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Сказка Карло Коллоди — The Adventures of Pinocchio (Приключения. Текст «Сказка Карло Коллоди — The Adventures of Pinocchio (Приключения». Сначала смысл целиком, затем 8–12 ключевых слов, без пословного перевода.
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CHAPTER 20
Freed from prison, Pinocchio sets out to return to the Fairy; but on the
way he meets a Serpent and later is caught in a trap.
Fancy the happiness of Pinocchio on finding himself free! Without saying
yes or no, he fled from the city and set out on the road that was to
take him back to the house of the lovely Fairy.
It had rained for many days, and the road was so muddy that, at times,
Pinocchio sank down almost to his knees.
But he kept on bravely.
Tormented by the wish to see his father and his fairy sister with azure
hair, he raced like a greyhound. As he ran, he was splashed with mud
even up to his cap.
«How unhappy I have been,» he said to himself. «And yet I deserve
everything, for I am certainly very stubborn and stupid! I will always
have my own way. I won’t listen to those who love me and who have more
brains than I. But from now on, I’ll be different and I’ll try to become
a most obedient boy. I have found out, beyond any doubt whatever, that
disobedient boys are certainly far from happy, and that, in the long
run, they always lose out. I wonder if Father is waiting for me. Will
I find him at the Fairy’s house? It is so long, poor man, since I have
seen him, and I do so want his love and his kisses. And will the Fairy
ever forgive me for all I have done? She who has been so good to me and
to whom I owe my life! Can there be a worse or more heartless boy than I
am anywhere?»
As he spoke, he stopped suddenly, frozen with terror.
What was the matter? An immense Serpent lay stretched across the road—a
Serpent with a bright green skin, fiery eyes which glowed and burned,
and a pointed tail that smoked like a chimney.
How frightened was poor Pinocchio! He ran back wildly for half a mile,
and at last settled himself atop a heap of stones to wait for the
Serpent to go on his way and leave the road clear for him.
He waited an hour; two hours; three hours; but the Serpent was always
there, and even from afar one could see the flash of his red eyes and
the column of smoke which rose from his long, pointed tail.
Pinocchio, trying to feel very brave, walked straight up to him and said
in a sweet, soothing voice:
«I beg your pardon, Mr. Serpent, would you be so kind as to step aside
to let me pass?»
He might as well have talked to a wall. The Serpent never moved.
Once more, in the same sweet voice, he spoke:
«You must know, Mr. Serpent, that I am going home where my father is
waiting for me. It is so long since I have seen him! Would you mind very
much if I passed?»
He waited for some sign of an answer to his questions, but the answer
did not come. On the contrary, the green Serpent, who had seemed, until
then, wide awake and full of life, became suddenly very quiet and still.
His eyes closed and his tail stopped smoking.
«Is he dead, I wonder?» said Pinocchio, rubbing his hands together
happily. Without a moment’s hesitation, he started to step over him, but
he had just raised one leg when the Serpent shot up like a spring and
the Marionette fell head over heels backward. He fell so awkwardly that
his head stuck in the mud, and there he stood with his legs straight up
in the air.
At the sight of the Marionette kicking and squirming like a young
whirlwind, the Serpent laughed so heartily and so long that at last he
burst an artery and died on the spot.
Pinocchio freed himself from his awkward position and once more began
to run in order to reach the Fairy’s house before dark. As he went, the
pangs of hunger grew so strong that, unable to withstand them, he jumped
into a field to pick a few grapes that tempted him. Woe to him!
No sooner had he reached the grapevine than—crack! went his legs.
The poor Marionette was caught in a trap set there by a Farmer for some
Weasels which came every night to steal his chickens.
CHAPTER 21
Pinocchio is caught by a Farmer, who uses him as a watchdog for his
chicken coop.
Pinocchio, as you may well imagine, began to scream and weep and beg;
but all was of no use, for no houses were to be seen and not a soul
passed by on the road.
Night came on.
A little because of the sharp pain in his legs, a little because of
fright at finding himself alone in the darkness of the field, the
Marionette was about to faint, when he saw a tiny Glowworm flickering
by. He called to her and said:
«Dear little Glowworm, will you set me free?»
«Poor little fellow!» replied the Glowworm, stopping to look at him with
pity. «How came you to be caught in this trap?»
«I stepped into this lonely field to take a few grapes and—«
«Are the grapes yours?»
«No.»
«Who has taught you to take things that do not belong to you?»
«I was hungry.»
«Hunger, my boy, is no reason for taking something which belongs to
another.»
«It’s true, it’s true!» cried Pinocchio in tears. «I won’t do it again.»
Just then, the conversation was interrupted by approaching footsteps.
It was the owner of the field, who was coming on tiptoes to see if, by
chance, he had caught the Weasels which had been eating his chickens.
