Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a forest not very far from here. There lived a little boy named Pinoschka. He loved to wake up early and explore the forest and river. Each day he would find something wonderful and exciting.
One day as he walking along the river beside the deep dark forest, he noticed a path that he had never seen before. He started up the path into the dense overgrown forest watch as the sun seemed to vanish the farther he walked. He wasn’t afraid, just curious and this strength or fascist drove him deeper into the woods.

Now far into into the forest, he saw a clearing ahead and began to walk faster. In the clearing he found an old man sitting on a log with a small bag tied to a stick. The old man looked fragile almost like he would break if he fell over. Pinoschka walked up to the old man and said hello. The old man lifted his head and said, “Hey Whipper- snapper. What are you doing out here in the forest?”

Pinoschka replied that first of all, he was not a Whipper-Snapper and that he was exploring. “Be careful, out here.” the old man said “and be sure not to take and jelly beans from the tree.” Pinoschka was so curious about most everything, he just had to find the tree with jelly beans, but the sun was starting to set and he knew he had to get home. So he said goodbye to the old man and starting running with a steady pace to get home before the sun went down.

Back through the dense dark forest, back to river and along the bank until he saw the path that led home.
The next morning, Pinoschka woke before the sun. He grabbed his shoes and started out the door, hoping to find the tree that had jelly beans. Down to the river and along the bank, up the path he found the day before into the deep dark forest until he came the clearing where he had met the old man.

The old man was there still sitting on the log and when he say Pinoschka he said, “Good Morning Whipper Snapper!”
Pinoscha replied that he was not a Whipper Snapper and said good morning. He went on past the old man in search of the tree that had jelly beans.

By now the sun was high over head and Pinoschka knew he would had to turn back soon, but he kept following the path. He could see something bright and full of color ahead and started to run faster and faster.

He came upon a field of colors. Miles and miles of colors. They were flowers of all different sizes and shapes. So many colors. He walked into the field and began to pick as many as he could hold to take back to his Mom.

The sun was close to setting and Pinoschka knew he would have to run very fast to get back before the sun went down, so he started back the path, running very fast. Past the old man on the log, though the deep dark forest, along the river bank until he saw the path that led home. When got home he gave his Mom the flowers, ate his dinner and went straight to bed so he could get up early the next day and explore that field of colors.

The next morning, Pinoschka woke again before the sun. He grabbed his shoes and ran as fast as he could to the river, along the back to the path the led into the deep dark forest. He ran and ran past the old man sitting on log with small bag tied to a stick, through the forest to the field of colors. He did not stop this time to pick flowers, instead, he ran through the filed of colors. He ran and ran until he came to wall. A wall so high and so long. He looked to the right and as far as he could see the wall kept going. He looked to his left, and as far as he could see the wall kept going.

The sun was just now high over head so he know he had a little time to explore the wall. He started walking around the wall when he came across a giant door. There was big bell with rope to ring it so he did!
Nothing happened so he rand the bell again.

Then the door opened and there was little girl about his age. She said “What do you want?”
Pinsochka told ask her if she wanted to play, but the little girl said, “No” and she closed the door.
Pinoschka didn’t understand. So he ran the bell again. The little girl opened the door and he ask her again if she wanted to play. This time the little girl said, “Okay, lets play”.

So he went inside the door that was on the giant wall. Inside there were, swings, and slides, and toys and candy. Everything you could imagine. He followed the girl down the path that led to a giant castle.

Pinoschka could not believe she had such house and all the things in the courtyard. He asked her could he come back tomorrow because he had to go as the sun was setting and he had to be home before it got dark.

The little girl said, “Okay. Tomorrow we’ll play together.”

Pinoschka really had to run this time. He ran through the door, through the field of colors, back past the old man, through the deep dark forest and along the river back to the path the led home. He just made it as the went down and his Mom ask, “where have you been?” Pinoschka told her he was exploring and found a new friend. Then he ate his dinner and went straight to bed dreaming about the wall and the castle.

And that was the End of the Story.
or was it?

By Chuck Pifer
Written 1992