A Good Kind of Secret/"Satisfaction (And a *VERY Happy* Birthday) Guaranteed!"
"-Pinocchio?? 'Figlio mio', what is it? Are you alright?"
Aforementioned tiny boy blinked himself out of his sweet daydream that featured a certain dapper yet genuinely charming quasi-cricket and shook his head as he once more focused on his father Geppetto, who was looking at his little-little one in concern and near-worry from across the breakfast table; Figaro, too, as he lapped his morning bowl of milk. "-Yes, I'm alright, Father; honest! Why do you ask?"
"...You're just so quiet this morning, 'mimmo'. *Happy*, which I'm more than glad for -ESPECIALLY after yesterday and last night!-, but more silent than your usual; and that kind of worries me."
Pinocchio apprehensively ran his teeth over his bottom lip while alternately clutching at and rubbing one of his thin arms. He very much wanted to let his beloved Father know just why he was now so filled with joy when yesterday and last night he'd been rather frightened, hurt (physically and emotionally), and upset/sad ...yet at the same time, he didn't. Not out of possible disapproval via Geppetto, but because he still wanted to keep the news of his very first best friend outside of family close to his heart for a good long while yet...
Geppetto's warm brown eyes keenly observed his sweet child's nervous indecisiveness from behind his spectacles, and he knew that it would be for the best NOT to push it even though he was extremely curious. For now, it was best to leave it be until Pinocchio felt that he was ready to express the identity of his newfound happiness- be it taking days, weeks, months, or even *years* for him to do so...
So he just smiled down kindly at his little woodenhead as he gave him a very valuable piece of advice. "Pinocchio, my son, there are two kinds of secrets: bad ones and good ones. A bad kind of secret will cause you to feel sick, heavy-hearted, sad, frightened, or even angry; a *GOOD kind* of secret leaves you feeling like how you look right now: happy, light on your feet, and at peace with yourself.
"A bad secret it's best to tell someone whom you absolutely and utterly trust right away if possible; something might cause you to have to wait. But a *GOOD secret*- you can either go on right ahead and tell that same trusted one about, or keep it to yourself for as long you'd like until you're ready unless it turns into a bad secret (which it does, sometimes). -And yes, there ARE some kinds of secrets that are a blend of the two."
Pinocchio swallowed nervously as he assured Geppetto while entreatingly looking up at him with those big bright blue eyes, "It's- It's a *GOOD secret*, Father; I promise! And I- I *just KNOW* that it'll *NEVER* turn bad...!"
The toymaker inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting his precious boy to be physically or emotionally wounded again any time soon; last night and yesterday had been *QUITE bad* ENOUGH, thankyouverymuch! "-Then keep it as near, dear, and close to your heart for as long you wish, little woodenhead. Whenever you feel like you're ready to tell me about what's making you so happy, then I'll be waiting here as always to listen."
Pinocchio's eyes sparkled like stars in his sweet doll-like face from under his bangs as he smiled joyfully back at his father, his heart and soul overflowing with elation at Geppetto's easy-enough understanding and willingness to patiently wait until he divulged the reason for his felicity. "Th-Thank you, Father. ...I love you."
Geppetto's index finger gently stroked at his dark-haired head. "I love you too, 'stellino'; and you are more than welcome..."
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For the next couple of years, life for Pinocchio followed a relatively simple pattern: when not studying his borrowed schoolbooks or occasionally being tested by Signorina Constantina when she visited Geppetto's home and workshop, during the day and evenings, he spent time with his father and Figaro helping out with chores/Geppetto's work to the best of his ability, playing, and reading together. But during a small amount of the nighttime, most and many of his hours belonged to Jiminy Cricket, his best and first real friend; they would talk softly, laugh over jokes being told and funny memories being shared, sometimes read or sing together... even just sitting quietly next each other while looking up at the stars was something wonderful to cherish. Over time, sometimes Jiminy even slept over- though he would always leave in the morning before Geppetto woke up.
Jiminy couldn't visit *EVERY night*, of course, but Pinocchio didn't mind; after all, they DID have separate lives outside of each other! Even though Pinocchio continued to stay quiet about the reason for his newfound happiness to his father, his 'conscience' never once had even the beginnings of feeling like a dirty little secret- 'Pinoke' DID possess the right to one's personal privacy, just like anybody else. Until the younger male was ready to tell Mr. Geppetto about him, Jiminy was just very happy to have made a friend himself- what did an age difference matter?? A teen he might be, but the quasi-cricket with fairy wings never once felt annoyed with/by the boy seven years younger than he, he was so non-cloyingly sweet, brightly clever, adorably funny at times, and genuinely kind...!
Deep down, however, Pinocchio wished to one day make some more friends... -Then, on the afternoon of his tenth birthday, that wish came true not only for himself, but for others as well.
On this particular day, a village fair was being held in the 'piazza'. There was singing, dancing, games, delicious food and drink displaying some of Italy's finest, stalls selling both souvineirs and prizes, and ones displaying and selling pottery, glassworks, jewelry, soft goods, and even Geppetto's own beautiful wooden treasures! Adults, teens, and children alike were hustling and bustling about as they chattered and laughed. It was all *so AMAZING*...!!