Great was his surprise when, on holding up his lantern, he saw that,
instead of a Weasel, he had caught a boy!
«Ah, you little thief!» said the Farmer in an angry voice. «So you are
the one who steals my chickens!»
«Not I! No, no!» cried Pinocchio, sobbing bitterly. «I came here only to
take a very few grapes.»
«He who steals grapes may very easily steal chickens also. Take my word
for it, I’ll give you a lesson that you’ll remember for a long while.»
He opened the trap, grabbed the Marionette by the collar, and carried
him to the house as if he were a puppy. When he reached the yard in
front of the house, he flung him to the ground, put a foot on his neck,
and said to him roughly: «It is late now and it’s time for bed. Tomorrow
we’ll settle matters. In the meantime, since my watchdog died today, you
may take his place and guard my henhouse.»
No sooner said than done. He slipped a dog collar around Pinocchio’s
neck and tightened it so that it would not come off. A long iron chain
was tied to the collar. The other end of the chain was nailed to the
wall.
«If tonight it should happen to rain,» said the Farmer, «you can sleep
in that little doghouse near-by, where you will find plenty of straw for
a soft bed. It has been Melampo’s bed for three years, and it will be
good enough for you. And if, by any chance, any thieves should come, be
sure to bark!»
After this last warning, the Farmer went into the house and closed the
door and barred it.
Poor Pinocchio huddled close to the doghouse more dead than alive from
cold, hunger, and fright. Now and again he pulled and tugged at the
collar which nearly choked him and cried out in a weak voice:
«I deserve it! Yes, I deserve it! I have been nothing but a truant and
a vagabond. I have never obeyed anyone and I have always done as I
pleased. If I were only like so many others and had studied and worked
and stayed with my poor old father, I should not find myself here
now, in this field and in the darkness, taking the place of a farmer’s
watchdog. Oh, if I could start all over again! But what is done can’t be
undone, and I must be patient!»
After this little sermon to himself, which came from the very depths of
his heart, Pinocchio went into the doghouse and fell asleep.
CHAPTER 22
Pinocchio discovers the thieves and, as a reward for faithfulness, he
regains his liberty.
Even though a boy may be very unhappy, he very seldom loses sleep over
his worries. The Marionette, being no exception to this rule, slept on
peacefully for a few hours till well along toward midnight, when he
was awakened by strange whisperings and stealthy sounds coming from the
yard. He stuck his nose out of the doghouse and saw four slender, hairy
animals. They were Weasels, small animals very fond of both eggs and
chickens. One of them left her companions and, going to the door of the
doghouse, said in a sweet voice:
«Good evening, Melampo.»
«My name is not Melampo,» answered Pinocchio.
«Who are you, then?»
«I am Pinocchio.»
«What are you doing here?»
«I’m the watchdog.»
«But where is Melampo? Where is the old dog who used to live in this
house?»
«He died this morning.»
«Died? Poor beast! He was so good! Still, judging by your face, I think
you, too, are a good-natured dog.»
«I beg your pardon, I am not a dog!»
«What are you, then?»
«I am a Marionette.»
«Are you taking the place of the watchdog?»
«I’m sorry to say that I am. I’m being punished.»
«Well, I shall make the same terms with you that we had with the dead
Melampo. I am sure you will be glad to hear them.»
«And what are the terms?»
«This is our plan: We’ll come once in a while, as in the past, to pay
a visit to this henhouse, and we’ll take away eight chickens. Of these,
seven are for us, and one for you, provided, of course, that you will
make believe you are sleeping and will not bark for the Farmer.»
«Did Melampo really do that?» asked Pinocchio.
«Indeed he did, and because of that we were the best of friends. Sleep
away peacefully, and remember that before we go we shall leave you a
nice fat chicken all ready for your breakfast in the morning. Is that
understood?»
«Even too well,» answered Pinocchio. And shaking his head in a
threatening manner, he seemed to say, «We’ll talk this over in a few
minutes, my friends.»
As soon as the four Weasels had talked things over, they went straight
to the chicken coop which stood close to the doghouse. Digging busily
with teeth and claws, they opened the little door and slipped in. But
they were no sooner in than they heard the door close with a sharp bang.
The one who had done the trick was Pinocchio, who, not satisfied with
that, dragged a heavy stone in front of it. That done, he started to
bark. And he barked as if he were a real watchdog: «Bow, wow, wow! Bow,
wow!»
The Farmer heard the loud barks and jumped out of bed. Taking his gun,
he leaped to the window and shouted: «What’s the matter?»
«The thieves are here,» answered Pinocchio.
«Where are they?»
«In the chicken coop.»
«I’ll come down in a second.»
And, in fact, he was down in the yard in a twinkling and running toward
the chicken coop.
