The old cat looked at Pinocchio, yawned, walking away, curled up in the corner and went to sleep. When breakfast was ready, Pinocchio made three bowls of oatmeal for Annabelle, himself, and the cricket. Pinocchio and Jiminy explained to her how to eat, even though they didn't think she'd be able to being a wooden puppet with no internal stomach. But to their amazement, she finished her bowl pretty quickly which left them speechless.

"Mmm, That was good daddy! More please!" Pinocchio and Jiminy continued to stare without saying a word. "Is something wrong?" Annabelle noticed their confused looks.

"The fairy's magic must have been stronger than we thought, Pinoke!" said Jiminy.

"She can feel pain, eat, and she can understand animals! She's a lot different than me when I used to be a puppet," Pinocchio replied. "She's a miracle!" After breakfast, Pinocchio gave his daughter some toys to play with, and Jiminy watched her while he did some work in the shop. A few hours later, Annabelle came running into the room.

"Daddy, Daddy, can we go outside, please!" she asked grabbing his arm and pulling on it. Pinocchio wasn't sure about taking her into the village. Real people were not used to seeing puppets that can move on their own and he worried what they would think of her.

"You can't keep her shut up inside the house Pinoke. She needs to explore and make friends and learn things for herself if she ever wants to be real like you."

"I know that Jiminy, but-"

"But what? Your father let you out into the world with no problem! Give the girl a chance."

"I suppose you're right," Pinocchio nodded in agreement. "I'll take her for a walk through the town and show her around."

"YIPEE!" Annabelle cheered jumping up and down. Her wooden body clattered as she hopped around.

"Ok, ok, Annabelle! Settle down!" Pinocchio told her. Annabelle finally stopped jumping and calmed herself. "Do you want to come with us Jiminy?"

"No thanks. I think I'll stay here. Let you two have some father-daughter time together."

"Can I go, can I go?!" Figgy begged running in circles around Annabelle's feet.

"Can Figgy come too, daddy?" Annabelle asked politely.

"Yes, dear, you can bring her," Annabelle picked up the kitten and followed Pinocchio to the front door. "Now Annabelle, while you are walking in the town, you must stay with me and listen to what I tell you. Understand?"

"Yes, daddy." Annabelle nodded in reply.

"Have fun you three!" Jiminy waved as they walked out the door.

Pinocchio walked through the town holding Annabelle's hand while she carried Figgy in her left arm. Pinocchio noticed a few of the townspeople staring at them as they walked along. Some of them were bewildered to see a living puppet again after so many years. Others thought she looked adorable and were happy to see her walking with him. Annabelle was curious about everything she saw and paid no attention to the people staring at her.

"Wow Daddy what's that?" She asked pointing to several buildings with pastries, fruits, and vegetables.

"That's the market, Annabelle. It's where we buy food," Pinocchio explained.

"What's that?" She pointed to a store that sold clothing.

"That's where we buy clothes." Pinocchio knew Annabelle was very curious about the world and filled with many questions.

"Oh wow! Look at that!" Annabelle suddenly broke free from Pinocchio's hand and took off running.

"Annabelle! Come back here!" He shouted, but she was already out of sight. Pinocchio started to panic. He couldn't believe how quickly she had disappeared. He ran frantically calling for her fearing something terrible might happen to her. Little did he know, Annabelle was nearby looking at a souvenir stand with little trinkets. When she turned around she realized her father was gone.

"Daddy? Daddy where are you!" She looked everywhere but didn't Pinocchio was gone.

"You shouldn't have run away from him like that!" said little Figgy.

"What should I do Figgy?" Annabella started to feel worried.

"Let's just walk around, and maybe we'll find him." Annabelle walked around looking for her dad but couldn't find him. As she turned a corner, she suddenly collided with something and fell dropping Figgy.

"Ouch! Hey watch where you're walking!" said a voice she didn't recognize. When she looked, she saw a girl with short curved brown hair with freckled spots on her cheeks. She was wearing an overall red dress, a yellow shirt with puffy sleeves, a red hat on her head, long gray stockings, and white buckled shoes. She appeared to be wearing glasses too.

"It's a girl!" Annabelle said in amazement seeing a human girl for the first time. "I'm sorry I didn't see you! Are you alright?" she asked helping the girl up. She brushed the dirt off her dress and adjusted her glasses.

"I'm okay I..." but when the girl looked at Annabelle, she was shocked to see that she was a live puppet. "Hey! You're a wooden puppet!"

