A Weapon of Mass Destruction

“He who pulls the strings
cioé – the puppet master –

As if by way of explanation, Butch is bending the ears of Khalids Thirteen and Nine (Eleven appears to be kipping on Nine’s shoulder).

“One day the puppet master decides he’s had enough of his show. He’s fed up with going in hospitals to make kids laugh, he’s fed up with queuing for the ticket.”

Butch breaks off ostensibly to explain the ticket in Italian hospitals, but ends up venting his spleen against Italian bureaucrats and so-called Italian “e-comunisti” (As if the wind is blowing in from Polenta). Qat chewers nodding away for they see no reason why anyone should have to pay for qat. (A thousand thank yous to the most generous of Sheikhs LeBooty.)

“ One by one, the puppet master puts them on the fire. Punch, Judy, Harlequin. When he comes to Pinocchio, Pinocchio holds up his hand.

Giappetto, he sez. Wait! Don’t throw me on the fire. What are you doing?

I am going away to fight. Fighting is no place for a puppet.

Pinnocchio says:

Giappetto, I swear I make a good soldier.

Giappetto laughs when he sees Pinocchio’s nose extending with this pork pie.

Pinnocchio, sez Giappetto, you can never make a soldier. You are just an old piece of wooden junk. You’ve been around so long, no one gives a flying fuck about your stupid education etc or whether you are Catholic or not.

Giappetto, sez Pinnocchio, I have an idea! - You can turn my nose into a weapon. Fashion it for war.

Why, Pinnocchio, you are right, sez the Puppet Master. Every time you tell a lie, we make a new weapon of mass destruction.