Swirling

Zito Park: Autumn 1969

"Who left that toy in the tree?" Abigail Anosetti asked as she played with her friends.

"I don't know, but it's tangled there and it doesn't look like it can be loosened without cutting its strings." Louie Binetti said, staring at it.

"Just leave it there," Benny Mangione said, smiling. "It looks cool hanging there."

"Some poor little kid is probably crying about now," Gina Florinari said, sadly. "Lost toys are heart breaking."

"Well, it's part of the park now," Benny said. "Besides, the puppet master would love this."

"Is he still alive?" Gina asked.

"They say he lives up the hill from here," Louie answered. "Comes down to sit in the park and smell the flowers."

"Does he still perform?" Abigail asked.

"Nah," Benny replied." Gave it up a long time ago. But he gave some of the money he made to the city to make this park. "It has his name on it."

"His name is Zito?" Gina asked.

"No, nit wit," Benny said. "His name is Andiamo Zitarelli, master puppeteer. folks would come from miles around to see his puppet shows. He went all over the world. Then gave it all up to live in this neighborhood."

"Why here?" Abigail asked.

"Because the people here treated him so nice," Louie answered. "Gave him his privacy and kept the fans and the paparazzi away."

"What's a papa rachi?" Gina asked, looking a little puzzled.

"Paparazzi," numb noodles," Bennie replied. "It's those people with cameras always trying to get a picture of someone who's famous and sell it.

"Do they still come around?" Gina asked.

"Not anymore," Bennie replied. "They go after new faces like those Beatles guys from England."

"I think the one who plays the bass is cute." Abigail replied.

"You think everyone is cute." Louie said, staring at Abigail.

"Do not!" Abigail shot back.

"You thought that freckle faced Ricci boy was cute," Louie retorted. "He has a nose like a beak." Everyone laughs at Louie's comment as they remember how Abigail acted around the kid.

"Hi, Victorio," Gina said, imitating the way Abigail swayed from side to side with her hands folded in front of her when the Ricci kid would come around. "How are you today?"

The group started laughing as they watched Gina imitate Abigail's motions. That is, everyone except Abigail.

Ha, ha, very funny," Abigail said, more embarrassed than angry.

"Aw, lighten up," Bennie said, smiling, watching Abigail. "That was ages ago and besides, with that beak nose of his, he would have never been able to kiss you."

Abigail begins to giggle as the group bursts into laughter at what Bennie said about the Ricci kid.

"You deserve a Prince," Bennie said, smiling at Abigail. "And you'll get one too, you watch."

Zito Park: The Next Day

"Let's play cops and robbers?" Louie said to the group as they entered that park. "Us guys'll be the cops, and you girls can be the robbers."

"Why can't we be cops?" Gina asked. "We can catch you two."

"Girls can't be cops," Bennie said. "Too dangerous. You might get killed."

"But we're going to get killed if we're robbers." Abigail replied. "How does that make sense?"

"Ladies can't be cops," Bennie said, staring at the two of them. "Besides, women are sneakier that men, that's why they would make better robbers."

"Where'd you hear that?" Abigail asked.

"My dad said it when my Uncle Vito came over to watch the Yankees game."

"Well, if I'm goin to be a robber, I'm going to be the Cat Woman. Gina said. "I'm going to rob everything."

"This is cops and robbers not Batman and Robin," Louie said, staring at the two of them. "You guys got it all wrong."

"If you guys get to be cops, then I get to be Cat Woman." Gina said, defiantly.

"Let her be the Cat Woman," Bennie said, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll arrest her and put her in jail."

"That's if you catch me." Gina said, with a sly smile.

"Okay, Cat Woman," Bennie said, looking to prove Gina wrong, "You and Abigail get to the count of twenty to run."

"Come on Abigail!" Gina said. "Let's show these Keystone Cops what robbers do."

Gina and Abigail darted toward several tall trees in the park and hid.

"We'll go around back and surprise them," Bennie said, motioning to Louie. "Stupid girls, they think they can get away from us."

Bennie and Louie raced to the area behind the tall trees hoping to run up on Gina and Abigail and catch them unawares. Bennie put his finger to his lips motioning Louie to be quiet as they tried to quietly sneak up on the girls. As they ran up on the trees, they saw no one. They looked around and then looked up at the trees.

"Those trees are too tall to climb," Bennie said, standing next to Louie. "Where did they go? As the the two of them turned around, Gina and Abigail came up behind them and started running toward them with a big rope. The two girls pushed Bennie and Louie backwards towards a tall tree and began wrapping the rope around them. When they were finished, they tied the rope into a bow.

"Got the cops all tied up!" Gina said, laughing, looking at the two of them. 'Now let's go and rob everything, my robber pal!"

"Shoot, I'm with you, Cat Woman," Abigail said. We did a great job catching these two."

"No, we did a purrrrfect job," Gina said, smiling. "Meow!"

Abigail and Gina burst out laughing as they watched Bennie and Louie become angry.

"Where'd you get this rope?" Bennie said, trying hard to hide his embarrassment.

"Cat Woman's got lots of surprises." Gina said, smiling at Bennie.

"Okay, let us out now," Bennie said, his anger showing. "Untie us."

"Not until you say girls can be cops." Gina said.

"Okay, okay," Bennie said, in what sounded like an angry mumble. "Girls can be cops, now untie us."

The two girls laughingly untied the boys and they all walked away from that area back to where the marionette was caught in the tree.

"Still there," Bennie said staring at it.

"It'll be there forever," Louie said.

A gust of wind hit a brush of leaves suddenly as the group stood there watching the marionette.

"It's starting to get windy out here," Gina said watching the leaves rustle.

"Yeah," Bennie said. "Real windy."

Another strong gust of wind went up under the leaves and blew them up and over to where the marionette was. The leaves began to swirl into the air above the marionette which wiggled and riled in place. With one more gust of wind, the marionette appeared to be leaping.

"Look! Look! The puppet is dancing. It's dancing!" Gina shouted with delight. It's dancing for us!"

"Look at the leaves! They're dancing too!" Louie shouted.

"That's just the wind, you two dodos." Bennie said, staring at the two of them. "It's just the wind."

"What if it isn't?" Abigail said, staring at Bennie. "What if it isn't?"

"It's just the wind." Bennie said, staring at Abigail and then back at the marionette and the swirling leaves. "It's just the wind."

This time the leaves swirled high above the area as the wind blew them. The marionette appeared to leap as though there were no strings attached to it. its arms wiggled and it legs moved and it swirled in circles untwisting itself and then bowing.

And just as it begun, the gust of wind returned to a gentle autumn breeze and the leaves floated gently toward the grass as the children stood there staring at the marionette which appeared to be bowing.

"Did we just see a puppet show?" Abigail asked.

"Well, this is the Puppet Master's park, isn't it?" Gina replied, still staring at the marionette.