Week 19: Rancor

[rayaso]

THE BLUE FAIRY

Pinocchio sat crammed in an airplane seat waiting for it to crash, and they hadn’t even left the tarmac.  He was staring straight ahead, his hands gripping the arm rests, concentrating on his breathing.   Only a trip this important would get him anywhere near an airplane.

“You’d think a fairy with turquoise hair would be easy to find,” thought Pinocchio, “especially for me.”

But he needed the Blue Fairy's help.  She had turned the original Pinocchio into a boy long ago.  That boy had grown into a man, married, and had a real child of his own.  Now he was the eighth Pinocchio, and if he didn’t find her, the final one.

“If we’re ever going to have a child, she’s our only hope,” Pinocchio thought, as the plane started to move.

He began focusing on his anger, using it to push back against his fear, anger over the laws and prejudice that kept him and his husband, Greg, from adopting a child.  They didn’t have enough money for a surrogate, so the Blue Fairy was their last, desperate hope, and he had been searching for her for months.

She was on vacation from Disney, and they didn’t know where their characters went or what they did, as long as they didn’t violate the morals clause inserted in their contracts after Wendy had been caught dancing in a strip club.

The Blue Fairy was registered with the Fairies Union, but the contact information was long out of date.

Finally, Pinocchio had found an ad on the internet for MagiCon, one of RanCorp’s travelling shows.  The Blue Fairy was one of the featured attractions.

RanCorp. put on HeroCon, DamselCon, NoirCon, and a host of others, each catering to various fandoms.  RanCorp.’s offerings were definitely lower-tier, so now he was headed to Passaic, New Jersey for MagiCon.

The flight was uneventful, largely because Pinocchio had swallowed a tranquilizer with several shots of tequila at the airport bar, which kicked in shortly after takeoff.  After landing, he took a cab directly to MagiCon.

RanCorp. had promised a “first class fan experience with all your favorite magical beings, subject to substitutions.”  “First class” meant a run-down convention center in Passaic, surrounded by liquor stores, nail salons, and dead-end bars.  Pinocchio didn’t need a room, thankfully, because he was just there to see the Blue Fairy and wouldn’t be staying to enjoy the festivities.

“I better head for the Celebrity Room first,” thought Pinocchio after he bought his ticket.

Immediately to his right was the Wizard of Oz Experience, hosted by Oz’s great-grandson, complete with somewhat lifelike figurines of the Wizard, Dorothy, and the Wicked Witch.  A fan was taking selfies while “We’re Off to See the Wizard” played relentlessly in the background.  Plastic ruby slippers and stuffed flying monkeys were available at discount prices.

The Wizard did not know where the Blue Fairy could be found.

The witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel was next door, complete with cake walls, frosted gingerbread roof, candy, and other treats, all made of plastic.  Inside was a witch preparing to cook little boy and girl dolls wearing lederhosen.  She sometimes worked as Glenda the Good at the Oz display when it was slow.

Pinocchio finally spotted the Blue Fairy’s booth near the exit.  On the table were small Pinocchio puppets, a plastic Geppetto doll with real movable limbs, and a snow globe showing her turning Pinocchio into a real boy.  For five dollars, you could have your picture taken with the Blue Fairy.

Except this wasn’t the Blue Fairy.  It was a young woman in a fairy costume wearing a turquoise wig, waving a toy wand and scattering glitter.

“The ad said the Blue Fairy would be here,” said Pinocchio.

“Read the fine print,” said the faux-fairy in her authentic Jersey accent, “I’m a substitute.  Talk to the manager.  He’s at the bar next door -- you can’t miss him.”

Pinocchio left and headed for the Lost Dreams Bar, where everyone was ignoring the man dressed in a rabbit suit drinking whiskey.  He sat next to the rabbit.

“I need to find the Blue Fairy,” said Pinocchio.

“An’ I need a drink,” said the rabbit.

Pinocchio gestured to the bartender, who poured another whiskey.

“She’s next door at MagiCon,” said the rabbit, downing his drink.

“The real one,” said Pinocchio.

“Persuade me,” said the rabbit.

Pinocchio put $20 on the bar.

The rabbit grabbed the money and headed out the door, back to his room at MagiCon, where he rummaged through some employment forms.

“She’s out helpin’ someone,” said the rabbit.

“Did she leave a phone number?” he asked.

