Luz didn't think it was a bad idea to leave and visit that amusement park at all. A place where the kids could have lots of fun was precisely the place where Amity had to go at that moment: there she would no longer have to think about all the problems she had and would finally be distracted. It was what she needed, and Amity herself probably felt the same way as she seemed positively thrilled at the thought of leaving. After all, it would only be for one day; even though leaving Bonesborough without Eda's permission wasn't exactly a good thing, Luz believed that since they would be back by the evening everything would be fine.
Oh, and then of course she wanted to go and have fun too: she was still a young girl too! Amusement parks were her natural environment, and after all the misfortunes she had recently experienced she felt she deserved to have some fun.
Philip quickly handed them two tickets, which turned out to be golden and with a beautiful symbol consisting of a triangle with an inverted sword in the center and four wings on the sides. "What does it represent?" Luz asked.
"Oh, it's just a little reminder of my past" Philip replied to her. "It's my family crest, but since I'm alone now, I can use it as a symbol of my amusement park"
Luz felt a little sorry for him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked"
"Don't worry, I wasn't offended. I'm happy to tell a story every now and then! Ask me whatever you want, old people like me can't wait for anything else!" Philip said with a laugh, then he looked at the wagon. "Mh. It seems that there is no more room here. I will try to find accommodation for you; you, girl with lavander hair, go ahead and sit next to Kikimora"
In fact, next to the little assistant who was currently sitting in the driver's seat and who was holding the bridle in her hand, there was a rather large bench, enough to seat two people. Amity nodded and sat there, finding that it was very comfortable; Kikimora barely gave her a look, and then ignored her... but such reaction only had the effect of making her seem more tender in Amity's eyes; it was like looking at an angry peluche.
"And I?" Luz asked.
"You can sit next to her. It would be my seat, but I'll gladly give it to you" Philip replied.
"But... and you?" Luz asked him again.
"And I'll walk the way" Philip told her. "It's not a problem for me; it's not a long journey"
"No!" Luz was quick to say; she absolutely didn't want that kind old man to be forced to walk and probably have to tire himself out given his venerable age. It would have been very rude of her, so she found a solution: "You can ride in the wagon; I'll ride one of these donkeys!"
And having said that she tried to jump on the back of the nearest donkey; but as soon as she tried to cling to its back, it nudged her hard in the stomach and threw her to the ground. The puppet fell in a decidedly comical manner, so much so that the kids in the wagon burst out laughing, and even Kikimora abandoned her austere expression and grinned a little. "Luz, are you okay?" Amity asked her.
"Yes, yes, I am not hurt at all" the puppet replied, getting up again. She tried to get back on the donkey again, being more careful this time, but again the animal chased her away. "Hey, what's wrong with you? I'm made of wood, but I'm not that heavy!"
"It's not your fault" Philip told her. "This poor donkey has a serious back problem, which is why it has never been used as a beast of burden, since no weights can be placed on it; fortunately, the work of pulling the wagon does not involve touching its back" . He approached another donkey and took it by the bridle (although for a moment he seemed to brush against its neck in a rather threatening manner, and the donkey seemed frightened), and he signaled Luz to come closer: "Get on her back. This young girl is very kind, and unlike her companion she doesn't have back problems"
Luz approached the donkey, who was a beautiful female specimen with smooth and velvety brown fur, and who had a somewhat strange mane as it was much longer than normal and tied with a ribbon, creating a ponytail, like the ones that girls normally used when styling their hair. "Why her mane is so long?" the puppet asked as she climbed onto her back.
"She has a disease that causes uncontrolled hair growth. Cutting her hair every day would cost a lot in scissors, so we just tied it up" Philip explained to her.
"Oh, is she sick too?" Luz muttered regretfully.
