Chapter 4 - Pleasure Town
Pleasure Town, Outside Tombstone, Arizona Territory, 1881:
The circuit of the two giant scorpions around Pleasure Town was the timing element that the Coachman, the Ringmaster and their guards used to safely bring the boys into the new park. It basically took the scorpions about two hours to meet in their magically assigned circles at the road to Pleasure Towns entrance the only time that magic would be broken was if there was something large enough to be a pray animal in one of the circles. That was what happened to the unfortunate prospector a week ago. He inadvertently crossed one of the circles at the time its assigned scorpion was in the area thereby temporarily breaking the spell that kept the scorpion in the circle and allowing it to chase down its quickie lunch, the said prospector before re assuming its assigned magic circular track again.
The safest time to bring coaches full of boys into pleasure town was in the even hours of the day. This was when both scorpions were meeting on the opposite side of the circles from the entrance to Pleasure Town and therefore totally oblivious to anything occurring at the entrance. This also helped to hide these ultimate guards of Pleasure Town from the incoming boys. However one coach stayed behind. Its drivers were safe even with the scorpions present because they controlled the magic that both enlarged them and kept them on their circular tracks. Those were the Ringmaster and the Coachman.
The top of the odd hour of five o'clock was approaching when the Coachman's voice rang so that his only pasengers Pinocchio and Lampwick could hear it. "Lampwick, see your FUTURE!" it said. Just at that time one of the scorpions appeared in Lampwick's window. At first it was in the distance and small but as it approached the coach it became a monster the size of Pleasure town itself with its sting suspended on a tail that was yards in the air.
"However the time is not yet." the Coachman said. "First we put puppet boy in the Pleasure Town bonfire for the boys to gawk at and get their "jackass" behavior off to a good start, then you go to the scorpions Lampwick."
"Then the change to donkeys is definitely out for us." Lampwick said.
"I'm afraid so." the Coachman said. "Even if it could happen again with you two which I doubt you have simply been a pain in my backside since Pinocchio escaped me. No, in your cases now only total elimination will work now."
The parade of coaches went into Pleasure Town and its great oak gates closed. The coaches then were emptied of their passengers with the exception of a single one that proceeded to an animal cage wagon what was to be the zoo area of the park when it was fully established. "Now you two are going to change wagons until we are ready for you." the Coachman said.
The guards around Pinocchio and Lampwick used their venomous hats to guide the boys out of the coach and into the cage wagon." the Ringmaster who controlled the keys to the various locked parts of the park locked the cage wagon door on them.
"I think it's time to make a wish if the star is out tonight." Lampwick said. "This is really starting not to work out."
"Yes, it really didn't seem when the fairy made me a puppet again to protect me from bullets and Mr. Holliday's consumption that she had bonfires in mind." Pinocchio made his wish as soon as the Wishing Star made its showing. "Star Light, Star Bright, The first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have the wish I make tonight.
Suddenly something came out of the wormhole associated with the Wishing Star. It was a transport bubble accompanied by the music of a classical string quartet.
Ta Da, Ta Da Da Da. Ta Da Da Da, Ta Da Da,
Ta Da Da, Ta Da Da, Ta Da Da, Ta Daa.
Ta Da, Ta Da Da Da. Ta Da Da Da, Ta Da Da,
Ta Da Da, Ta Da Da, Ta Da Da, Taa Daa!
The music continued until the transport bubble landed by the cage wagon. When it disappeared its passenger did not look like much help however. It was a boy the same age and size as Pinocchio when he was in his boy form only with blond rather than black hair and dressed in a Russian rather than Tyrolean outfit. That outfit consisted of a red military style visor cap, a red Russian tunic reddish pink pants and black boots. His only armament consisted of a pop gun rifle with its cork projectile attached to it by a string. The new little boy aimed this seemingly harmless device at the cage wagon's lock and shot the cork at it. It seemed to miraculously unlock when the cork hit it.
"Hello," the new little boy said when the cage door opened. "My name is Peter, what's yours."
"Pinocchio" said Pinocchio.
"Romeo" Lampwick said. "But most people call me Lampwick.
