Annabelle's first day of school had gone well, and she had made a new friend named Tobias. But Pinocchio, however, was cornered because the boy she befriended was the younger sibling of his old friend Lampwick, whom he met on pleasure island when he was a puppet. Though Annabelle told him he was kind and stood up to some mean kids at school, Pinocchio didn't trust the candlewick family and wanted to be sure their new son wasn't a bad influence like his brother. After dinner that evening, Pinocchio and Jiminy told Annabelle the story of how they met Lampwick and what happened to them on the island. Pinocchio then asked her to bring the boy to the shop after school so he could meet him and see if he was trustworthy. Before going to bed, Annabelle had something she wanted to ask her father.
"Hey, Daddy? if I do bad things, then will I turn into a donkey like you and Lampwick?" She asked worryingly.
"No, My little wooden princess. As long as you behave yourself and stay away from pleasure island," Pinocchio assured her.
"I never want to go there! And Toby is a not bad boy like your friend mister Lampwick was! I'm being honest!"
"It's not that I don't believe you, Annabelle. I don't trust his mother and father. They might be neglectful parents because of how Lampwick was. Now it's time for you to go to bed. We'll discuss this tomorrow when Toby comes over."
"Okay. Goodnight." Annabelle picked up Figgy and went upstairs to her room. Pinocchio hoped he hadn't scared her by telling her about the donkey transformation. Before going to bed, Pinocchio and Jiminy sat in the living and Jiminy noticed Pinocchio looked a bit sad.
"What's wrong, Pinoke?" He asked.
"I was just thinking about Lampwick," Pinocchio replied. "I know he was bad, but I still thought of him as a friend. After I became a real boy, I sometimes dreamt about being on the island and watching him turning into a donkey. I wish I could have helped him and the other boys. They didn't deserve such a cruel fate!"
"I understand how you feel Pinoke. I'll never forget the screams of those poor helpless donkeys. That evil coachman and those swindlers lured those kids away from their families and made jackasses out of them. But they chose to go there, and they paid for their bad behavior."
"I hope Annabelle never ends up going to that terrible place, Jiminy," Pinocchio quivered at that thought of his daughter turning into a donkey. "I certainly hope Lampwick's brother isn't a bad influence like he was."
"Don't you worry about that!" Jiminy assured him. "Alex and I will make sure she never goes there! As for Toby, I met him yesterday and he seemed like a good kid. Just because his brother was a hooligan doesn't mean his whole family is bad."
"Your right, Jiminy. Father always told me that I shouldn't judge people before I know who they are. I suppose I'm just being overprotective of Annabelle."
"Give the boy a chance when he comes over tomorrow. Everything will be all right." Pinocchio felt better after hearing Jiminy encouraging words and the two of them went to bed.
The next morning when Alex came to escort Annabelle to school. On the way, Jiminy explained to Alex everything he and Pinocchio told Annabelle about Lampwick and the island and why Pinocchio wanted to meet Tobias.
"Wow! An island that turns bad kids into donkeys!" Alex exclaimed. "That sounds awful! I never knew such a place existed! I hate to end up going there!"
"Me too, Alex," Annabelle agreed with her. "That's why daddy wants to meet Toby because he thinks he and his family might be bad like mister Lampwick."
"I promise that Toby and his family aren't bad people," Alex insisted. "My mom knows them well and she said the candlewicks are a decent family. It was just Toby's brother who was bad."
"I believe what you say, Alexandra," said Jiminy. "Pinocchio just wants to make sure Tobias is trustworthy. Once he sees how good he is, I'm sure he'll let Annabelle be friends with him." Alex hoped Annabelle's dad would give Toby a chance when he met him. When they arrived at school, the girls met with Toby and explained to him that Pinocchio wanted to meet him. Since Annabelle's father was an old friend of his brother, Toby agreed to come to their house. When school ended, the girls and the cricket took him to the workshop. However, Toby started to worry that Pinocchio wouldn't like him because of who his brother was. But Annabelle assured him her father was very kind and would like him.
"I'm home!" Annabelle called as she opened the door and walked in. Little Figgy ran to her and she scooped her up. "This is Figgy my kitty." She introduced her new friend to the kitten.
"She's cute, Annabelle," said Toby petting Figgy s head. "I have a puppy at home named Ollie." But when Figgy heard this she became nervous and jumped out of Annabelle s arms.
"What's wrong with Figgy?" Annabelle wondered why the kitten was so frightened.
"She must have got scared because Toby said he had a dog," said Alex. "Cats are afraid of dogs because they don't always get along."