"Unfortunately, yes. All these donkeys, if you look closely, have some kind of problem. Can't you see, for example, that none of them have greeted you yet? They're all mute" Philip told her in a very sad voice. "Because of this, they had a really difficult life. So I decided to take them under my wing, so that they had a well-paid job and didn't have to work too hard, and could enjoy their life eating top-quality straw and hay"
"You are such a good person" Luz said, stroking the donkey's neck to comfort her and let her know that she was kind, but apparently she touched a place she shouldn't have and the animal stood up on her hind legs, causing her to fall again, making everyone laughing again and worrying Amity.
"Don't touch her without warning. She's very good, but she can be scared easily" Philip warned her, and he helped her get up and get on the donkey again; but before doing so he whispered something unseen to the animal, and for an instant his teeth became sharp and nibbled at her ear; the donkey trembled in terror, and from that moment on she let Luz sit on her without unseating her again.
Without any more problems, the wagon took off and began to run fast on the road; and it did so rather silently, because its wheels were wrapped in tow and rags. While Kikimora directed it, Philip spent his time telling funny stories to Amity, so that she wouldn't get bored since she was sitting far away from the other kids, and Luz not being too far away from them heard them too and laughed like crazy; that old man was truly an amazing person, and it was impossible not to love him. It didn't take long before they came to a ship that was moored in a bay; and it was a very beautiful ship indeed, which however seemed strange, as if not all the pieces belonged to the same ship but each of them was from a different ship. "Why is that... well, this?" Amity asked, intrigued by that construction choice.
"I wanted it like this" Philip explained to her. "My dream has always been to create an amusement park where all kids could have as much fun as they wanted, as is right for them; and when I say everyone, I really mean everyone, regardless of where they come from, what nationality they are, what culture, and so on. Therefore, to emphasize all this very well, I wanted the ship that provides access to the Boiling Islands to be made up of pieces from every construction style in this world, so that everyone seeing it would understand that no one was excluded"
Amity found that choice a little bizarre, but she couldn't deny that it was really sweet; that old man was probably a little weird, but he was still a very kind person. After all, it was well known that the ones who entertained kids the most were those people who were a little crazy, like clowns; and Philip, even though he didn't wear makeup and a fake nose, certainly had a clownish personality, and it wasn't hard to see why all the kids liked him.
The wagon boarded the ship, and the kids were able to get off, luckily for them since the boat was decidedly more spacious; there they were greeted by a helmsman, a guy who looked to be in his early twenties, with thick dark purple hair and eyebrows and blue eyes; he greeted them quickly and then he went to his station to take over the helm.
Amity went to Luz and helped her get off the donkey, but as soon as she got onto the deck of the ship the puppet realized a detail: "Um... Mr. Philip, can you come here for a moment, please?"
"Of course" Philip replied, and immediately dropped whatever he was doing and went to her. "What happens?"
"I think I inadvertently hurt this poor donkey. Look, she's crying!" Luz replied by pointing to the animal's eyes, in which there were indeed many tears.
"I'll check right away" Philip replied, and very delicately began to feel the donkey in several places; but in a quick moment when neither Luz nor Amity were looking, his delicate hand tightened around the animal's skin and his fingers seemed to change into claws for a split second. He continued like this for just a minute, then he said: "It's okay, she's not hurt"
"But then why is she crying?" Luz asked.
"She's happy," Philip replied, and he rubbed his hand on the donkey's forehead; the animal shuddered, but then she buried her head in his chest, perfectly imitating a happy little donkey. "Given her physical defects, she never thought she could work to make someone else happy. Now she's making kids happy. She's so happy she can't stop herself from crying!"
Both Luz and Amity smiled tenderly: yes, in fact it wasn't really within the possibilities of a mute and sick little donkey to be able to become part of the staff of an amusement park. That donkey must have been really happy. "Well, good for you then!" they told her, and then she started to walk away with Amity.
But they hadn't taken two steps before Luz heard what sounded like a faint voice in the distance: "Run!"
She turned around in surprise, but she saw no one; behind her there was only the donkey that had carried her. The strangest thing, however, was that she seemed to recognize that voice. "Luz, is everything okay?" Amity asked her.
The puppet shrugged. "My ears must have played a trick on me" she replied, sure she had imagined it, and together with Amity she went to sit on the bow to admire the sea flowing in front of them.
