Chapter 6 Solving a Riddle
After the Blue Fairy left, Pinocchio and Jiminy did their own thing while Marietta thought about the riddle some more.
She was very confused by it and had no idea how she would ever find her real father if she didn't know where he was.
"Find the sign, what sign?" she asked herself in confusion. "Why, this silly old riddle doesn't make any sense! A bet my word I'll never find my father while listening to riddles!"
Marietta turned around and saw the window by her bed.
"Well, I do hope to find my real father eventually," she said to herself, thinking about reuniting with her real father Carlo.
She also thought about how proud he and Geppetto would be if they saw her as a responsible and caring older sister figure to Pinocchio while also being brave.
She didn't really know how to, since she never had a sibling before, and while Pinocchio was technically her cousin, she knew she could be a good "big sister" to him, and knew it would make both of her fathers proud.
"I'm gonna become somebody important," she told herself. "I don't know how, but I will."
Marietta walked over to the window by her bed and saw a sky full of stars.
She then began to sing to herself as she imagined herself making her real father proud.
Proud of your girl
I'll make you proud of your girl
Believe me, shy as I've been, Papa
You're in for a pleasant surprise!
Marietta looked at the sky full of stars.
I've wasted time
I've wasted me
So say I'm slow for my age
A late bloomer okay
I agree
Marietta imagined herself in the sky full of stars and bloomed out of a large blue flower, now wearing a blue dress with white trimming and belt, blue heels, a white pearl necklace, and her black hair done into a low bun while wearing a silver tiara and earrings.
That I've been one frightened kid
Some gal, some fear, but some joy
But I'll get over this tearing up
Messing up, screwing up times!
Marietta envisioned her father Carlo coming over to embrace her with a hug.
You'll see, Papa, now comes the best part
Someone's gonna make you good
Cross my silly heart!
Make good and finally make you
Proud of your girl,
Carlo began to twirl his daughter around as Marietta continued singing:
Tell me that I've been a mouse and loafer
You won't get a fright here, no sir!
Say I'm a goldbrick, a goof-off, a low-down
But that couldn't be what I am!
Carlo pulled Marietta over to a sparkly blue bridge, where a river of crescent moons and stars flowed underneath it.
Water flows under the bridge
Let it pass, let it go
There's no good reason
That you should believe me
Not yet I know!
Marietta and her father ran across the bridge and then slid down it, landing on a silver star that was shooting across the sky.
But someday and soon
I'll make you proud of your girl
Though I can't make myself taller
Or smarter, or pretty, or wise
I'll do my best, what else can I do?
Carlo reached his back pocket to grab a blue rose and handed it to his daughter.
After Marietta grabbed it, Carlo was about to kiss her on the forehead, but disappeared, along with the rest of the scene, leaving Marietta back in Geppetto's workshop and back in her white nightgown looking out the window.
Marietta sighed after learning that her father's return was just in a dream and continued to look out the window and the sky full of stars.
Since I wasn't born perfect
Like Pinocchio or you
Papa, I will try to
Try hard to make you
Proud of your girl
Marietta finished singing as she hung her head away from the window and sighed as the wishing star shunned back at her.
She then turned around to look at Pinocchio and Jiminy standing on the table, and walked back over to them to take care of her main priority, being an older sister figure to Pinocchio and helping him on the right path.
As Marietta walked over to the two of them, Jiminy was looking at his reflection in a shiny red pot and hummed a cheerful tune while doing so.
"Not bad, say's I," he said to himself as he admired his new clothes.
But as he showed himself off, Pinocchio looked at his own reflection and Marietta leaned over as well, making Jiminy remember his task.
"Jiminy, your task?" Marietta asked with a smirk.
"Oh, yeah!" he said with a chuckle. "I almost forgot about you two." He cleared his throat before talking again. "Well Pinoke, maybe you and I need a little heart to heart talk, and you too Marietta."
"Why?" Pinocchio asked, confused.
"Well, you wanna be a real boy, don't you?" Jiminy asked as Pinocchio nodded his head.
"And you wanna be a supportive sister, right Marietta?" Jiminy asked as the girl nodded her head.
"Yes, even if I am technically his cousin, I'll do what the Blue Fairy told me and be a supportive sister figure to Pinocchio." Marietta said as Pinocchio looked at her in confusion.
"And what's a cousin?" he asked as Marietta just smiled.