It was Pinocchio who notice there were other passengers in the transport bubble in the form of a orange adult cat, a woodpecker like bird and a greenish duck. "Who are they" Pinocchio asked.
"The bird is names Sasha, the Duck is named Sonya and the cat is named Ivan." Peter returned. "I never go anywhere without them since the four of us successfully captured a wolf that was playing havoc on our village."
"That sounds just like me and Jiminy." Pinocchio said. "Since I, my father and Jiminy had a similar experience with a whale named Monstro I've never gone anywhere without him either."
"Jiminy," Peter said. "I don't see any third person or an animal with you."
"I'll show you." Pinocchio said. He took off his hat and got the special matchbox out of its compartment. He opened it and showed the anthropomorphic cricket to Peter. "That's Jiminy. My all time friend and my sometimes conscience when I'm in this puppet form."
Sasha started licking his beak like chops at the site of the cricket but was quickly stopped by Peter. "Now Sasha we do not eat the people we have come here to rescue."
"Sasha may not but we do." another voice came from behind Peter. He looked behind him to see another figure mainly decked out in red, the Coachman.
"Another pint sized pain in the backside for the scorpions." the Coachman said. "And a Russian bloke to boot."
Peter answered the threat by aiming his pop gun at the coachman and letting the cork fly again. This time the harmless seeming projectile knocked him back about ten feet and left him stunned.
"The Fairy must have done the same job on that thing she did on our peacemakers." Jiminy said refering to Peter's pop gun.
"The Fairy." Peter said. "You mean that woman dressed in blue with wings. I thought she was an angel. It's not exactly encouraged to believe in such things in the Russia where I came from but most of us still living in villages do anyway."
"We'll I think its time we get out of here and find a hiding place until we can find a way past those scorpions out there and back to Tombstone."
"Tombstone," Peter said.
"Yes Tombstone Arizona Territory in 1881." Jiminy returned. "Exactly what tome do you come from Peter."
"1936." Peter answered. "At that time Russia as big as it is part of an even larger nation called the Soviet Union whose dictatorship actively discourages beliefs in God, angels, fairies and the like. They also don't what they call "kulacks" what ever they are and that is what happened to my grandfather. He was taken away by Stalin, the dictator's police as a "kulack" and they were getting ready to put me in a State orphanage run by the All Union Pioneer Association when the woman you call the Fairy came for me."
"Now we know why the Fairy picked you of all people to come here and rescue us." Lampwick said. "You are a good candidate for Pleasure Island in the new form my father runs is in, Isn't he Pinokey?"
"He sure is!" Pinocchio shouted. "Welcome to your new family, Peter."
"We'll take this up with Geppetto later." Jiminy said. "But we really should get out of here before the Coachman wakes up, remember those scorpions and that bonfire."
"All three boys and Peter's three pets were quick to light out of the region of the cage wagon just as the Coachman got up. He was soon as he did he was accompanied by the Ringmaster with more bad news.
"The roller coaster doesn't seem to be working." the Ringmaster said. "Everything mechanically is working okay even the magical misters that turn boys into donkeys but none of the boys are changing. I have no reason why this is happening."
"I do," The Coachman. "You brought these first boys in here with the force of deputy Sheriff Stilwell's gun and the guards' scorpion sting hats. That broke the spell which would seem to require the initial "jackass" behavior of defying ones parents and running away voluntarily to get here for any donkey fever curse to take hold. We'll just hold them here and sooner or later they will want to stay in spite of their parents wishes allowing the curse to take hold. What concerns me now is Pinocchio and Lampwick. They escaped the cage wagon with the help of a Russian boy named Peter with a toy pop gun that just wont quit."
"I don't remember any Russian kids being brought into any of the coaches by Stilwell and the guards." the Ringmaster returned.
"Of course you don't." the Coachman snapped. "That fairy that thinks she is Pinocchio's mother brought the Russian boy in and rigged that pop gun of his with its knock out punch. Well I say the Russian brat is ALL IN now, scorpion level ALL IN!"