He opened the door, pulled out the Weasels one by one, and, after tying
them in a bag, said to them in a happy voice: «You’re in my hands at
last! I could punish you now, but I’ll wait! In the morning you may come
with me to the inn and there you’ll make a fine dinner for some hungry
mortal. It is really too great an honor for you, one you do not deserve;
but, as you see, I am really a very kind and generous man and I am going
to do this for you!»
Then he went up to Pinocchio and began to pet and caress him.
«How did you ever find them out so quickly? And to think that Melampo,
my faithful Melampo, never saw them in all these years!»
The Marionette could have told, then and there, all he knew about the
shameful contract between the dog and the Weasels, but thinking of
the dead dog, he said to himself: «Melampo is dead. What is the use of
accusing him? The dead are gone and they cannot defend themselves. The
best thing to do is to leave them in peace!»
«Were you awake or asleep when they came?» continued the Farmer.
«I was asleep,» answered Pinocchio, «but they awakened me with their
whisperings. One of them even came to the door of the doghouse and said
to me, ‘If you promise not to bark, we will make you a present of one
of the chickens for your breakfast.’ Did you hear that? They had the
audacity to make such a proposition as that to me! For you must know
that, though I am a very wicked Marionette full of faults, still I never
have been, nor ever shall be, bribed.»
«Fine boy!» cried the Farmer, slapping him on the shoulder in a friendly
way. «You ought to be proud of yourself. And to show you what I think of
you, you are free from this instant!»
And he slipped the dog collar from his neck.
CHAPTER 23
Pinocchio weeps upon learning that the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair
is dead. He meets a Pigeon, who carries him to the seashore. He throws
himself into the sea to go to the aid of his father.
As soon as Pinocchio no longer felt the shameful weight of the dog
collar around his neck, he started to run across the fields and meadows,
and never stopped till he came to the main road that was to take him to
the Fairy’s house.
When he reached it, he looked into the valley far below him and there
he saw the wood where unluckily he had met the Fox and the Cat, and the
tall oak tree where he had been hanged; but though he searched far and
near, he could not see the house where the Fairy with the Azure Hair
lived.
He became terribly frightened and, running as fast as he could, he
finally came to the spot where it had once stood. The little house was
no longer there. In its place lay a small marble slab, which bore this
sad inscription:
HERE LIES
THE LOVELY FAIRY WITH AZURE HAIR
WHO DIED OF GRIEF
WHEN ABANDONED BY
HER LITTLE BROTHER PINOCCHIO
The poor Marionette was heartbroken at reading these words. He fell to
the ground and, covering the cold marble with kisses, burst into bitter
tears. He cried all night, and dawn found him still there, though his
tears had dried and only hard, dry sobs shook his wooden frame. But
these were so loud that they could be heard by the faraway hills.
As he sobbed he said to himself:
«Oh, my Fairy, my dear, dear Fairy, why did you die? Why did I not die,
who am so bad, instead of you, who are so good? And my father—where can
he be? Please dear Fairy, tell me where he is and I shall never, never
leave him again! You are not really dead, are you? If you love me, you
will come back, alive as before. Don’t you feel sorry for me? I’m so
lonely. If the two Assassins come, they’ll hang me again from the giant
oak tree and I will really die, this time. What shall I do alone in the
world? Now that you are dead and my father is lost, where shall I eat?
Where shall I sleep? Who will make my new clothes? Oh, I want to die!
Yes, I want to die! Oh, oh, oh!»
Poor Pinocchio! He even tried to tear his hair, but as it was only
painted on his wooden head, he could not even pull it.
Just then a large Pigeon flew far above him. Seeing the Marionette, he
cried to him:
«Tell me, little boy, what are you doing there?»
«Can’t you see? I’m crying,» cried Pinocchio, lifting his head toward
the voice and rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.
«Tell me,» asked the Pigeon, «do you by chance know of a Marionette,
Pinocchio by name?»
«Pinocchio! Did you say Pinocchio?» replied the Marionette, jumping to
his feet. «Why, I am Pinocchio!»
At this answer, the Pigeon flew swiftly down to the earth. He was much
larger than a turkey.
«Then you know Geppetto also?»
«Do I know him? He’s my father, my poor, dear father! Has he, perhaps,
spoken to you of me? Will you take me to him? Is he still alive? Answer
me, please! Is he still alive?»
«I left him three days ago on the shore of a large sea.»
«What was he doing?»
«He was building a little boat with which to cross the ocean. For
the last four months, that poor man has been wandering around Europe,
looking for you. Not having found you yet, he has made up his mind to
look for you in the New World, far across the ocean.»
«How far is it from here to the shore?» asked Pinocchio anxiously.
«More than fifty miles.»
«Fifty miles? Oh, dear Pigeon, how I wish I had your wings!»
«If you want to come, I’ll take you with me.»