"Aw, poor Figgy. Maybe if she met Ollie then she could make friends with him and get over her fear," Annabelle thought. Soon, Pinocchio walked into the room and saw Toby. He was surprised that he looked quite similar to Lampwick besides his face looking a little different. Pinocchio invited him into the living room with the girls, made some tea and snacks for them then sat down to talk.
"So you're the young man who defended for my Annabelle at school yesterday?" He asked calmly.
"That's right, Mister Pinocchio, Sir," Toby replied. "Andre and his friends Thomas and Melissa were giving Annabelle and Alex a hard time, so I stepped in and told them to back off."
"That was very kind of you, Toby. I'm very grateful to you for doing that." Pinocchio gave the boy a trusting smile. Toby felt relieved that Pinocchio was grateful to him for sicking up for Annabelle.
"No problem, sir. By the way! Mister Jiminy said you were friends with my brother Lampwick and that he got turned into a donkey. Is that right?"
"Yes. I saw it with my own eyes, and when it started to happen to me, Jiminy and I drove into the sea and swam back to shore."
"What happened to Toby's brother and the other kids?" Alex asked.
"From what I saw, the coachmen and his men were loading the donkeys into crates and shipping them off to salt mines and circuses," said Jiminy telling his side of the story. "When I heard the donkeys talking and crying, I realized these donkeys were the boys that accompanied Pinocchio and Lampwick to the island and ran back to warn them. However when I got there, Lampwick was already changed, and Pinocchio had grown donkey ears and a tail."
"That's awful!" cried Alex.
"So the moral of this story is that if a stranger invites you to a place called Pleasure Island then don't go with them. Those boys were lured away, and because they misbehaved and gave into temptations. They suffered the consequences of their actions."
"That's why I wanted to meet you, Toby," said Pinocchio. "I was afraid that if you're related to Lampwick, you might be like him and I don't want anyone to be a bad influence on my daughter."
"I swear, Mr. Pinocchio, I'm not bad like my good for nothing brother! That renegade ran away and broke our mom's heart!" he said angrily. "Everyone thinks because I look like him I'm going to turn out like him someday. But I promised my mama and papa I wouldn't misbehave like him and be a good boy."
"He's telling the truth, !" Alex spoke up. "And his parents are good people too! My mom and I have been friends with them for a long time and they are trustworthy people." Hearing his Pinocchio looked at the boy and smiled.
"Alright, Toby. I'll let you be friends with Annabelle as long as you promise to help teach her to do right."
"Yes, sir. I promise." Toby stood up and nodded.
"Yeah!" Annabelle shouted and gave him a hug. Toby was surprised by this unexpected show of affection and started to blush. Alex smiled and giggled.
"That s her way so showing that she likes you," she explained then turned to Pinocchio and Jiminy. "Thank you for giving Toby a chance, Mister Pinocchio."
"You're welcome, Alex. I'm sorry for not trusting of him and family." Pinocchio apologized. "I'm just looking out for my daughter."
"Hey, I just got an idea, Annabelle!" said Toby. "Why don't you and your dad come to my house for dinner tomorrow? I'm sure my mama and papa would like to meet you."
"That's an excellent idea, Toby!" Annabelle said with excitement. "Can we Daddy, can we?"
"Of course we can go, Princess?" Pinocchio agreed. Jiminy then realized something that concerned him.
"You know, Pinoko, Lampwick's parents will probably ask you what happened to their son all those years ago!"
"My Mama said Lampwick might have been a terrible son, Mr. Pinocchio, but she still loves him and she believes he might come home someday," Toby explained.
"Then I should tell her and her husband what happened to him. I think it's what my old pal would have wanted." After the conversation had ended, the girls took Toby outside. They talked and played until it was time for Alex and Toby to go home and Annabelle and her family to have dinner.
At school the next day, Toby told Annabelle his mother and father said they be delighted to have them over for dinner since they knew Lampwick. Alex told them she couldn't come because her mother had to work late at her job and she needed her help. Later that evening, Pinocchio had learned from one of his friends where the Candlewicks lived and took Annabelle and Jiminy to the house to meet them. Annabelle brought Figgy along so she could meet Toby's little puppy though she was nervous about meeting a dog but tried to be brave.
"So you've never been to Lampwick's house daddy?" Asked Annabelle holding his hand as they walked together.
"I only met him on the Coachmen's carriage that took us to pleasure island. Though I'm a bit nervous about telling his mother that her son turned into a donkey." Pinocchio explained.