The ship quickly began to sail, and it traveled remarkably fast; soon the coast vanished behind them. It didn't take long before the kids noticed the outline of an island in the distance, half hidden by the sea mist, and they began rubbing their hands together excitedly at the thought of what they would find there. Everyone except Matt, who never took his eyes off the helmsman; Gus noticed that and asked: "Do you know him?"
Matt shook his head. "I don't remember ever seeing his face. Yet... I don't know, he looks familiar"
"Maybe he passed by your beach when you were still a crab" Gus suggested. "I mean, he's a sailor, so maybe he happened to land there once, and you caught a glimpse of him"
"Yeah... maybe" Matt admitted.
Seeing that his friend was still upset, Gus decided to take the initiative: "Well, let's go talk to him!" he said, and before Matt could stop him he ran to the helmsman: "Hey, sir! Hello, have you happened to land on the beaches near Bonesborough in the past?"
The helmsman seemed somewhat surprised and partly a little annoyed by his sudden interest, but nevertheless he answered: "Yes, you can say that it happened to me often. I lived there a good part of my life"
"Oh, good! Mystery solved, then!" Gus said with a laugh. "Sorry to bother you, but my friend there was sure he had seen you before, and we wanted to understand how"
Matt blushed with embarrassment at being called into question, but nevertheless he confirmed: "Yes, it is so"
The helmsman tilted his head at the sight of him. "You actually look familiar too, but I don't remember where I might have seen you"
"Well, my friend was… a little different until recently!" Gus said. "Anyway, did you actually live in Bonesborough?"
"Near to it, actually" the helmsman replied.
"And how did you end up working for Mr. Philip?" Gus asked again.
"A twist of fate. A storm hit me while I was at sea... with my boat. I ended up on Mr. Philip's island, and he... convinced me... with his talk... to offer him my services" the helmsman said with some hesitation.
"Uh, well, it ends up well for you then!" Gus told him jovially. "Tell us, is the amusement park we're going to really that good?"
The helmsman didn't seem to know how to respond. "Well, it's full of rides and toys, so I guess kids like you will like it"
"You don't like it?" Gus asked him.
"I'm not a fan of that kind of entertainment" the helmsman replied hastily. "I prefer other passions"
The helmsman was probably a quiet person who didn't much like chaos, Gus reflected; in fact he knew almost nothing about him... now that he thought about it, he hadn't even asked him his name. Embarrassed, he quickly did so: "What's your name?"
"Steve" the helmsman replied.
At which Matt was a little surprised: "What a coincidence! I had a brother named Steve" he said, and then he introduced himself: "Anyway, I'm Matt, and this is my friend Gus"
Suddenly Steve's eyes widened and he stiffened a little; he remained silent for a moment, then asked: "Excuse me, but what did you mean before when you said that you weren't always like this?"
"Well, it's a funny story" Gus replied. "Would you believe me if I told you that I was actually a spider and Matt was a crab, and that we were both transformed into humans by a djinn?"
He expected the helmsman to laugh, but instead his face turned stony. Steve stared at them for a moment longer, then he turned and looked back at the ocean. "No, I don't believe you" he said. "Now please let me work. We're almost there and I need to start anchoring"
In fact the ship had now arrived near the island and was approaching a small port; realizing that the helmsman was busy, Matt and Gus left him alone. The ship docked, and the kids were taken off; even though the amusement park was a little far from the port, they could still see the rides even from that distance, and many of them looked like very funny. "Go ahead!" Philip told them jovially. "Don't wait for this old man; think about having fun! This place is all yours! Remember, boredom is forbidden! Only fun is allowed!"