«How?»
«Astride my back. Are you very heavy?»
«Heavy? Not at all. I’m only a feather.»
«Very well.»
Saying nothing more, Pinocchio jumped on the Pigeon’s back and, as he
settled himself, he cried out gayly:
«Gallop on, gallop on, my pretty steed! I’m in a great hurry.»
The Pigeon flew away, and in a few minutes he had reached the clouds.
The Marionette looked to see what was below them. His head swam and he
was so frightened that he clutched wildly at the Pigeon’s neck to keep
himself from falling.
They flew all day. Toward evening the Pigeon said:
«I’m very thirsty!»
«And I’m very hungry!» said Pinocchio.
«Let us stop a few minutes at that pigeon coop down there. Then we can
go on and be at the seashore in the morning.»
They went into the empty coop and there they found nothing but a bowl of
water and a small basket filled with chick-peas.
The Marionette had always hated chick-peas. According to him, they had
always made him sick; but that night he ate them with a relish. As he
finished them, he turned to the Pigeon and said:
«I never should have thought that chick-peas could be so good!»
«You must remember, my boy,» answered the Pigeon, «that hunger is the
best sauce!»
After resting a few minutes longer, they set out again. The next morning
they were at the seashore.
Pinocchio jumped off the Pigeon’s back, and the Pigeon, not wanting any
thanks for a kind deed, flew away swiftly and disappeared.
The shore was full of people, shrieking and tearing their hair as they
looked toward the sea.
«What has happened?» asked Pinocchio of a little old woman.
«A poor old father lost his only son some time ago and today he built a
tiny boat for himself in order to go in search of him across the ocean.
The water is very rough and we’re afraid he will be drowned.»
«Where is the little boat?»
«There. Straight down there,» answered the little old woman, pointing to
a tiny shadow, no bigger than a nutshell, floating on the sea.
Pinocchio looked closely for a few minutes and then gave a sharp cry:
«It’s my father! It’s my father!»
Meanwhile, the little boat, tossed about by the angry waters, appeared
and disappeared in the waves. And Pinocchio, standing on a high rock,
tired out with searching, waved to him with hand and cap and even with
his nose.
It looked as if Geppetto, though far away from the shore, recognized his
son, for he took off his cap and waved also. He seemed to be trying to
make everyone understand that he would come back if he were able, but
the sea was so heavy that he could do nothing with his oars. Suddenly a
huge wave came and the boat disappeared.
They waited and waited for it, but it was gone.
«Poor man!» said the fisher folk on the shore, whispering a prayer as
they turned to go home.
Just then a desperate cry was heard. Turning around, the fisher folk saw
Pinocchio dive into the sea and heard him cry out:
«I’ll save him! I’ll save my father!»
The Marionette, being made of wood, floated easily along and swam like
a fish in the rough water. Now and again he disappeared only to reappear
once more. In a twinkling, he was far away from land. At last he was
completely lost to view.
«Poor boy!» cried the fisher folk on the shore, and again they mumbled a
few prayers, as they returned home.
CHAPTER 24
Pinocchio reaches the Island of the Busy Bees and finds the Fairy once
more.
Pinocchio, spurred on by the hope of finding his father and of being in
time to save him, swam all night long.
And what a horrible night it was! It poured rain, it hailed, it
thundered, and the lightning was so bright that it turned the night into
day.
At dawn, he saw, not far away from him, a long stretch of sand. It was
an island in the middle of the sea.
Pinocchio tried his best to get there, but he couldn’t. The waves played
with him and tossed him about as if he were a twig or a bit of straw. At
last, and luckily for him, a tremendous wave tossed him to the very spot
where he wanted to be. The blow from the wave was so strong that, as he
fell to the ground, his joints cracked and almost broke. But, nothing
daunted, he jumped to his feet and cried:
«Once more I have escaped with my life!»
Little by little the sky cleared. The sun came out in full splendor and
the sea became as calm as a lake.
Then the Marionette took off his clothes and laid them on the sand to
dry. He looked over the waters to see whether he might catch sight of
a boat with a little man in it. He searched and he searched, but he saw
nothing except sea and sky and far away a few sails, so small that they
might have been birds.
«If only I knew the name of this island!» he said to himself. «If I even
knew what kind of people I would find here! But whom shall I ask? There
is no one here.»
The idea of finding himself in so lonesome a spot made him so sad that
he was about to cry, but just then he saw a big Fish swimming near-by,
with his head far out of the water.
Not knowing what to call him, the Marionette said to him:
«Hey there, Mr. Fish, may I have a word with you?»
«Even two, if you want,» answered the fish, who happened to be a very
polite Dolphin.
«Will you please tell me if, on this island, there are places where one
may eat without necessarily being eaten?»