Right now, Pinocchio was watching all of this as he nibbled a piece of funnel cake; Geppetto had carried him around and shown him the sights earlier, and now they were both taking a rest. He couldn't really participate in a lot of the games, but he still had fun watching others do so, cheering when they won and laughing alongside them at mishaps- Father as well, amongst them! He also enjoyed taking in the wondrous sights of the wares being sold; oh, they were all so beautiful-!
Just then, the hustle and bustle became louder yet hushed as people whispered to each other in excitement, bewilderment, wonder, and disbelief at the sight of a strange striking-looking machine before which a tall bespectacled gray-haired man both richly and oddly clad stood with a young boy by his side who was almost his double from hair-length to clothing save for not possessing a mustache and having dark brown hair rather than gray- the man grinning wildly while the boy seemed to beam with pride. "What's going on, Father??" Pinocchio wondered.
"...I'm not really sure, 'mimmo'," murmured Geppetto with a scratch of his head and furrow of his brow. "-Let's go see and find out, shall we?" And so saying, he gently took Pinocchio into the palms of his hands and headed over to the taller thinner gray-haired man and his intriguing contraption.
Thankfully, he was not at all irritated by Geppetto's' 'interruption'; on the contrary, he seemed rather pleased and held out his arms wide open in welcome as his light blue eyes twinkled in his handsome lean face. "Why, 'ciao' (hello) and 'buon pomeriggio' (good afternoon) to you, good sir! -*Ah*!! But you are Signor Geppetto, who creates such beautiful, wonderful toys for the 'bambinos' and 'bambinas' as well as cuckoo clocks and music-boxes! I am Professor Buonragazzo, and this is my son 'Minore' (Junior); so *VERY good* to meet you, 'signore'!"
Geppetto was a little taken aback by the amount of enthusiasm, but not in a bad way; he was simply overwhelmed. This Professor Buonragazzo seemed to be quite the friendly fellow- thankfully, he felt such was genuine and not the least bit fake. So the toymaker smiled warmly back and gave the other man a genial nod (he would have shaken his hand if not for Pinocchio) as he replied, "-'Buon pomeriggio' to you, 'Professore' Buonragazzo; it's nice to meet you, too."
Buonraggazo nodded back- then jumped about a foot into the air and gasped upon seeing why Geppetto had not shaken his hand. "*Mamma Mia*!!" he cried in astonishment. "By the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Signor Geppetto, you have a *LITTLE-little* boy; one that *I* *did NOT* create for you...!! Minore -'figlio mio', see here! The toymaker good Geppetto has a boy of his own!"
Geppetto did not register just then Buonragazzo's comment on creating children, instead focusing on his startlement and surprise upon first seeing his own child- and how very tiny in size he was. "'Si, Professore', I do now have a child of my own. This is my little woodenhead Pinocchio...! Come on now, son- say 'Hello' to Professor Buonragazzo and his own boy Minore."
Remembering sharply the last time he'd been amongst kids his own age, Pinocchio swallowed nervously and trembled a bit as he gave the likely-newcomers a shaky smile and wave. "H-Hello, Sig- Signor Buonragazzo- hel-hello, Signorino M-Minore; it's- it's n-nice to meet you."
Seeing how so very nervous ('Madre Maria', *SCARED even*, the 'povere' sweet boy-!) he was -probably as a result of being bullied and laughed at by other children due to his size-, Buonragazzo dialed down his euphoria by several notches and smiled gently at Signor Geppetto's tiny beautiful little boy being cradled in the woodcarver's palms. "Hello, little Pinocchio; it is so very wonderful to meet not only your creative talented father, but yourself as well. Such a sweet boy you are- and so handsome! Your papa must be *VERY proud* of you, his 'little woodenhead'..."
"Hi, Pinocchio; it's a *GREAT pleasure* to meet you, like Papa said!" exclaimed Minore joyfully as he waved excitedly at the much-smaller boy his age. "Other mean kids might have bullied and made fun of you, but Papa taught me MUCH *better* than that, so you don't have to be afraid of me, 'piccolo amico'! I don't really have a lot of friends myself even though my father says I'm a nice boy because I'm supposedly smarter than a lot of boys and girls and like to read a lot; I've not been bullied, really- just laughed at and teased occasionally, but being made fun of and excluded is being made fun of and excluded! So I kind of know what it's like to have either no friends or not a lot of them; but WE can be friends, if you want to...!"
"Now, now, 'mio ragazzo'- let's let Little 'Occhi Luminosi' catch his breath!" Buonragazzo chortled in both a kind and slightly scolding manner. His son wasn't usually this exuberant unless he was extolling the virtues of the man's many interesting machines alongside him; it was endearing and heartening to see, though.
Pinocchio blushed from Professor Buonragazzo's praise of him and started in surprise at Minore's non-taunting exuberance; at his saying that he truly wanted him and Pinocchio to be friends...
"...I'm sorry; you MAKE *children*???!" Geppetto cried in surprise once the other part of Buonragazzo's statement caught up to him.
