Peter, Pinocchio and the Scorpion

Chapter 1 - A Scorpion Mystery:

Late Night, Pleasure Island Collodi, Off the Coast of Tuscany, Italy 1882.

The man by the Roller Coaster was dark and shadow like in the night much like the former Pleasure Island Minions during the time the Red Star held sway on the Island. However he was a man in of the Collodi timeline and not just a simple solidified shadow from another world like a Minion. He was laying something on the ground and as he did he spoke to it.

"You will one day kill somebody here and that will end Geppetto's reign of goodie goodieness here once and for all. Then my own master can free the Coachman and the Ringmaster and we can re assume our most profitable endeavors."

The man waved his hands over the object in the specific arcane way that was designed to trigger it. It was one of the Ringmaster's scorpion sting hats and is it started growing into a full scorpion the man ran off before the process was complete and it became deadly to him as well. The full scorpion was six feet long in the body with another six feet in the stinger /telson bearing tail for twelve feet altogether in length. Its main pincers and eight legs made it appear even bigger. However continuing its usual instincts to want to hide until prey got within range of it the scorpion crawled into the framing holding up the Roller Coaster track.

Once the man was what he felt was a safe distance away he went to a normal walk and exited the great oak doors which were always kept open under Geppetto's administration of Pleasure Island. On the other side a large rowing ship was docked. This ancient kind of ship had the advantage of silence about it and allowed this man to approach Pleasure Island without alerting people sleeping there with engine noise of any kind.

The man went down below both its main deck and the central section where the slaves manned its oars to the main section of the ship. This was decked out in ancient luxury and dominated by a throne. On this throne sat a figure petting a cat reminiscent of the Coachman when he controlled SPECTRE in the James Bond World. However this figure was totally cloaked in white and much smaller than either the Coachman or the Ringmaster and the cloaked person's cat was a black rather than white Persian cat.

"It has been set." The man said. "It is a matter of hours or a day at the most before someone gets killed and eaten at the Roller Coaster and when that happens Geppetto loses his licenses to run a children's facility in Collodi and you can step in."

"Good," the cloaked figure with the cat returned. "Tell the slave master to have this ship rowed to our secret port on the Tuscany mainland until wew get the news that Geppetto has lost his licenses.

Morning, Pleasure Island Collodi, Off the Coast of Tuscany, Italy 1882.

Mrs. Pietta was very honored that Geppetto chose her to teach the students of his Version of the Pleasure Island facility. She also knew however that three of her students Pinocchio, Lampwick and the newest one Peter were opposed to most students very appreciative of her services. Hacing gone through the experiences of being donkeys, puppets and the like in the case of Pinocchio and Lampwick and losing a guardian and loving relative to a dictator in the case of Peter all three took School and the Junior Woodchucks very seriously. In fact all three of them were In Junior Woodchuck uniform as they were having a meeting on the other side of the barrel ride when school let out. Mrs. Pietta also knew that these three would often have to be let out of school early to fulfill missions for the Administration of Pleasure Island or for the Blue Fairy that granted them their various wishes and often expected them to perform missions for her as a continued testing of their bravery, truthfulness and unselfishness, the conditions of having those wishes granted.

Peter was standing in front of the class with Mrs. Pietta to be introduced to the class as a new student.

"I would like to introduce you to our latest student, Peter Prokofiev Geppetto." Mrs Pietta said to the class. "He comes from Russia during a dark period of its future history and lost his grandfather to the dictator there. The blue Fairy brought him to Tombstone Arizona to assist Pinocchio and Romeo on one of their missions for the Blue Fairy and as a reward he was made a member of Geppetto's family. Now Peter you can take your seat and we will continue with our lesson on the history of the Italian Reunification War.

Just as the lesson was beginning a man in the sky blue and white uniforms that Geppetto's adult administrators of the Island wore ran into the schoolroom. "EVACUATE! EVACUATE!" He shouted.

"What's going on?" Mrs. Pietta asked.

"There is a monster in the Roller Coaster area!" The uniformed man returned. "Some kind of giant scorpion. This school adjoins the Roller Coaster area and is also in danger from the monster."

"Those again." Pinocchio whispered to Lampwick and Peter. "Doesn't that Ringmaster and Coachman EVER give up, even from the calaboose."

