Both girls shook their heads. "No... made up story... the truth is far worse...", Lampwick sighed. "Place was a paradise for naughty little boys... but comes with a horrible curse in exchange for that fun. Perla, myself and all the rest of the boys that came with us to the island were transformed into very attractive dames... to be sold for... what was it again, Jiminy?", she asked.
Jiminy took a deep, heavy sigh, "The black market...", and Geppetto widened his eyes in horror, realizing that his son-turned daughter would have witnessed horrors, to have her innocence washed away in a flash.
"Oh, my god...How..how did you get out?", Geppetto asked in shock and horror, and Perla replied, "We climbed this cliffside to the top of the mountain, walking across the mountainsides to a small cliff where we saw this rowboat tied to a small jutting island. We jumped, and I...before I got memories of knowing things I never knew before, I didn't know how to swim...I nearly drowned...Lampwick saved me...".
"All the while we had nothing but our bowties and hats on us... completely naked aside from that...", Lampwick sighed. "I was worried a few times that we were going to freeze to death in the rowboat we used to get back to the mainland... but we made it. Came ashore, was given some clothes and shelter for a bit from a nice blind woman that lived nearby before heading back home.".
Jiminy then replied, "Come morning, we headed back to our only friend's place, hoping for news about you, and then we heard about Monstro swallowing your ship up, and so here we are.".
Geppetto hugged Perla, squeezing Lampwick's shoulder, smiling at Jiminy, "Thank goodness that Monstro isn't one for chewing and all...I'm just relieved that you're all safe...Oh, Perla, you gotta see Cleo, she misses you so!", as Figaro was purring, nuzzling Perla on her shoulder.
Perla smiled widely, "Yes!", nearly sprinting in joy as Geppetto spryly led Perla to the cabin inside, with Cleo looking at the newcomers, and Figaro leaped into the little table, meowing to Cleo before her eyes widened, looking at Perla as she leapt out of her bowl in a leaping up and down position.
Perla laughed happily, her finger going into the bowl to pet Cleo, "I missed you too, Cleo!", and Cleo gurgled happily, tickling Perla's finger as she then pulled it out, smiling. Geppetto smiled widely, "This calls for a late lunch! Come, let's cook some fish over a bit of fire. You must be starving, Perla!".
"Wait, but what about getting out?", Perla asked in concern, and Geppetto sighed, "I wish I knew, but Monstro is very territorial and dangerous, plus, when his mouth opens, everything comes in, but nothing comes out. I'd even built a raft too...".
Perla frowned, trying to think before widening her eyes, "Fire, that's it! We could get smoke from the fire.", and Geppetto nodded, "Smoked fish, huh? That sounds delicious as that would be filling on the belly.", thinking of eating.
"No, Father, smoke can be irritating to the nose, and if we make Monstro sneeze from the smoke, he can blow us out!", Perla proclaimed, and Lampwick grinned, "Brilliant, Slats! That would work!".
"It would take a lot of smoke though...", Jiminy said as Perla chuckled. "Well, we've got plenty of wood that we can use then.", she pointed out to the small graveyard of ships that were residing in the belly.
Geppetto frowned, "That would make him mad...", before sighing, "But we have nothing to lose and everything to gain...I miss seeing the blue sky and being home. Alright, let's get to work.".
Nods and smiles came all around, the group looked around for dry wood in several places for a hour, and then grabbed a wide blanket to blow the smoke after Lampwick smashed the burning lantern into the woodpile, creating a huge fire with the blanket smoldering the fire, creating a big plume of smoke to rise and fill up Monstro's belly, though the intestines, and to his nose while the group secured Cleo and Figaro to the raft, with Jiminy keeping an eye on the sails as Geppetto, Perla, and Lampwick pushed the raft.
"We might only get one chance to get out... so we better make this count... everyone hold on tight!", Jiminy cried out as they all got ready for hopefully the rush back to the outside.
Monstro was definitely feeling it so much as he was inhaling so deeply yet with Lampwick and Perla to keep the raft onwards along Geppetto, they were close to seeing the open spaces of the blue sky and such, grunting as they got closer to the teeth, seeing that the water is helping the raft over the teeth without trouble, and when they heard the sound of Monstro about to sneeze, they held on to the ropes within the raft, and then Monstro went sneezing hard and long, with the raft tumbling and blowing away, with the sails loosed up by Jiminy quickly by the wind of the sneeze, and they made it over the crest of the waves, free of Monstro.
Geppetto laughed, "We're free!", as Perla pulled him up on the raft, with Lampwick replied, "Not yet! Paddle!", and the trio rowed their paddles, with the sail filling up with wind, as Monstro sneezed a second time, with more wind aiding the raft, getting further and further away from Monstro who was now burning up, roaring in pain and rage, gulping seawater as much as he could.
"Hopefully that fire will keep him distracted until we reach the shore!", Jiminy shouted as Lampwick nodded, "Should be... we got a lot of fire started in there...".