«Surely, there are,» answered the Dolphin. «In fact you’ll find one not
far from this spot.»
«And how shall I get there?»
«Take that path on your left and follow your nose. You can’t go wrong.»
«Tell me another thing. You who travel day and night through the sea,
did you not perhaps meet a little boat with my father in it?»
«And who is you father?»
«He is the best father in the world, even as I am the worst son that can
be found.»
«In the storm of last night,» answered the Dolphin, «the little boat
must have been swamped.»
«And my father?»
«By this time, he must have been swallowed by the Terrible Shark, which,
for the last few days, has been bringing terror to these waters.»
«Is this Shark very big?» asked Pinocchio, who was beginning to tremble
with fright.
«Is he big?» replied the Dolphin. «Just to give you an idea of his size,
let me tell you that he is larger than a five story building and that
he has a mouth so big and so deep, that a whole train and engine could
easily get into it.»
«Mother mine!» cried the Marionette, scared to death; and dressing
himself as fast as he could, he turned to the Dolphin and said:
«Farewell, Mr. Fish. Pardon the bother, and many thanks for your
kindness.»
This said, he took the path at so swift a gait that he seemed to fly,
and at every small sound he heard, he turned in fear to see whether the
Terrible Shark, five stories high and with a train in his mouth, was
following him.
After walking a half hour, he came to a small country called the Land
of the Busy Bees. The streets were filled with people running to and fro
about their tasks. Everyone worked, everyone had something to do. Even
if one were to search with a lantern, not one idle man or one tramp
could have been found.
«I understand,» said Pinocchio at once wearily, «this is no place for
me! I was not born for work.»
But in the meantime, he began to feel hungry, for it was twenty-four
hours since he had eaten.
What was to be done?
There were only two means left to him in order to get a bite to eat. He
had either to work or to beg.
He was ashamed to beg, because his father had always preached to him
that begging should be done only by the sick or the old. He had said
that the real poor in this world, deserving of our pity and help, were
only those who, either through age or sickness, had lost the means of
earning their bread with their own hands. All others should work, and if
they didn’t, and went hungry, so much the worse for them.
Just then a man passed by, worn out and wet with perspiration, pulling,
with difficulty, two heavy carts filled with coal.
Pinocchio looked at him and, judging him by his looks to be a kind man,
said to him with eyes downcast in shame:
«Will you be so good as to give me a penny, for I am faint with hunger?»
«Not only one penny,» answered the Coal Man. «I’ll give you four if you
will help me pull these two wagons.»
«I am surprised!» answered the Marionette, very much offended. «I wish
you to know that I never have been a donkey, nor have I ever pulled a
wagon.»
«So much the better for you!» answered the Coal Man. «Then, my boy, if
you are really faint with hunger, eat two slices of your pride; and I
hope they don’t give you indigestion.»
A few minutes after, a Bricklayer passed by, carrying a pail full of
plaster on his shoulder.
«Good man, will you be kind enough to give a penny to a poor boy who is
yawning from hunger?»
«Gladly,» answered the Bricklayer. «Come with me and carry some plaster,
and instead of one penny, I’ll give you five.»
«But the plaster is heavy,» answered Pinocchio, «and the work too hard
for me.»
«If the work is too hard for you, my boy, enjoy your yawns and may they
bring you luck!»
In less than a half hour, at least twenty people passed and Pinocchio
begged of each one, but they all answered:
«Aren’t you ashamed? Instead of being a beggar in the streets, why don’t
you look for work and earn your own bread?»
Finally a little woman went by carrying two water jugs.
«Good woman, will you allow me to have a drink from one of your jugs?»
asked Pinocchio, who was burning up with thirst.
«With pleasure, my boy!» she answered, setting the two jugs on the
ground before him.
When Pinocchio had had his fill, he grumbled, as he wiped his mouth:
«My thirst is gone. If I could only as easily get rid of my hunger!»
On hearing these words, the good little woman immediately said:
«If you help me to carry these jugs home, I’ll give you a slice of
bread.»
Pinocchio looked at the jug and said neither yes nor no.
«And with the bread, I’ll give you a nice dish of cauliflower with white
sauce on it.»
Pinocchio gave the jug another look and said neither yes nor no.
«And after the cauliflower, some cake and jam.»
At this last bribery, Pinocchio could no longer resist and said firmly:
«Very well. I’ll take the jug home for you.»
The jug was very heavy, and the Marionette, not being strong enough to
carry it with his hands, had to put it on his head.
When they arrived home, the little woman made Pinocchio sit down at a
small table and placed before him the bread, the cauliflower, and
the cake. Pinocchio did not eat; he devoured. His stomach seemed a
bottomless pit.
His hunger finally appeased, he raised his head to thank his kind
benefactress. But he had not looked at her long when he gave a cry of
surprise and sat there with his eyes wide open, his fork in the air, and
his mouth filled with bread and cauliflower.