"She and her husband deserve to know the truth about him Pinoke," Jiminy insisted. "Besides, they haven't heard from him in over fifteen years!"
"Yes. You're right, Jiminy." Pinocchio wasn't sure how Lampwick's parents would react when he told them about their son's fate. After walking through the village, they arrived at Toby's house. It was an old-looking stone building with two floors, a wooden door and two windows on each floor. Pinocchio knocked on the door, and they heard a small dog barking on the other side. Figgy got scared and tried to wiggle free, but Annabelle had a tight hold on her. The door opened, and Toby stood in the doorway. At his feet was a little puppy with light brownish fur, dark brown spots on his back and face, floppy ears, green eyes, a short tail and a red collar around his neck.
"Welcome to our house, Mister Pinocchio, and Annabelle!" he greeted them and picked up the little dog. "This is my puppy, Ollie."
"Aw, he's cute!" Annabelle reached out and patted the pup's head. "Hello, Ollie! I'm Annabelle and this is my kitty Figgy!"
"Ruff! Nice to meet you Annabelle and you too Figgy." she heard him speak.
"You don't chase cats do you do?" Figgy asked nervously.
"Nah! I like cats, and I wouldn't chase a beautiful kitty like you." Figgy blushed at the puppy's nice compliment.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you, Toby. I can hear animals talk," Annabelle told him.
"Really? What did Ollie say to Figgy then?" Toby asked curiously.
"He told her that he likes cats and that she's a beautiful kitty."
"Good boy Ollie!" He rubbed the puppy's head and sat him down. He then led the guests into the living room. Pinocchio couldn't believe he was now standing in his old friend's house. Annabelle set Figgy on the floor with Ollie and Toby's mother entered the room. She was a tall and thin woman with blue eyes and short reddish-brown hair and freckles on her face. She wore a green blouse and a long green dress with a white apron and black shoes.
"You must be Pinocchio, the son of the old woodcarver Geppetto. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mrs. Claudia Candlewick," she said in a kindly manner. Pinocchio stood up and shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too Mrs. Candlewick. This my daughter Annabelle."
"Pleased to meet you Toby's mommy," Annabelle curtsied and shook her hand. She didn't seem surprised by the fact that Pinocchio's daughter was a living puppet.
"Cricket's my name ma'am. But you can call me Jiminy," said Jiminy tipping his hat.
"It's very nice to meet all of you. We're delighted to have you join us for dinner. Please come into the kitchen and help yourselves." They followed her into the kitchen were sitting at the table was her husband. He was a tall thin man like his wife with reddish-brown hair, with a mustache and beard. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a brown vest, tan trousers, and brown buckled boots.
"This is my papa," Toby introduced his father. The man stood up and walked up to Pinocchio and Annabelle.
"Pleasure to meet you and your daughter, Mister Pinocchio," said the man. "I'm Mister Roman Candlewick. It's great to finally meet the son of the old woodcarver, Geppetto."
"It's good to meet you too, Mister Roman, Sir," Pinocchio smiled and shook his hand. Annabelle then introduced herself and curtsied.
"By the way, my son, tells me you knew my mischievous other son. Do you know what happened to him?" Pinocchio became nervous when Lampwick's father asked this question, but before he could answer, Claudia grabbed his shoulder.
"Not right now, dear," she insisted. "Let's all sit down and eat, then we'll talk about it." Everyone sat down at the table and beheld a huge feast. There was chicken, ham, roast beef, corn, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and apple pie. Pinocchio and Jiminy were very surprised by this sumptuous dinner she had prepared for them. They all sat down and started eating together.
"This is a lovely dinner, Miss Claudia," said Pinocchio kindly. "But don't you think its a little too much food?"
"I may have gone a little overboard, but I just love to prepare lovely meals for my guests," Claudia replied with a chuckle. Everyone eminently started eating accept for Annabelle.
"Hey, aren't you hungry, Annabelle?" asked Toby noticing that she barely touched anything.
"Yuck! I don't like meaty foods made from animals!" Annabelle replied looking disgusted at the food on the table.
"Annabelle! That's rude!" Pinocchio scolded her. "Miss Claudia went through all this trouble of making dinner for us! Now please eat something!"
"No, no! It's alright, Pinocchio dear," said . She stood up and gave Annabelle a plate with carrots, and sliced pieces of an apple. "Here you are little one will this do?"
"Thank you Miss Claudia. I'm sorry for being rude and saying your food was yucky." Annabelle apologized but the women didn't seem to offend at all.