They kept paddling with them looking back every minute or two, and then Geppetto shouted, "Oh, he's coming, and he's mad!", and Perla gasped, looking back, and sure enough, the monstrous whale is steaming mad. She looked back at the shore, looking furiously before seeing something, "There, that cove! Faster, guys!", as the cove is hidden by dark tall rocks, and there's a hole in the tall rocks.
"I don't think we're gonna make it!", Jiminy feared as the girls and Geppetto paddled faster, just trying to hopefully make it even by a fraction of a second.
Perla shouted, "We'll make it!", determined to live as they paddled harder and faster, getting closer and closer as the waves swelled up, hearing the roaring rage of Monstro, and they ended up at the black rocks as the waves were covering the hole, with Lampwick gasping, "Where is it?!".
"It's in front of us somewhere!", Perla called back as they kept paddling as the waves moved back, and Geppetto gasped, "There!", pointing to the hole of the cove, and they paddled over the waves, and streaked, holding on as the raft came into the cove just as Monstro launched at the hole, unknowing that the hard, tall, black rocks were strong to cause a skull break into his head, meaning his brain would swell up, and with the brain swelling up, the blood would have no way to go but in, giving him a death from the head injury, along with sharks attracted to the blood in the skull injury.
"Watch out!", Geppetto called out as the group was hit by a wave of water that Monstro threw up when he crashed against the rocks; quickly throwing them all overboard from their raft.
Rocks fell into the cove as well from the crash, but luckily, not that close to the group as the raft was destroyed against one of the rocks, becoming pieces and such, with Figaro and Cleo surviving, floating to safety, landing within the sand, finding Geppetto who was heaving hard, on his knees, coughing.
"Papa!", Geppetto heard his daughter call for her as she half collapsed next to him, hugging him, and Geppetto held her, "I'm here, daughter...I'm alright, Perla...We're alive.", kissing her on the forehead as they didn't care, soaked to the skin.
There was a brief pause when Perla glanced around. "Lampy! Lampy, are you alright!?", Perla called out as she couldn't see her anywhere.
Geppetto grunted as he got up, "That wave sent us overboard, and it was powerful...She would be further down the shore, come on, let's find her and Jiminy.", as Perla nodded in worry and agreement, walking down the shore, calling out, "Jiminy, Lampwick!", as Geppetto picked up Cleo's bowl, with Figaro by their side.
"Lampy!", Perla called out again. She was hoping that they were alright... she didn't want to lose her or Jiminy, especially after saving her father. "Please, answer me!".
Jiminy's voice was heard a moment later, "Perla! Over here! Lampwick's breathing but she's out, and she got a nasty cut!".
Geppetto and Perla hurried up, going closer to another area with rocky sand and such, seeing Jiminy waving on a tall rock with his tattered umbrella, and they saw Lampwick on her belly, her face clear, and her shirt was half torn, showing a shoulder cut on the back.
Perla gasped in shock and worry, "Lampy!", as she got down on her knees, tapping Lampwick's cheek, hearing an unconscious, slightly audible groan, "Hurts...", as Geppetto took an inspecting look with his glasses, "Looks like it's not too deep. Must have been one of those sharp rocks on the bottom. It's okay, Perla, some stitches, some rubbing alcohol, and such, she will be fine...", as he gave Cleo's bowl to Perla, gently picking Lampwick in his arms, glad that he still has some strength in his arms and legs, thanks to carving wood and such.
Jiminy hopped into Perla's shoulder, patting her cheek, "Don't worry, your father knows those things better than you or I will ever know.", and Perla nodded, holding Cleo's bowl firmly yet gently as she followed her father, with Figaro by their side, seeing light at the end of the cove beach.
"Just a bit further... we're almost out...", Geppetto said before finally the group climbed out of the cove and once more were in the open air. "Ahhh...", Geppetto took a deep breath. "I really thought for a bit that I would never feel the fresh air again...".
Perla smiled, "Sure is, Father...", before hearing a slight moan, and glanced at Lampwick, "Is it okay to expose that to the fresh air?", and Geppetto replied, "Our clothes are full of saltwater and such, we couldn't afford to inflame the wound further, and we have no fresh bandages.".
Figaro mewed, playing with some leaves, and Perla widened her eyes, "Father, is it possible to do fresh herbs and borrow a bit of Cleo's water? If that's okay with you, Cleo.", and Cleo nodded at her as she broke the surface in her bowl before heading back inside.
"Well, better than nothing for the time being.", Geppetto replied, and Jiminy responded, "Let me do the honors.", before hopping into a nearby bush to look for herbs at the ground, passing through a couple of bushes before finally finding an herb, and grabbing them by the stem, he hopped back to the group.
"Okay, I've got something!", Jiminy called out before he got to the group. "Now then, Pin- Perla...". It was still going to take the cricket a bit to truly get used to that. "You know what you're doing?".
Perla gently put Cleo's bowl down on the sand, and she replied, "I don't like to see people hurt, and I guess the knowledge of knowing medicine comes with that somehow, and I have to try.", before softly getting the herbs from Jiminy, and putting them in the bowl for a few minutes before pulling them out, and mashed them with her hands, walking closer to Geppetto who scooped some water from Cleo's bowl, dousing the cut, causing Lampwick to whimper in pain, as it was being cleaned out.