«Why all this surprise?» asked the good woman, laughing.
«Because—» answered Pinocchio, stammering and stuttering, «because—you
look like—you remind me of—yes, yes, the same voice, the same eyes,
the same hair—yes, yes, yes, you also have the same azure hair she
had—Oh, my little Fairy, my little Fairy! Tell me that it is you! Don’t
make me cry any longer! If you only knew! I have cried so much, I have
suffered so!»
And Pinocchio threw himself on the floor and clasped the knees of the
mysterious little woman.
CHAPTER 25
Pinocchio promises the Fairy to be good and to study, as he is growing
tired of being a Marionette, and wishes to become a real boy.
If Pinocchio cried much longer, the little woman thought he would melt
away, so she finally admitted that she was the little Fairy with Azure
Hair.
«You rascal of a Marionette! How did you know it was I?» she asked,
laughing.
«My love for you told me who you were.»
«Do you remember? You left me when I was a little girl and now you find
me a grown woman. I am so old, I could almost be your mother!»
«I am very glad of that, for then I can call you mother instead of
sister. For a long time I have wanted a mother, just like other boys.
But how did you grow so quickly?»
«That’s a secret!»
«Tell it to me. I also want to grow a little. Look at me! I have never
grown higher than a penny’s worth of cheese.»
«But you can’t grow,» answered the Fairy.
«Why not?»
«Because Marionettes never grow. They are born Marionettes, they live
Marionettes, and they die Marionettes.»
«Oh, I’m tired of always being a Marionette!» cried Pinocchio
disgustedly. «It’s about time for me to grow into a man as everyone else
does.»
«And you will if you deserve it—«
«Really? What can I do to deserve it?»
«It’s a very simple matter. Try to act like a well-behaved child.»
«Don’t you think I do?»
«Far from it! Good boys are obedient, and you, on the contrary—«
«And I never obey.»
«Good boys love study and work, but you—«
«And I, on the contrary, am a lazy fellow and a tramp all year round.»
«Good boys always tell the truth.»
«And I always tell lies.»
«Good boys go gladly to school.»
«And I get sick if I go to school. From now on I’ll be different.»
«Do you promise?»
«I promise. I want to become a good boy and be a comfort to my father.
Where is my poor father now?»
«I do not know.»
«Will I ever be lucky enough to find him and embrace him once more?»
«I think so. Indeed, I am sure of it.»
At this answer, Pinocchio’s happiness was very great. He grasped the
Fairy’s hands and kissed them so hard that it looked as if he had lost
his head. Then lifting his face, he looked at her lovingly and asked:
«Tell me, little Mother, it isn’t true that you are dead, is it?»
«It doesn’t seem so,» answered the Fairy, smiling.
«If you only knew how I suffered and how I wept when I read ‘Here
lies—‘»
«I know it, and for that I have forgiven you. The depth of your sorrow
made me see that you have a kind heart. There is always hope for boys
with hearts such as yours, though they may often be very mischievous.
This is the reason why I have come so far to look for you. From now on,
I’ll be your own little mother.»
«Oh! How lovely!» cried Pinocchio, jumping with joy.
«You will obey me always and do as I wish?»
«Gladly, very gladly, more than gladly!»
«Beginning tomorrow,» said the Fairy, «you’ll go to school every day.»
Pinocchio’s face fell a little.
«Then you will choose the trade you like best.»
Pinocchio became more serious.
«What are you mumbling to yourself?» asked the Fairy.
«I was just saying,» whined the Marionette in a whisper, «that it seems
too late for me to go to school now.»
«No, indeed. Remember it is never too late to learn.»
«But I don’t want either trade or profession.»
«Why?»
«Because work wearies me!»
«My dear boy,» said the Fairy, «people who speak as you do usually end
their days either in a prison or in a hospital. A man, remember,
whether rich or poor, should do something in this world. No one can
find happiness without work. Woe betide the lazy fellow! Laziness is a
serious illness and one must cure it immediately; yes, even from early
childhood. If not, it will kill you in the end.»
These words touched Pinocchio’s heart. He lifted his eyes to his Fairy
and said seriously: «I’ll work; I’ll study; I’ll do all you tell me.
After all, the life of a Marionette has grown very tiresome to me and I
want to become a boy, no matter how hard it is. You promise that, do you
not?»
«Yes, I promise, and now it is up to you.»
CHAPTER 26
Pinocchio goes to the seashore with his friends to see the Terrible
Shark.
In the morning, bright and early, Pinocchio started for school.
Imagine what the boys said when they saw a Marionette enter the
classroom! They laughed until they cried. Everyone played tricks on him.
