“Every kid on this island is going to turn into a donkey,” Daphne explained, pointing to the beasts that had pulled them in the coach. “The driver will sell them all to farms, where they will be worked to death.”
“She’s right,” said a boy who, unlike the others from the wagon, had stayed behind when the rest rushed into the town. “Pinocchio gets sent to a circus to be trained as a dancing donkey. I end up on a farm where I die.”
“How do you know?” the Cheshire Cat purred.
“I’m Lampwick, his best friend.” The boy started to run off to join the other children.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Sabrina said. “If you know you’re going to die, why not turn around and go home?”
The boy shook his head. “The Editor would not approve.”
“Then join our army,” Arthur said. “We’re traveling through the stories. Soon we’ll find a door to the real world and we’ll escape for good. You could be free.”
Lampwick smiled and shook his head. “And then what? I have a role here. I’m important to Pinocchio’s development. When he witnesses my death as a broken-down farm animal, it has a profound effect on him. Without me, his efforts to become a good boy might never occur. Even though I have a small part in his life, I’m essential to its direction.”
“You’re a fool!” the dodo said.
“I’m part of his growth as a character,” the boy said. “It is my tragic end that makes him a better person. In any good story the hero must experience tragedy to grow and ultimately defeat what is destroying him. I know the story isn’t called ‘Lampwick,’ but I’m arguably the most important character in it.”
And with that, the boy disappeared into the throng of kids.
“I’ve heard enough of his nonsense,” the White Rabbit said. “Come on, now. Let’s find your Pinocchio and get out of here.”
The three groups walked in different directions, and with each step Sabrina felt more and more overcome with grief and panic. The claustrophobia came back to her tenfold and she fell to her knees, sobbing.
“Sabrina!” Daphne said, trying to help her up.
“What did I do, Daphne? I gave him back to Mirror!”
“I told you to! We had no choice,” Daphne said.
Sabrina ignored her. “How could I do that?”
“He was going to let people die,” Daphne said.
“What if we don’t get him back?”
There was silence for a long time.
“We will get him back,” Puck said. “I will make sure of it.”
Sabrina looked up into his face, fully prepared to insult the boy, but instead she saw a determination in Puck that seemed genuine. Every hint of sarcasm was gone. Even the playful gleam in his eyes had been snuffed out. “You sacrificed him for us all, including me. I will repay that debt. No harm will come to your brother. The Trickster King makes this vow.”
“You’re not alone here, Sabrina,” Daphne added. “We’re here. We’re a team. And we all would have done the same thing. You heard the Editor. Mirror’s story is off-limits. He can’t get into it, so whatever he has planned for Carmine can’t be done anyway.”
“Carmine?” Puck said.
Daphne rolled her eyes. “Fine, Baby X is his name! Are you two happy?”
Sabrina couldn’t help but laugh. “Baby X is worse than Carmine.”
Daphne laughed, as did Puck. It was nice to see smiles again, and Sabrina started to think things might be all right.
“All right, enough of the boo-boo faces,” Puck said. “Let’s get back to work. There will be plenty of time for personal disappointments when we get married.”
“It sounds charming,” Sabrina said. “But that’s also why I would never marry you no matter what!”
“Sorry,” Puck chuckled. “Fate has us forever intertwined.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Daphne, you said you’ve read this story. Fill us in on what we’re missing.”
“I know that eventually Pinocchio turns into a donkey. Then he gets sold to the circus. Then his owner tries to drown him in the ocean—”
“That’s nice!” Sabrina interjected. “What kind of children’s story is this?”
“Then a fisherman catches him, I think. He might live with the Blue Fairy for a while, then he gets eaten by a shark. There are lots of twists and turns.”
Daphne was still trying to figure out the order of the events when the puppy dog leaped out in front of them. “We found him! C’mon!”
The children chased after the giant dog as he weaved through the senseless maze of Toyland’s streets. They faced one obstacle after another. On one street they had to duck back and find another path as they almost ran into a group of children playing a game to see who could shatter the biggest window in a large church. The stained-glass shards came down like razor-sharp rainbows and there was no way to pass safely.