“Let’s just try to grab him without smashing furniture over his head,” Sabrina said.
Several horns played a happy tune and the audience applauded. The Ringmaster came out dressed in a long black jacket, white pants, and knee-high black boots. He bowed deeply. In the blazing theater lights he looked bewildered, almost frightened. He reminded Sabrina of Mikey Beiterman, a budding actor in her second-grade class. During her school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, he had forgotten what he was supposed to say. A teacher had attempted to whisper the line to him, but he was so embarrassed he burst into tears and ran backstage, refusing to return for the rest of the play. Unfortunately, Mikey was playing the part of the man-eating plant and was crucial to the next two acts. The Ringmaster had the same lost expression on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid the act advertised tonight featuring Pinocchio the dancing donkey has been canceled. Instead, I offer you the amazing Russian Stallion Brigade.”
Several white stallions trotted onstage led by two beautiful identical twins. They marched the stallions to one end of the stage, then the other.
The audience murmured until a little boy stood up and cried, “That’s not how the story goes. Bring out Pinocchio!”
The audience cheered their approval.
“I can’t,” the Ringmaster said. “Pinocchio is changing the story. He has not become a donkey. He threatened me.”
“Where is he?” Sabrina said, jumping to her feet.
“There!” the man said, pointing at a seat in the upper deck. Sabrina craned her neck to see a woman with bright blue hair being led out of her seat by a young boy. The boy had a magic wand in his hand that glowed like fire.
The crowd cried out in surprise.
“He’s got the Blue Fairy!” Sabrina shouted to her friends and they all rushed out of the tent and into the street. There they found Pinocchio glowering at the Blue Fairy.
“Stay out of this,” Pinocchio said as the group approached.
“We’re not going to let you do this, puppet boy,” Daphne said.
“I wasn’t a puppet! I was a marionette!”
“Pinocchio! What on earth has gotten into you? I’m like your mother in this story,” the Blue Fairy said.
“My mother? I suffered greatly and you didn’t lift a finger to help. I was turned into a donkey. I spent a week in the belly of a shark! Two murderers tried to hang me from a tree outside your house. A man tried to drown me. What did you do, O mother dear? Nothing. You’re the most powerful Everafter of them all and you did nothing!”
“I understand your anger,” the fairy said, “but it is misdirected. I am a storybook portrait of the Blue Fairy. The real Blue Fairy is somewhere in the real world. Whatever your intentions are with me they will not satisfy your need for revenge. I have no idea why my real-life counterpart chose to behave the way she did. But there must be a reason. Perhaps you should go to her for answers.”
“No! She will feed me the same mumbo jumbo she always has and will continue to deny me. The Book of Everafter is my only hope. Its power is at my disposal, as are you!” Pinocchio said. “I want to be a man.”
Puck stepped forward and Pinocchio turned his wand on him. “You stay back, you filthy street urchin. I have suffered long enough. I will have my wish.”
Puck looked back at the group of people with him. “There’s a lot of us and only one of you.”
“I’ll shoot you with this. I swear,” he said, his hand trembling with nerves. “I went easy on you before, fairy.”
Sabrina and Daphne joined Puck. “He’s right. You could manage to get off one shot, maybe two, but you can’t hit us all.”
“You don’t know the fairy godmother wand that well. You’ve gotten lucky,” Daphne added.
Soon Arthur, the knights, and the Wonderland group were standing right behind the children.
“I warned you!” Pinocchio said, flicking the wand. A bolt of energy burst from it and hit Sir Galahad in the chest. There was a pop, a puff of smoke, and then Galahad turned into a turtle.
“I think I know this wand well enough.” Pinocchio looked smug.
“Get him!” Puck shouted, and the crowd rushed at Pinocchio. There were more explosions from the wand but soon someone snatched it out of the little boy’s hands and he was defenseless. He screamed, cursed, and threatened, but when the dust settled he was on the ground with his hands behind his back. Sabrina had never seen anyone so angry in her life.
“How dare you!” he shouted. “I have a right to live like a normal person. I have a right to grow up!”
Sabrina stood over him as Daphne sat on his back. “I might have thought the same thing, once. But you betrayed us. You were our friend and you sold us out to Mirror. Don’t tell me what you are owed. Whatever the Editor chooses to do with you is exactly what you deserve. Hey, Editor! We’ve got him!”
Just then, a door materialized from thin air and it swung open. Standing in a brilliant light was the Editor.