"I doubt that this one came from the Ringmaster or the Coachman." Lampwick said. "It is probably just one of their more vengeful Scorpion guards who kept his hat and the magical hand signals to grow it into a full scorpion monster."

"Well, let's just hope that's all it is." Pinocchio returned.

"The evacuation will now proceed in an orderly fashion with Pinocchio, Romeo and Peter returning to the Administration building and the other students going to the regular child boarding area." The uniformed man said. He himself would be the evacuation escort for Geppetto's adopted suns while the other children would be taken to their boarding area by other Island administrators which basically functioned as Fire, Police and Emergency Management officers for the Island.

"Once at the Administration building Geppetto met the administrator and the his sons at the door. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why is the school being evacuated so early."

"A scorpion monster has been sighted at the Roller Coaster area." the administrator returned. "The school is being evacuated for safety reasons because it adjoins that area."

"I thought we were through those things when the Ringmaster received his prison sentence for turning boys into donkeys for the purpose of enslavement.

"Well apparently not." the administrator returned. "There is a twelve footer counting the tail and sting hiding out under the roller coaster frame somewhere."

"We think that this one is simple the result of one of the Ringmaster's Scorpion guards who had a sting hat left over and knew how to activate it."

"Well that's highly doubtful." Geppetto returned. "All of the sting hats were accounted for and killed when the Ringmasters reign over this island was ended. No we seem to have a yet a third major troublemaker in our midst who wants to return the Pleasure Islands to their old business."

Peter broke into the conversation. "Twelve feet would be about six feet for the main body of the creature wouldn't it, you know the part with the legs, eyes and pincer claws."

"Yes," Geppetto told Peter. "What are you getting at?"

"That's about a WOLF'S size." Peter said. "The way I captured the wolf back in Soviet Russia might be applicable here as well. Only in this case we will have to secure the pincers, tail and sting to disable this creature's most dangerous parts."

"And how can this be done?" Geppetto asked.

"From one of the Roller Coaster hills using ropes and a securing bar." Peter returned. "Basically what is to be done is to capture the scorpion on the ground and haul him up to the securing bar so that he cant use his sting, pincers or chelicerae against the capturers."

"And you have done this before with a wolf in your old homeland?" Geppetto asked.

"Certainly," Peter said. "My story is almost as famous as Pinocchio's in the future of many timelines."

"Then it looks like you three boys are elected again." Geppetto said. "Well, at least this little adventure is at home and not on some far off timeline." What do you need for this capture attempt Peter."

"We will nee three ropes, a wooden beam at least twenty feet long and Sasha, Sonya and Ivan."

"Good," Geppetto said. "We'll have your pets and the equipment you asked for at the Roller Coaster gate by the time you get there, Administrator, see to it?"

"What about the other pets." Pinocchio asked.

"Won't work." Peter returned. "Cleo is a water animal and we are going after a land predator and as far as cats go Ivan is older and more experienced at exactly what we are going to do here than Figgero. We need animal helpers that can get that scorpion's attention from the air where they will be relatively safe and have experience working with such predators on the ground."

"What about Jimminy." Pinocchio asked.

"Not this time." Peter answered. "Scorpions and crickets mix like oil and water to the extent that Jimminy might have a heart attack just smelling that brute. Scorpions are basically a cricket predator in their normal size you know. There is a place for Jimminy in this adventure just not here and now."

"What do you mean?" Pinocchio asked.

"The scorpion is only a symptom of a bigger disease." Peter answered. "Someone from the old regime of Pleasure Island or perhaps even a complete outsider who knows what went on here wants Geppetto to be kicked out of here so that he or she can return this place to being a boy to donkey factory. We'll bring Jimminy in when it comes time to salve that part of the puzzle dealing with who that person is. Meanwhile as far as pets go Sasha, Sonya and Ivan are the only animals I trust with that scorpion because they have done this type of capture before with the wolf.

As soon as all of Pinocchio's questions were answered the three boys went off to the Roller Coaster area.

Next. The scorpion's capture and the mystery of the new donkey to boy factory threat begins.

Note. The name Prokofiev used as Peter's middle name here is the last name of the composer of the Peter and the Wolf suite.