"I guess Annabelle's vegetarian Pinoke," Jiminy said stuffing an olive into his mouth.
"How is Annabelle able to eat ? Toby asked curiously. "Isn't she a puppet?"
"Yes. But Annabelle is a unique puppet, Toby," Pinocchio told him. "She was brought to life by a fairy who also brought me to life when I was a puppet like her. That's when I met your brother Lampwick after escaping from a greedy puppet master named Stromboli."
"You were a puppet too?!" Toby was surprised by what Pinocchio had said. "Now I understand why you thought I might be a bad influence like my brother."
"It's alright Toby. I know you are not like him, and I truly appreciate what you did for Annabelle at school yesterday." Pinocchio said kindly. After dinner, everyone went into the living room. Annabelle and Toby played with Figgy and Ollie while Pinocchio and Jiminy talked with Roman and Claudia.
"So Pinocchio, our son told you knew my other son that ran away. My husband I haven't heard from him in over fifteen years. Do you know what happened to him?" Claudia asked. Pinocchio dreaded telling Lampwick's parents what happened to their troublesome son, but he knew he had to do it. So he and Jiminy explained everything about what occurred on the island. There was a moment of silence as was frozen with shock. "Oh no... That's terrible! My poor son!" Claudia said in shock and cried many tears.
"There, there, my dear," Mister Candlewick put his arms around his wife and did his best to comfort her. Pinocchio felt terribly ashamed for giving them this terrible news.
"I'm very sorry Mr. and Mrs. Candlewick...There was nothing I could do to help him," Pinocchio admitted. "When it started happening to me, I got scared, and when Jiminy came back, we ran for our lives."
"If I hadn't gotten Pinocchio out of there he would have turned into a donkey like your son and all the other boys," said Jiminy.
"Oh, so you turned out ok but not my son?! How could you just leave him like that?! And what about those other boys! What about their mothers!?" Claudia shouted angrily which lead to her crying more.
"Claudia! Please calm down! You can't blame Pinocchio for what happened to Lucignolo," Roman insisted. Feeling terrible, Pinocchio wanted to speak up but Jiminy advised not to say anything.
"It s ok, Pinoke. Anger makes us say things we don t really mean."
"But Jiminy I should have gone back and saved him " Claudia calmed down a little noticing the look of guilt on Pinocchio s face.
"I m sorry I understand that it wasn't your fault. I always told that boy he'd make a jackass of himself one day, but he didn't listen to me. Now that I know he's never coming back, Roman and I will have to move on and raise our other son to be a better person."
"You see what happens Tobias to children who play hooky from school and are disobedient?" said Roman looking at his son.
"Y-yes Papa," Toby replied nervously. "I don't want to be a jackass like Lampy was!"
"Toby seems like a good kid Mr. & ," said Jiminy, "I wouldn't worry about him."
"Unfortunately I do worry about him. I've already lost one son, and I can't bear the thought of losing another. So far he's stayed out of trouble. But I m always afraid that one day he'll stop listening and run away as his brother did..." said Claudia.
"Well, ma'am. I'm an official certified conscience, and it's my job to make sure children behave and don't fall to the lure of temptations. So if you'd like, I'll keep an eye on him for you."
"You would?" Claudia asked.
"Of course! You shouldn t have to spend the rest of your life worrying. Nobody deserves to ever feel that way. I promise I ll help out Toby the best I can should anything go wrong."
"That's very kind of you . Thank you. I hope my son and Pinocchio's daughter become good friends."
"We sure will, Miss Claudia!" said Annabelle smiling at Toby. The boy stared back at her and smiled too. A few hours later it was starting to get dark, so Pinocchio decided it was time to go. He thanked Toby's mother for the food and started walking his family home.
"That was some dinner wasn't it, Jiminy?" said Pinocchio.
"Sure was Pinoke! I'm so full I don't think I could eat for a week!" Jiminy agreed.
"Toby's parents were very nice daddy," said Annabelle's carrying little figgy who enjoyed playing with the puppy. "Can we visit them again sometime?"
"Sure we can princess. I only hope Toby keeps his word and doesn't turn out like his brother. Especially for his mom's sake."
"I think that kid will be fine, Pinoke," Jiminy assured him. "I'll make sure he stays on the straight and narrow path."
"Thanks, Jiminy. I'm sure his parents will appreciate that. You truly are a friend to many."
"It's my job, Pinoke. And a conscience job is never done!" Pinocchio was glad to have Jiminy back, and he hoped he could keep Annabelle and her friends safe and make sure they didn't get into trouble.
End of Chapter 10