Unlike the original Pleasure Island there were precious few places to hide in Pleasure Town. However Pinocchio found one on the roof of the roller coaster's cover building. Not only was that roof a good hiding place but it allowed a bird's eye view of the entire park and its surroundings. It was from here that Pinocchio, Peter, Lampwick and Jiminy could watch the scorpions circle the park in their two opposing circular directions. Pinocchio was the first to realize that each of their complete circuits of the park required two hours and at the top of every even hour they were before the entrance to the park and at the top of every odd hour they were on the other side of the park a safe distance from the road to Tombstone. "The boys used this information to make good their escape from Pleasure Town.
Behind the Bird Cage Theater, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, 1881:
Geppetto was astonished with the new boy. All he knew about Russians was in the form of figures that he carved for clocks and toys and had never really met one in the flesh before. However Peter's story about the loss of his grandfather to a new type of dictator that replaced the Czars told Geppetto all he needed to know about his presence with Pinocchio and Lampwick.
"Peter," Geppetto said. "I believe that the Blue Fairy brought you here for more than just rescuing my sons from the Coachman and the Ringmaster. You see we run a non state orphanage that used to be one of the parks the Coachman and the Ringmaster used to turn boys into donkeys but I believe that you deserve more than that for rescuing my sons from the scorpions and the Pleasure Town bonfire. Not only that but you,
Sasha, Sonya, and Ivan seem to be shaped by somewhat the same experiences Pinocchio, Jiminy, Lampwick, our own kitten Figgaro and our goldfish Cleo were shaped by in your own land with that wolf capture story if it's true and I believe it is and you have also experienced the fairy. How would you like to be adopted by me and be a part of our family?"
"You mean to have you as a father and Lampwick and Pinocchio as brothers?" Peter asked.
"Yes, Peter." Geppetto returned.
"That would be great!" Peter returned excitedly.
"You know," Geppetto returned to all three boys. "In this same year, 1881 on another timeline than this one I made a wish to the wishing star for a son. Today that wish has come true THREE times and all three are the most brave and unselfish sons that a father could ask for."
"When we get back to Pleasure Island you should also consider the Junior Woodchucks too." Pinocchio said. "Lampwick and I are both members of this organization from yet another timeline."
"If this Junior Woodchucks is anything like the All Union Pioneer Association forget it." Peter said. "I've had enough of propaganda and politics youth groups."
"No, the Junior Woodchucks are nothing like that." Pinocchio said. "They are an entirely privately run organization with no politics allowed as they see us kids as being too young for that. Basic patriotism yes, but no specific political ideology."
"Then it sounds more like the Boy Scouts of the United States and England of my time." Peter said. "Yes, I would enjoy being a part of an organization like that but the Scouts were outlawed where I live and the All Union Pioneer Association was their supposed replacement. Now I would like the answers to some questions the first being what are we doing in Tombstone on the night before one of its most famous gunfights?"
"Simple," Pinocchio said. "We're here to capture the two guys who captured us. They're wanted criminals in both of the timelines Pleasure Island is located on for turning boys into donkeys and selling them into slavery in salt mines. Tomorrow at the exact time of the gunfight I have to confront those scorpions at the other end of Freemont street from the gunfight."
"Why don't you let me help you with that?" Peter asked. "You know my own story shows I have experience in capturing large land based predators."
"I appreciate your volunteering Peter but this is something I have to do alone." Pinocchio said. "I believe this was one of the reasons I was made a puppet again. Puppets just don't make good scorpion fodder even if they are animated like I am."
"Then at least take this." Peter said offering his pop gun to Pinocchio. "Whatever you have for those scorpions is probably effective against them but it probably is not against the Coachman and the Ringmaster."
"Thank you." Pinocchio said taking the pop gun.
"Now that all this is settled it is time to go to sleep." Geppetto said. "All of us on both ends of Freemont Street have a big day ahead of us tomorrow with our respective criminal gangs."
With that everyone set up their bedrolls in Stromboli's wagons and went to bed for the night.
Next, The Scorpions and the Gunfight
Note - In case you didn't recognize it in the story the Peter that is Geppeto's new adopted son is the Peter from Disneys version of Peter and the Wolf.