Free Wooden Bones by Scott William Carter

would not help at all. You do want him to get better, don’t you?”
    Pino nodded.
    â€œWell, then,” she went on, “he’ll need at least a week of rest before he’s well enough to walk again. Besides, you have much work to do. I would not want you to be distracted. You will work and sleep here until you’re done.”
    â€œIt might take a while,” Pino warned.
    â€œHow long?”
    In the dim light of the chamber Pino surveyed the spread of wood and tools. The truth was he really didn’t know how long it would take, or even if he could do it at all. He’d been Geppetto’s apprentice for less than two months, and there was still much about wood carving he did not know.
    He also didn’t know if he’d be able to bring it to life as he’d promised. He remembered his failure the second time he’d tried to bring a tree to life.
    What he really needed was a chance to escape before she realized he couldn’t do as he’d promised, but he needed Geppetto to be better first. If he couldn’t even walk, they wouldn’t get far.
    â€œMaybe a week,” he said, thinking how long Elendrew had said it would take for his papa to heal.
    She shook her head. “You have five days. You better work quickly.”
    *  *  *
    Working quickly was the one thing Pino didn’t want to do. Much as when he made the puppet of Antoinette, Pino found that working with wood came naturally. The tools they’d brought him weren’t at all like the ones he’d used back home—these were made mostly of stone and glass—but he took to them just the same. In fact, the work was going so well that he had to force himself to go slower.
    If he finished the suit in a day or two, it was doubtful his papa would be well enough to travel.
    And Pino also needed time to plan his escape.
    Unfortunately, since he worked right beside Elendrew, it was difficult to work too slowly. Food was brought to him when needed—delicious food, tender bird meat glazed with honey, fruit so succulent it burst with juice when he bit into it, and a kind of bread that was so soft it dissolved in his mouth and tasted like cake. He would have tried to stretch out the meals, but the food was so good, and he was so famished from working, that he couldn’t stop himself from devouring it.
    All the while Pino studied Elendrew. He watched the way her attendants tended to her needs—feeding her, adjusting her in her chair when she complained of being sore, even carrying her off to the toilet room at the back of the chamber when she said she needed to relieve herself. At first Pino felt sorry for her, not being able to do any of these simple things herself, but this feeling didn’t last too long. Soon he watched her more with awe than pity.
    Three or four times every hour someone came to her asking her to make a decision—sometimes big ones, sometimes small ones, but always she had an answer. Where should they hunt for deer today? “Try the east side of the lake,” she would tell them. What should a mother do about a daughter who couldn’t sleep? A certain herbal remedy was suggested. With winter coming on, were there any special preparations they should make? Yes, this year they needed as much Gaslin root as they could find, for there was going to be an awful virus that would sweep through the people.
    She always had an answer. It was like she just knew things. Important things. It truly was a special gift.
    Carving one of the arm joints, wood chips flying, Pino began to wonder what it would be like to be her—to be so smart, and to have every need fulfilled. Maybe having arms and legs that didn’t work would be a small price to pay for such a life. Someone was always watching her, so she knew that no harm would come her way. Even when she slept, she slept in a glass house so that the people outside—for there were always people praying outside,