"Okay, this would hurt a bit too.", Perla sighed as she gently put the mashed herbs into the cut, slowly and carefully, with Lampwick hissing in pain before sighing in relief. "Looks like it's working...", Jiminy said as he watched Lampwick's reaction. "Poor girl still hasn't woken up though...".
"Give her a little time.", Geppetto told him. "She'll be up soon, right now, we're in no rush with things, we're all alive and safe now.". Perla smiled a bit, and replied, "Still, let's go home, Papa. I think we deserve some food in us including Lampy.".
"Of course, my daughter.", Geppetto hugged her as he went back to help carry Lampwick once more. "Might also be a good idea to let Madame know we're alright.", Jiminy said as Perla smiled.
"After we get home… right now, I think I just want everything to be calm and right.", Perla said. She picked up Cleo's bowl, and Figaro as he settled on Perla's shoulders while Jiminy hopped into Perla's hat.
"Everyone all set?", Geppetto asked as the group nodded before they started moving. It was about a good couple of minutes before Lampwick started to groan as she was apparently coming back to consciousness.
Perla gasped, "Lampy!", and Lampwick started to move before crying out in pain, "Ow, ow...".
Geppetto gently shushed her, "Easy, Lampwick, you're hurt...don't move a lot...", and Lampwick replied, "What...where's Perla and Jiminy?".
"Right here, Lampy…", Perla made sure to get into Lampwick's field of vision. "We… we did it?", Lampwick asked softly in awe.
Perla smiled brightly, "Yeah, we won, Lampy. We're going to my home to bandage you up, sleep all afternoon, maybe eat a whole feast thanks to Father.".
Lampwick chuckled as she remembered yesterday that they are going to sleep a whole day in one of her comments. "That sounds good…", Lampwick sighed. "Hey, Geppetto, you don't have to keep carrying me anymore. I'm alright.".
Geppetto looked at her, "Alright, but don't say that I warned you. Gaining your legs may be easy, but moving with that cut on your back, even if Perla put medicine on it, it will be painful.".
"Cut?", Lampwick asked as the old man nodded, "We found you roughed up and took a nasty cut when we crashed.".
Lampwick blinked, "Oh...That explains it...I think I was tumbling roughly to the shore when I felt something on my back...And then I blacked out...Let me down, Geppetto, I can do this...", and Geppetto gently let her down in a standing position, and she walked, smiling, "See, I'm fine.", moving her arms to gesture before wincing in pain, "Ow, ow...", clutching her left shoulder.
"Okay, you warned me there, Geppetto...", Lampwick sheepishly looked at Geppetto, and Geppetto smiled gently, "Indeed, best not move that too much. Walk if you must, but we have to keep in the shade as much as possible so the sun wouldn't hurt that cut on contact.".
"Alright then... you know best then...", Lampwick chuckled as Geppetto smiled.
The group walked in the shade of the shore near the trees, soon seeing their familiar village, and after a hour, they finally got home, with Geppetto quickly finding bandages and stitches in some of the cabinets, with Perla helping rinsing the cut again, using more herbs from the planter boxes, and when Geppetto sent Perla and Lampwick to the bed, there was a note from the Blue Fairy, saying that she did something upstairs in the loft bedroom.
The trio plus Jiminy was curious, and they headed upstairs, to not find the child's bed that Geppetto built and worked on the day Perla went on his adventures, but two beautiful carved beds that's just right for the young women.
They were shocked and happy, and even if it was still becoming late afternoon, with sunset coming, Geppetto didn't care as long as his daughter and Lampwick needed rest, and he would always cook a late feast anytime as he's exhausted too, even after they discovered that in the little kitchen that there were fresh bread and milk in the icebox.
Geppetto smiled as he went to see to the girls after she and Lampwick changed into nightdresses which was also a new addition to a whole new wardrobe in the loft bedroom, "Is it okay if I tuck you in, daughter?".
"Please, Father... I would be more than happy to have you do it... It's something I would miss if you didn't.", Perla admitted as Geppetto gave a warm smile, "Surely a pure heart... nothing changed, whether boy or girl...".
Perla smiled happily, and Geppetto kissed Perla on the forehead, brushing her hair affectionately, and pulled the blanket over his daughter, tucking her in gently, "Sweet dreams, Perla...", and Perla whispered, "Sweet dreams, Papa...Can you do the same to Lampwick too?", wanting her best friend to not be left out...
Geppetto whispered, "Of course.", before heading to Lampwick's bed, "How are you doing, Lampwick? Are the bandages itching or anything?", as Lampwick is resting on her side, a large pillow besides her, to remind Lampwick in a way that she can't turn over on the other side to hurt her cut.
"I'm doing alright...", Lampwick told him. "The bandages are good... just keeping pressure off of it as you said.", with a soft nod.
Geppetto smiled, "Excellent...Look, Lampwick, I know I'm not your mama, but you look like you need it despite being a young woman and acting tough when you need to be...Can I tuck you in? You can say no.".