One pulled his hat off, another tugged at his coat, a third tried to
paint a mustache under his nose. One even attempted to tie strings to
his feet and his hands to make him dance.
For a while Pinocchio was very calm and quiet. Finally, however, he
lost all patience and turning to his tormentors, he said to them
threateningly:
«Careful, boys, I haven’t come here to be made fun of. I’ll respect you
and I want you to respect me.»
«Hurrah for Dr. Know-all! You have spoken like a printed book!» howled
the boys, bursting with laughter. One of them, more impudent than the
rest, put out his hand to pull the Marionette’s nose.
But he was not quick enough, for Pinocchio stretched his leg under the
table and kicked him hard on the shin.
«Oh, what hard feet!» cried the boy, rubbing the spot where the
Marionette had kicked him.
«And what elbows! They are even harder than the feet!» shouted another
one, who, because of some other trick, had received a blow in the
stomach.
With that kick and that blow Pinocchio gained everybody’s favor.
Everyone admired him, danced attendance upon him, petted and caressed
him.
As the days passed into weeks, even the teacher praised him, for he saw
him attentive, hard working, and wide awake, always the first to come in
the morning, and the last to leave when school was over.
Pinocchio’s only fault was that he had too many friends. Among these
were many well-known rascals, who cared not a jot for study or for
success.
The teacher warned him each day, and even the good Fairy repeated to him
many times:
«Take care, Pinocchio! Those bad companions will sooner or later make
you lose your love for study. Some day they will lead you astray.»
«There’s no such danger,» answered the Marionette, shrugging his
shoulders and pointing to his forehead as if to say, «I’m too wise.»
So it happened that one day, as he was walking to school, he met some
boys who ran up to him and said:
«Have you heard the news?»
«No!»
«A Shark as big as a mountain has been seen near the shore.»
«Really? I wonder if it could be the same one I heard of when my father
was drowned?»
«We are going to see it. Are you coming?»
«No, not I. I must go to school.»
«What do you care about school? You can go there tomorrow. With a lesson
more or less, we are always the same donkeys.»
«And what will the teacher say?»
«Let him talk. He is paid to grumble all day long.»
«And my mother?»
«Mothers don’t know anything,» answered those scamps.
«Do you know what I’ll do?» said Pinocchio. «For certain reasons of
mine, I, too, want to see that Shark; but I’ll go after school. I can
see him then as well as now.»
«Poor simpleton!» cried one of the boys. «Do you think that a fish of
that size will stand there waiting for you? He turns and off he goes,
and no one will ever be the wiser.»
«How long does it take from here to the shore?» asked the Marionette.
«One hour there and back.»
«Very well, then. Let’s see who gets there first!» cried Pinocchio.
At the signal, the little troop, with books under their arms, dashed
across the fields. Pinocchio led the way, running as if on wings, the
others following as fast as they could.
Now and again, he looked back and, seeing his followers hot and tired,
and with tongues hanging out, he laughed out heartily. Unhappy boy! If
he had only known then the dreadful things that were to happen to him on
account of his disobedience!
CHAPTER 27
The great battle between Pinocchio and his playmates. One is wounded.
Pinocchio is arrested.
Going like the wind, Pinocchio took but a very short time to reach the
shore. He glanced all about him, but there was no sign of a Shark. The
sea was as smooth as glass.
«Hey there, boys! Where’s that Shark?» he asked, turning to his
playmates.
«He may have gone for his breakfast,» said one of them, laughing.
«Or, perhaps, he went to bed for a little nap,» said another, laughing
also.
From the answers and the laughter which followed them, Pinocchio
understood that the boys had played a trick on him.
«What now?» he said angrily to them. «What’s the joke?»
«Oh, the joke’s on you!» cried his tormentors, laughing more heartily
than ever, and dancing gayly around the Marionette.
«And that is—?»
«That we have made you stay out of school to come with us. Aren’t you
ashamed of being such a goody-goody, and of studying so hard? You never
have a bit of enjoyment.»
«And what is it to you, if I do study?»
«What does the teacher think of us, you mean?»
«Why?»
«Don’t you see? If you study and we don’t, we pay for it. After all,
it’s only fair to look out for ourselves.»
«What do you want me to do?»
«Hate school and books and teachers, as we all do. They are your worst
enemies, you know, and they like to make you as unhappy as they can.»
«And if I go on studying, what will you do to me?»
«You’ll pay for it!»
«Really, you amuse me,» answered the Marionette, nodding his head.
«Hey, Pinocchio,» cried the tallest of them all, «that will do. We are
tired of hearing you bragging about yourself, you little turkey cock!
You may not be afraid of us, but remember we are not afraid of you,
either! You are alone, you know, and we are seven.»
«Like the seven sins,» said Pinocchio, still laughing.
«Did you hear that? He has insulted us all. He has called us sins.»
