Twisted Wonderland 2

A Disastrous Outcome

You open your eyes and you find yourself in a quaint little cottage. You sit in a chair tucked in the corner of the cottage. You glance around and you see the most fantastic clocks you ever laid your eyes on, and all carved out of wood. You also see cute, little music boxes, each one a work of art. Shelf after shelf of toys and wooden figures. But then something else catches your eye, a puppet.

The puppet has thick, black hair and eyebrows and blue eyes. His wears a yellow hat with a red feather in it, brown shoes, and white gloves. He wears a light yellow, short sleeved shirt under a black vest with gold lining. His shorts are bright red cotton fabric overalls with yellow buttons and he wears a blue bow tie on the front of his shirt.

"Well, now. It won't take much longer."

Glancing over, you see an elderly man with thick, white hair, and a white mustache. His eyes are blue and he wears frameless, rectangular spectacles. He wears a light lilac colored shirt with baggy sleeves under a red-violet vest. The man also wears black breeches and grey socks, and brown shoes with gold buckles.

He walks over to the puppet with a black and white cat trailing after him. The cat looks very similar to Trein's cat but not nearly as chonky.

"Just a little more paint, and he's all finished. I think he'll be alright, don't you, Figaro?" The man paints a smile onto the wooden puppet. "See? That makes a big difference."

The man laughs joyfully as the cat hops into the table to get a closer look.

"Now I have just the name for you... Pinocchio!" The man looks to the cat. "Do you like it, Figaro?"

Figaro shakes his head.

"No?" The man look the fishbowl on the table. "You do, don't you, Cleo?"

The golden fish doesn't seem to like it either.

The man shrugs as he looks to the puppet. "Well, we'll leave it to little wooden head. Do you like it?" The man uses a string to nod the puppet's head. He lets out a belting laugh. "That settles it! Pinocchio it is! Come on, now! We'll try you out."

The man takes the puppet and plays with it, moving the strings so the puppet can walk around. The man sings and laughs as he dances the puppet around.

The man walks the Pinocchio towards Figaro. "You're a cute little fellow. And that smile... You know, I-" The man chuckles as the cat swipes at the puppet. "You rascal. Jealous, huh? You know, Pinocchio, I think Figaro is jealous of you. Don't worry, Figaro. I-"

The clocks all along the walls chime as they announce the hour. Each one has a wooden character doing something different than the last.

"I wonder what time it is?" He grabs his pocket watch and checks it. "It's getting late. Come now. We go to bed."

The man sets the puppet on a shelf above the hearth and lets out a yawn.

"Good night, Pinocchio. Little funny face. Good night, Cleo, my little water baby. Good night, Figaro." The man climbs into his bed with Figaro even having his own little bed beside him.

The man glances over to Pinocchio and softly smiles. "Look at him, Figaro. He almost looks alive. Wouldn't it be nice if he was a real boy? Oh, well. Come on. We go to sleep."

You tilt your head, feeling your heart ache for the poor man. He must be so lonely...

The man looks to the window and his eyes light up. "Oh, Figaro, look! Look! A wishing star!"

Outside the window, you see the stars shining like diamonds high above the roofs of the sleepy old cottage. Pretty as a picture.

He sits up and clasps his hands together. "Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight... I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I make tonight. Figaro, you know what I wish? I wish that my little Pinocchio might be a real boy. Wouldn't that be nice? Just think! A real boy!"