A bald, overweight man with a veiny nose stepped forward. He had kind eyes and a childlike face. “Let us join hands and lower our heads.”
Sabrina felt Daphne slip her hand into her own, and Mr. Boarman’s hand took the other. Geppetto held hands with the Scarecrow. Rip Van Winkle held hands with Jack Pumpkinhead. Beauty held hands with Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus. Though they all held their own beliefs and traditions, many entirely unique from all the others, they stood silently hoping for the safety of themselves and others, for the success of their fight, and for the enlightenment of their enemies. Sabrina lowered her head and did the same. She hadn’t been to church since her parents’ abduction and wondered if anyone would still listen to her in heaven, but she closed her eyes and whispered her hopes anyway.
That night, the troops put on whatever armor they possessed, picked up their shields and weapons, and filed through the massive gates of the fort. Sabrina and her family stood by, waving to everyone and wishing them the best of luck. So many familiar faces passed by with no guarantee they would ever return. Pinocchio watched as his father marched to war. Geppetto’s uniform was too big and he was having a difficult time with his bow and quiver, but he continued onward.
“Watch my boy, Relda,” he said.
Granny nodded. “Just until you get back, Geppetto.”
“Farewell, Papa!” Pinocchio said.
Uncle Jake, dressed in his long jacket, trailed behind. When Granny spotted him with the other soldiers she cried and begged him not to go.
“I have to, Mom,” Uncle Jake said.
“This is not your fight, Jake,” Henry said, joining the argument.
Uncle Jake turned and pointed at Briar’s grave. “It is now.”
A moment later he and the troops were gone. Together, the family pushed the heavy doors closed and locked them the way the guards had shown them. Sabrina could still hear heavy boots marching and fading away.
“They’re not ready,” Sabrina whispered to her grandmother.
The old woman nodded sadly. “No one is ever ready for war.”
The waiting was excruciating. Sabrina couldn’t sit still and walked about the fort aimlessly. She stopped by the new clinic and waved to Nurse Sprat, who was busy eating a pulled-pork sandwich. Nurse Sprat was a nervous eater, and considering her already rotund shape, Sabrina was sure a legendary binge was going to take place that night.
Hours passed, and the family huddled together in the mess tent. They said nothing to one another but their worried eyes spoke loud and clear. Even Elvis was fidgety as he chomped at a fly that kept resting on his nose.
After some time, Pinocchio approached, and his smiling face seemed to dissolve some of the tension. He carried a burlap sack slung over his back and seemed excited by its contents. Sabrina wondered how he could be so positive with his father off to war.
“I come bearing gifts,” the little boy said, setting his sack on a table and untying the string that held it tight. “They’re not much but I hope you enjoy them.”
He took out a marionette and handed it to Sabrina. She peered at it closely and smiled when she realized it looked just like her. The figure had blond hair and blue eyes and even had her little dimple on its right cheek. She marveled at its intricacies all the way down to the dingy sneakers and her favorite blue shirt. The limbs clanked in her hands as the strings went this way and that.
“What are these for?” Daphne said, when Pinocchio handed her one that looked just like her.
“You have all been such wonderful friends to my dear father,” the boy said. “I wanted to find some small token of thanks. I do say they manage to capture some of your qualities.”
Granny Relda smiled as she looked down at her marionette, which wore a bright pink dress with a matching bonnet—complete with a sunflower painted in its center. “I love it,” she replied.
Pinocchio was elated and smiled his big toothy grin. He reached into his sack and removed marionettes for Henry and Veronica. Puck’s featured his filthy green hoodie.
There was even one for Elvis.
“It’s nearly as good looking as I am,” Puck said, admiring his gift.
“Pinocchio, these are truly remarkable,” Granny said.
“You must have worked so hard,” Veronica added.
“One can be quite industrious when one has the right inspiration,” the boy said.
“I don’t know what to say,” Henry said. He moved the strings and his marionette did a funny little dance.
“If I knew we were giving presents I would have gotten you something,” Sabrina said, slightly embarrassed.
“Well, there is something you could do to return the favor,” the boy said.
“Name it,” Daphne said.