The kids didn't have to be told again and immediately ran towards the amusement park, and they did so so quickly that in a few moments they disappeared from sight. Philip stood still and smiled at them until he was sure they could no longer see him, and then his jovial expression changed to a grimace and his eyes flashed with a cold blue light; the donkeys still attached to the wagon trembled at the sight, and Steve also hid behind the drawbar; Kikimora didn't lose her composure, but the terror in her gaze was evident. Philip raised one of his arms and pointed it at the donkey that had carried Luz, who instantly changed as if she were made of play dough; the paws became hands and feet, the hair disappeared and was replaced by normal clothes, and the muzzle shrank until it became a human face. Within moments a brown-haired girl had appeared in the donkey's place, although she still retained several of her previous characteristics such as the long ears and a tail. The girl tried to get up, but Philip's glare froze her. "You think you're funny, Viney!?"
The man grabbed the girl by her long donkey ears and lifted her by them, making her moan in pain. "Did you try to warn that puppet!? What did you think you were doing, huh!? Did you really believe that your intervention could save someone, or perhaps hinder me!?". Philip brought his face a few centimeters from the girl's, and suddenly his teeth turned into fangs and his scar filled with rotten and putrid fluid. "I've eaten whores for a lot less, you know that!?"
"I... I'm sorry..." Viney whispered shakily.
"Ah, you're sorry!" Philip growled, gripping her chin with such force that he almost broke her neck. "If you try to play cunning again, I'll eat you again, and this time I won't take you out! I'll leave you there until you'll be digested, and then you know what happens, right?" Gooey liquid fell from his lips as if it were saliva. "Do you want me to add your little screaming voice to my large collection? Do you like the idea of going to hell that much?"
"N-No!" Viney stammered. "Please... I'll be good...!"
Philip let her go and threw her roughly to the floor; the other donkeys became agitated at the sight, but none of them emitted a single whinny. "If you don't want to become part of my biomass and suffer atrocious torment for eternity, you better live up to these words of yours!"
"Y-Yes! I promise!" Viney quickly responded as she struggled to her feet.
"The promise is not enough for me" Philip replied, and next to him the earth began to crack until it created a ravine wide enough for a person to pass through, which horribly resembled a mouth full of sharp teeth. "Since you seem to have such a short memory, now I'm going to send you back to my stomach so that you remember what happens to those who piss me off. Last time I left you there for ten minutes; this time I really think I'll make you stay there for an hour!"
"AN HOUR!?" Viney dropped to her knees and clasped her hands as if in prayer, and her face became a mask of pure terror: "No... no, please! Not an hour in that place! I'll be good, I swear! I will never try to warn anyone again!"
"Too late. You wanted to do your own thing, now pay the price!" Philip responded without any empathy, and a dock pillar moved and opened, revealing itself to be a tentacle coiled over itself over and over, and moved towards the girl. Viney clung to the ground with all her strength, desperately trying to resist, but the tentacle dragged her to the mouth in the terrain and threw her inside with a desperate scream. As soon as this was done, both the mouth and the tentacle returned to their original position, becoming unrecognizable to the human eye.
"Look, how ungrateful she is. I allow her to avoid digestion and she thanks me like that. And then they ask me why I love making kids suffer... I hope she learns her lesson this time" Philip muttered, and then he turned towards the other donkeys: "Do any of you feel like playing cunning?"
The donkeys backed away and shook their heads, clearly terrified. "Good. It seems that at least someone here has some common sense left. Know that the next person who tries to do their own thing I'll eat them straight up!" Philip commented, and then he turned to Kikimora. "All this commotion has made me hungry. Order your creatures to shove a pod of whales into my mouth, at least I can munch something while I wait for those pathetic brats to have their proper fun"
"Yes, my liege" Kikimora replied immediately, and she jumped into the water; even from the ground it was possible to notice her shadow swimming away far too quickly for a human being, and without ever emerging to breathe at boot.
In Collodi's original book Pinocchio makes his way to Toyland riding one of the donkeys of the wagon, which tries several times to make him fall and then also warns him in words (since, let's remember, in the world of Pinocchio the animals know speak), but is silenced by the cruel driver of the wagon who bites his ears off. In this story at least I wanted to spare you that scene. The fact that Toyland is located on an island is instead a Disney invention, taken up here due to the obvious fact that as we well know the Boiling Islands are actually on Belos' back