A clear blue sky and blazing sun hung over the marketplace, making all of the colorful fabrics glow. Pinocchio moved his wooden joints, despite the creaking and odd discomfort from the heat. The hot air was filled with the scent of spices, fresh foods and the chatter of passersby. 


Wanting the rumors to die out, he hid Pinocchio’s identity as quickly as possible and guided him through shadowy alley’s instead. After climbing a few stairs and entering a few doors full of abandoned rooms, they finally made it to the top of the building where they saw the iconic stock characters such as the harlequin and the pedrolino performing a skit to a group of people in the middle of the marketplace.


The guardsman was prepared for this moment and pulled out a small music box with a dark wooden shell. He gently pried it open and placed it over Pinocchio’s ears so that the wooden boy could hear the performance as if he was right next to it. 


A surreal feeling bled from the gesticulations of the two, as if a painting could orate. The way the sunlight hit the harlequin, emphasizing his self confidence and gloating nature and the way the pedrolino’s movements flowed in a way that made the shadows color his sad demeanor even more that the make-up on his face ever could. The strength and intonation in each of their voices as they delivered their lines drowned out the chatter that surrounded them, silencing the world to make them shine as brightly as possible at that very moment. Even though it was merely slapstick comedy, the detail of every facet of the performance made it impossible not to enjoy watching. When the harlequin wound up the music box that the pedrolino was strictly protesting against doing, they both began to float and swam in the air through the sea of stardust the melody of the music box produced. While the audience laughed as they clumsily floated in the air, the harlequin couldn’t help but get lost in the turquoise eyes of the puppet he saw next to the guardsman he knew all too well. In that sliver of time, their fates were bound to one another. 


Audible waves of clapping and cheering surrounded the two performers as they ended every skit until a burst of appraisal erupted at the very end as the two bowed in still in character. 


No matter how much Pinocchio wanted to explore and wander the streets, the guardsman strictly was against it and closely guided the wooden boy to the clandestine lair that controlled the city from the shadows. The entrance alone was nigh impossible to fathom. A specific music box was meant to be placed in the square shaped gap of a stone pillar and had to be wound up. While the song played, the one that turned it had to say a specific order of words for that person to finally enter the lair. The guardsman held Pinocchio’s hand as he mumbled a few words and the space around them warped into a kaleidoscope of everythingness until it formed into dreamlike surroundings. An immovable sun peaked across the horizon to color the clouds a soft shade of violet and orange with creamy yellow tones. The two walked a checkered path and walked into the mouth of a castle with the grandeur of a cathedral that was as great as the owners’ vanity. Grinding rusty cogs that echoed the guardsman’s frustrations filled the spacious halls and colorful rooms. They eventually made their way to the room of the puppetmaster, Mangiafuoco, who stared out the window to look at fragments of the waking world. The shrill sound of the cracking of the guardsman’s spine bounced through the kingly room as he straightened his posture in the presence of his boss.


“Oh? What do we have here? A puppet without strings? You were right; he is quite the oddity!” 


The rattling of his golden chains mixed in with his hearty belly laugh that filled the whole room. The large man caked in golden jewelry and precious stones knelt on one knee and held the wooden boy tightly, inspecting him with burning eyes.


“Yes, yes, You’d make the perfect actor! It is as if you were made in the image of something even greater than God. Your presence on stage will move the masses in ways they’ve never been moved before. I see radiant potential hidden in you!” 


Without giving Pinocchio a say in the matter or a chance to mentally digest, he immediately gets placed in the sector of performing arts where he lays eyes on the harlequin once again. The acrobatic man flipped and spun in the air like a feather caught in the wind. When he landed on his hands, he saw the wooden boys’ turquoise eyes again whilst upside down, creating another vacuum in time.


The guardsman gave a brief summary and explanation of Pinocchio’s presence and new role before taking his leave. The harlequin was too busy wiping the sweat from his head to get most of what the guardsman was saying, but it didn’t bother him in the slightest. He was just overjoyed that things were finally going his way. 


“Pleased to meet you. My name is Adone, but some call me Mino. Feel free to call me whatever you prefer.” The harlequin said with a bright smile and more sincerity than he has ever shown in the plays he performed.


The wooden boy's eyes lit up with excitement and he began his journey as an actor in plenty of plays. Many of the plays with Pinocchio had scenes that emphasized his innocent nature and created a slew of funny hijinx that stemmed from that trait. The crowds became larger and the laughs grew louder by the show. An exorbitant amount of money filled the pockets of Mangiafuoco, occupying his attention while the harlequin continued with his plan. It wasn’t difficult to gain the trust of the young and innocent Pinocchio, who grew attached to him before he even knew his name.