“She’s a fairy,” said the rabbit, “she ain’t got no phone.  All it says is ‘turn around three times and say her name with a pure heart.’ I tried it an’ it don’t work.  If you find her, tell her to get her wings back here or she’s fired.”

Pinocchio left, stuck between feeling hopeful and conned, but definitely without a pure heart.

“I’ve got to find some place where I can calm down,” he thought.

Not knowing where to go, he paid a cabbie to take him to the quietest park around and wound up at North Pulaski Park.  He walked around a bit, then found a secluded bench shaded by some trees and sat down.

After few minutes, he felt better.  He tried to empty his mind, which was harder than he thought.  He couldn’t stop thinking about pizza.

“That’s the best I can do,” Pinocchio thought, “so I’ll give it a try.”

He closed his eyes and spun around three times, each time saying “Blue Fairy.”

Nothing happened.  He tried two more times, but no Blue Fairy.  Dejected, he sat back down on the bench.  All he could think about was his love for Greg, how happy they were together, and how much they wanted a child.

“Time to go home,” he thought, all but giving up.

Then it hit him – her name wasn’t Blue Fairy!  That’s what Walt Disney called her.  It took a minute for him to remember.

“La Fata Turchina, La Fata Turchina, La Fata Turchina,” he said as he spun around three times, thinking only of his love.

As he finished his third circle, there was a small flash and a tiny rainbow.  When his eyes cleared, La Fata Turchina appeared in front of him, no bigger than a robin, with translucent wings and turquoise hair, but most of all, a big smile.

“Pinocchio!” she said.  “It’s so good to see you.  I wondered if you would complete the tasks I set for you.”

“Tasks?” he replied.

“All that work it took to find me,” she said, “including flying here and believing a giant white rabbit in a bar.”

“I need your help,” he replied.

“I know your heart,” said the fairy, hovering a few feet away.

“Can you do it?” he asked.

“I cannot create a baby out of thin air,” said the fairy.

She could read the depth of his sadness.

“Do not despair,” she said.  “I have one more task for you.  I can do for you what I did for Geppetto so many years ago.  Do you still have his wood?”

Back in the attic was a large supply of carver’s wood, passed down through the generations.  According to family legend, this was the same wood that Geppetto used when he created the first Pinocchio.

“Yes,” he said.

“Then you must carve it into a puppet baby,” said the fairy.

“But I don’t know how,” he said.

The fairy flew closer and touched his hands with hers.  They glowed turquoise for an instant and Pinocchio felt a tingle.

“Now you do,” said the fairy.

“But Pinocchio was a boy puppet, not a baby, and he had many adventures before you turned him into a real boy,” he said.

“Have faith,” said the fairy, “and call for me when you are finished.”

With that, La Fata Turchina disappeared.  She reappeared as the fake Blue Fairy at MagiCon.

Unlike fairies, Pinocchio had a cell phone.  By the time he arrived home, Greg had bought all the necessary tools and moved the wood next to their workbench.  Pinocchio started carving the next day.

A month later, they had a perfect baby girl puppet, which they placed in her crib.

Greg and Pinocchio both spun together, repeating La Fata Turchina’s name.  She appeared over the baby, showering her with glittering fairy dust.

“You’ve made a wonderful child,” said the fairy.

“Before Pinocchio became a boy,” said Greg, “he had to prove himself worthy.  What can our puppet do?”

“As a baby,” said the fairy, “she is innocent and pure.  Nothing more is needed from her.  But you, her parents, had to prove yourselves worthy, which you have done by completing the chores I set for you.  The last one was creating this beautiful puppet.”

With that, the fairy waved her wand and cast her spell, and her fathers stood in awe as her skin turned pink and then with a flash, their real baby appeared before them.

The Blue Fairy lingered a few minutes, then quietly blessed her and her fathers before disappearing.

Back at MagiCon, the Blue Fairy appeared as her alternate, complete with the Jersey accent.

As she smiled, scattered glitter and posed for selfies, the Blue Fairy knew the difficulties ahead for Pinocchio and Greg as fathers, but she was confident that they would succeed; and if they wanted another baby, she would be there.

In the meantime, she was going to enjoy the last of her vacation as a human.  It wasn’t easy being La Fata Turchina.

Comments

[rayaso]

If you wanted a break from Disney, what better place than Passaic? There's something kind of meta about playing a human knock-off of yourself. I'm glad you enjoyed this.