"Of course I'm a puppet. What else would I be?" The girl was even astonished when she heard Annabelle speak.

"I-I don't believe it! How are you able to walk and talk without strings?" the girl asked.

"I was made by my daddy. He wished on a star, and a blue fairy lady came and made me come to life."

"Really? Wow! I thought Fairies were made up, but I guess they do exist after all. That's the only explanation that would make sense of how you can move and talk like me."

"Hehehe! You're funny! My name's Annabelle. Are you a real girl?"

"Well, Sure I'm real! It's nice to meet you, Annabelle. My name is Alexandra Antonin. But everyone calls me Alex."

"Wow! I've never seen a real girl before! You are so cool! Hey what are those things on your face?" she pointed to the girl's glasses.

"These are my glasses. I have bad eyesight, so I need to wear these to help me see better. But I don't like wearing them."

"Why don't you like to wear your glasses, Alex?"

"Well, because other kids think they make me look stupid and they laugh and tease me, calling me a four-eyes. I wish I could see better so that I don't have to wear them." Alex frowned with sadness and Annabelle felt sorry for her.

"Aw, don't be sad Alex! l like you and I don't think your glasses are stupid." Alex was surprised to hear a lovely comment about her glasses for the first time. A feeling of happiness she hadn't felt in a long time crept into her heart.

"Aw, Thank you. You're the first person that's ever said that they like me and my glasses. Do you want to be friends?"

"Friends, What does that mean?"

"A friend is someone that you talk to and play with," Alex explained. "If you and I are friends, then we can hang out and do stuff together. I don't have many friends, so I'd love to have a friend who likes me and my glasses."

"Okay! Let's be friends!" Annabelle smiled and shook Alex's hand.

"Oh, my! Is that pink kitten yours?" Alex noticed Figgy who had been listening to their conversation. Annabelle picked her up and showed her to her Alex.

"Yes, this kitten is mine. This here is Figgy. She's my little friend," The kittened meowed happily. "She said hello."

"Nice to meet you Figgy." Alex gently petted her head. Figgy meowed happily. Just then Annabelle remembered her father.

"Alex, can you help me find my daddy? We were walking together, and I accidentally ran away from him, and now I'm lost."

"I'd be happy to help you find him. What does your dad look like?" Annabelle tried her best to describe her father to her friend. "Oh! Your dad is the toymaker. Okay, Annie, let's look around and see if we can find him." The girls walked around the town together looking for Pinocchio. They checked the town square, and soon Alex spotted someone who fit his description. "Is that your dad Annabelle?" Alex pointed out to Pinocchio. Annabelle looked and recognized him.

"Yes! That's him! Daddy! Daddy!" she yelled running towards him. Hearing her voice, Pinocchio turned around and saw her approaching.

"Annabelle! There you are!" Pinocchio ran towards his daughter and threw his arms around her tightly. He was greatly relieved that Annabelle was safe and unharmed. "Little lady where have you been? I was worried something might have happened to you!"

"I'm sorry I ran away from you. Are you mad again?" She asked afraid he might angry at her for disobeying him.

"No, I'm not mad at you. But don't ever run off like that again! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, daddy," Annabelle promised. Alex walked over and was glad to see her friend had found her father. "Daddy this is my new friend, Alex. She helped me find you."

"Hello, Mister Pinocchio, Sir," said Alex glad to see the toymaker. Pinocchio knew this girl well because she had been to the shop many times before with mother and a few other children.

"Hello, Alexandra. Nice to see you. Thank you for finding Annabelle and helping her."

"You're welcome. I'm glad was able to help Annie find you." Alex smiled happily.

"Come on Annabelle. I think we better get home now. It's getting close to lunchtime, and I believe that you've explored the town enough for today."

"Aww, but I want to stay and play with Alex!" Annabelle frowned sadly not wanting to leave her new friend. Then Pinocchio got an idea.

"Well, then how about we invite her to come over for lunch? Then you two can play and get better acquainted with each other."

"Yes! Yes!" Annabelle said hopping for joy.

"Alexandra, Would you like to come to our house for lunch? Annabelle would be very happy if you did."

"Sure, Mister Pinocchio. I just have to ask my mom. She's right over there, so I'll be right back," Alex ran over to her mother and asked for permission to go to Annabelle and Pinocchio's home. They waited patiently, and after a minute she came back. "She said it's alright as long as I'm home by dinner time. My mother knows your daddy well so I can come."

"Yeah!" Annabelle cheered and gave her friend a hug. "Come on, Alex! Let's go!"

End of Chapter 3