Seeing that Pinocchio needed time and space to breathe, the Professore nodded eagerly at Geppetto and gave his machine a fond pat. 'Si'- 'si', Signor Geppetto; I do, indeed! You see, there are some unfortunate loving couples or single people who very much want 'bambinos' and 'bambinas' of their own, but are not able to either the usual way or through adoption. This makes me very sad, as I love my own little boy more than anything; so what do I do??
"Why, one day, I invent an wondrous marvelous machine that creates children to the parents' *EXACT specifications*: SATISFACTION *guaranteed*! The child is not perfect, no; *NOBODY* is save for 'Dio' himself- though they are mainly generally well-mannered, I will say. But they possess still their own personalities, thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams; and right now, this to you and the others I will demonstrate!" he announced with a flourish of his purple cape. "Are there any 'volunteers'??"
With a happy cry and joyful tears glistening in their eyes, a young-ish married couple named Maria and Bernardo rushed forward holding hands.
"Wonderful; WONDERFUL!" exclaimed Buonragazzo. "So you wish for a child, 'Signore et Signora'?"
"Two, actually, if possible, please," replied Maria.
"But *of COURSE*- of course, 'amicos'! Two children I can do, and it shall be! We just need some final inputs. -Boy or girl?"
"Oh- two little girls, 'per favore'!"
"How so very sweet! Hair colors?"
"Well... we were thinking- blonde."
"'Molto bella'! And the eyes??"
"Brown and blue."
"'Bellisima'!! *TWO classic combinations*- ooh, I do not get to do those often! What fun! The final input- personalities?"
"-Perky!"
With that, Minore flipped a few switches on the machine upon being instructed by his papa, whom proclaimed before disappearing behind a curtain, "TWO beautiful little blonde brown AND *BLUE-eyed* perky girls coming right up!"
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Bells- whistles- a creaking of bellows... And then with a final 'FWOOSH', out through what looked like a play tunnel tumbled down two pretty little blonde girls about aged ten- one brown-eyed with her thinner-looking hair in pigtail braids tied at the end with ribbons, dressed in checkered pink and white with black boots on her feet, and the other with big blue eyes and thicker loose locks partially covered by a purple headscarf that matched her plain purple dress, around the waist of which she wore a pink apron, black slippers placed upon her own stocking feet. They somersaulted once more and nimbly leapt to their feet before an overjoyed Maria and Bernardo.
"Hello, Mother- hello, Father! It's a pleasure to be here, and to be with you!" they chirruped in unison.
"*Our girls*!" Bernardo sniffled happily as he and a softly-crying Maria gathered them both into their arms; everyone watching sighing "*Aw*...!!"
"Mother, Father- what are our names, please?" the blue-eyed blonde girl wanted to know.
Bernardo gently kissed the top of her head. "You, 'mi stellina', are Twinkle."
"And you, 'angeletta', shall be Renata," said Maria to 'Twinkle's' twin as she pressed her lips to her soft cheek.
"-We like them!" the girls decided with a nod. They looked around their brand-new surroundings as Professor Buonragazzo performed another miracle for someone who wanted to be a parent- a dark-skinned man with a kind smile named 'Lazardo' who was both a very good friend of Geppetto's and a toymaker like him despite the men in his family for generations being magicians. He himself requested a calm yet fun-loving boy with dark hair and dark eyes; *hey, PRESTO*!! 'Satisfaction guaranteed'- his wish was granted, and young 'Eugene' was 'born'.
Everyone was in awe and wonder at Professor Buonragazzo's marvelous invention, and at (what they considered to be) the near-perfect girls and boy curiously looking around them before greeting each other and seeming to become fast friends.
-Just then, however, large shining chocolate, cyanic, and near-to-black optic orbs landed upon a certain tiny little boy standing in his father's hands. But unlike their cruel 'peers', Renata, Twinkle, and Eugene all smiled widely and waved at him. "'Ciao, topolino' (Hello, little mouse)! What's your name??" Twinkle called over to the cute small child who seemed about their own age of ten.
...*They weren't laughing at him*. They WEREN'T going to hurt or tease him- only playfully so, on the latter! They wanted to meet him- get to know him ...*be his FRIEND*!! *BEST* birthday present EVER next to his Father-!!! Joyful *HAPPY tears* glistened in Pinocchio's own big blue eyes as he elatedly waved back while beaming like the sun. "H-Hello, 'Signorinas' Twinkle and Renata, and 'Signorino' Eugene! My name is 'Pinocchio'...!"
Being the sweet-hearted boy he was and not wanting Minore to feel left out, he then waved over in the bespectacled boy's direction while telling his other new friends, "-And that's 'Minore', son of Professor Buonragazzo."
"'Ciao', Minore and Professor Buonragazzo!" Twinkle, Renata, and Eugene chanted to the page-boyed males standing by the machine that had helped grant their respective parents' wish for a child of their own.
"'Ciao, amicos'!" Minore smiled back with a wave.
Geppetto and Buonragazzo could not beam with pride more. "*Aw*-!!! What did I say?! Such a sweet and kind boy- the very pride and joy of his papa...!"