"You'll learn about it later, Pinoke. But for now, just sit down son." Jiminy said as Pinocchio did what he said and sat down.
Jiminy pulled over a box of matches with the help of his umbrella and sat down while Marietta stood close to the table.
"So what are you going to talk about, Jiminy?" Marietta asked the cricket.
"Well, we're going to talk about temptations,"
"Temptations?" Pinocchio asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, they may lead you on the wrong path," Marietta told the puppet.
"Right, the world's full of them," Jiminy explained. "They're the wrong things that may seem right at the time, but uh, even though the right things may seem wrong sometimes, sometimes the wrong things may be right at the wrong time or vice versa, uh, understand?" Jiminy asked the puppet, who smiled at first before shaking his head.
Jiminy did a facepalm along with Marietta, who couldn't believe Jiminy failed to explain the rules of temptation to Pinocchio.
"Oh, Pinocchio. Maybe Jiminy didn't explain it very well that time," Marietta said as Jiminy gave her a look while covering his face with his hand.
"But I wanna do right," Pinocchio said, making Jiminy happy.
"Atta boy, Pinoke!" he said as he jumped off the matchbox. "And how about you Marietta?" he asked the girl.
"I already know about the rules of temptations, I'm just here to be a good role model for Pinocchio." she said as Jiminy smiled.
"Good, now I'm gonna help you too, and if you need me, all you gotta do is whistle." Jiminy said as he let out a whistle.
"Like this?" Pinocchio asked as he tried to let out a whistle, but failed after it didn't sound too right.
"No, no. Try it again, Pinoke" Jiminy told him.
"Like this?" Pinocchio asked as he let out another whistle, but still didn't sound too right and only let out some air.
"No son," Jiminy told him.
"Like this," Marietta said as she let out a whistle that sounded like the same one Jiminy did earlier.
"Yeah, that's right, Marietta. Now listen." Jiminy said as he let out three whistles.
Pinocchio tried copying him, and while the first two whistles didn't sound too right, the last one sounded good and actually sounded like a whistle!
"Yeah, you got it, Pinocchio!" Marietta exclaimed as Pinocchio smiled.
"You sure do, now let's sing it!" Jiminy said as he began to sing and dance for the puppet and little girl.
When you get in trouble
And you don't know right from wrong
Give a little whistle,
Jiminy blew into his hat.
Give a little whistle,
He then let the whistle back out.
When you meet temptation
And the urge is very strong
Give a little whistle,
As Jiminy sang, Pinocchio blew into his own hat.
Give a little whistle,
Pinocchio tried letting the whistle back out, but nothing came out, causing Marietta to smile at him.
Not just a little squeak
Pucker up and blow!
Jiminy blew into a pot.
And if your whistle's weak, yell...
"Jiminy Cricket!" Both Marietta and Pinocchio yelled at the same time.
Right!
Take the straight and narrow path
And if you start to slide
Give a little whistle,
Jiminy slid down the strings of a violin.
Give a little whistle,
He then slid up the strings.
And always let your conscience be your guide!
One of the strings snapped and caused Jiminy to go flying to another one of the shelfs.
As Marietta and Pinocchio danced together, Jiminy started to dance along while on the shelf and used his umbrella as a trumpet before coming to a pipe.
He then jumped off the shelf and landed on a saw, where he kept jumping up and down until making it to one of Geppetto's cuckoo clocks, where he knocked on the door to let out the figurines.
Take the straight and narrow path
And if you start to slide
Give a little whistle,
Jiminy whistled to one of the figures, who was a young girl.
Give a little whistle,
The girl looked back at him before going back into the clock.
Yoo-hoo!
And always let your conscience be your guide!
Jiminy finished singing as he tried to go back inside the door of the clock. But it closed and slammed him in the face.
And always let your conscience be your guide!
Both Pinocchio and Marietta sang the last part.
However, when Pinocchio was in the middle of singing and dancing on top of the table, he fell into a bunch of paint cans and started to fall off the table!
"Oh no, watch out, Pinocchio!" Marietta warned the puppet as she tried to catch him, but failed after he fell off the table and woke Geppetto up!
Author's Note: The song "Proud of Your Boy/Girl" is from Aladdin: The Musical ((c) Disney)
Two songs in one chapter! I decided to add Proud of Your Boy (changed to Proud of Your Girl) from the musical version of Aladdin because the song perfectlly fits Marietta's character and how she wants to make her loved ones proud while also being a good sister figure to Pinocchio. Please review!