«Pinocchio, apologize for that, or look out!»
«Cuck—oo!» said the Marionette, mocking them with his thumb to his
nose.
«You’ll be sorry!»
«Cuck—oo!»
«We’ll whip you soundly!»
«Cuck—oo!»
«You’ll go home with a broken nose!»
«Cuck—oo!»
«Very well, then! Take that, and keep it for your supper,» called out
the boldest of his tormentors.
And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.
Pinocchio answered with another blow, and that was the signal for the
beginning of the fray. In a few moments, the fight raged hot and heavy
on both sides.
Pinocchio, although alone, defended himself bravely. With those two
wooden feet of his, he worked so fast that his opponents kept at a
respectful distance. Wherever they landed, they left their painful mark
and the boys could only run away and howl.
Enraged at not being able to fight the Marionette at close quarters,
they started to throw all kinds of books at him. Readers, geographies,
histories, grammars flew in all directions. But Pinocchio was keen of
eye and swift of movement, and the books only passed over his head,
landed in the sea, and disappeared.
The fish, thinking they might be good to eat, came to the top of the
water in great numbers. Some took a nibble, some took a bite, but no
sooner had they tasted a page or two, than they spat them out with a wry
face, as if to say:
«What a horrid taste! Our own food is so much better!»
Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious. At the noise, a large
Crab crawled slowly out of the water and, with a voice that sounded like
a trombone suffering from a cold, he cried out:
«Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boys rarely end well.
Trouble is sure to come to you!»
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind. Instead of
listening to his good advice, Pinocchio turned to him and said as
roughly as he knew how:
«Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you to chew a few cough
drops to get rid of that cold you have. Go to bed and sleep! You will
feel better in the morning.»
In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books, looked around
for new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio’s bundle lying idle near-by, they
somehow managed to get hold of it.
One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text, heavily
bound in leather. It was Pinocchio’s pride. Among all his books, he
liked that one the best.
Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys took hold of it
and threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio’s head. But instead of
hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys, who, as
pale as a ghost, cried out faintly: «Oh, Mother, help! I’m dying!» and
fell senseless to the ground.
At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were so frightened
that they turned tail and ran. In a few moments, all had disappeared.
All except Pinocchio. Although scared to death by the horror of what
had been done, he ran to the sea and soaked his handkerchief in the cool
water and with it bathed the head of his poor little schoolmate. Sobbing
bitterly, he called to him, saying:
«Eugene! My poor Eugene! Open your eyes and look at me! Why don’t you
answer? I was not the one who hit you, you know. Believe me, I didn’t
do it. Open your eyes, Eugene? If you keep them shut, I’ll die, too.
Oh, dear me, how shall I ever go home now? How shall I ever look at my
little mother again? What will happen to me? Where shall I go? Where
shall I hide? Oh, how much better it would have been, a thousand times
better, if only I had gone to school! Why did I listen to those boys?
They always were a bad influence! And to think that the teacher had told
me—and my mother, too!—‘Beware of bad company!’ That’s what she said.
But I’m stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish. And
then I pay. I’ve never had a moment’s peace since I’ve been born! Oh,
dear! What will become of me? What will become of me?»
Pinocchio went on crying and moaning and beating his head. Again and
again he called to his little friend, when suddenly he heard heavy steps
approaching.
He looked up and saw two tall Carabineers near him.
«What are you doing stretched out on the ground?» they asked Pinocchio.
«I’m helping this schoolfellow of mine.»
«Has he fainted?»
«I should say so,» said one of the Carabineers, bending to look at
Eugene. «This boy has been wounded on the temple. Who has hurt him?»
«Not I,» stammered the Marionette, who had hardly a breath left in his
whole body.
«If it wasn’t you, who was it, then?»
«Not I,» repeated Pinocchio.
«And with what was he wounded?»
«With this book,» and the Marionette picked up the arithmetic text to
show it to the officer.
«And whose book is this?»
«Mine.»
«Enough.»
«Not another word! Get up as quickly as you can and come along with us.»
«But I—«
«Come with us!»
«But I am innocent.»
«Come with us!»
Before starting out, the officers called out to several fishermen
passing by in a boat and said to them:
«Take care of this little fellow who has been hurt. Take him home and
bind his wounds. Tomorrow we’ll come after him.»
They then took hold of Pinocchio and, putting him between them, said to
him in a rough voice: «March! And go quickly, or it will be the worse
for you!»
They did not have to repeat their words. The Marionette walked swiftly
along the road to the village. But the poor fellow hardly knew what
he was about. He thought he had a nightmare. He felt ill. His eyes saw
everything double, his legs trembled, his tongue was dry, and, try as he
might, he could not utter a single word. Yet, in spite of this numbness
of feeling, he suffered keenly at the thought of passing under the
windows of his good little Fairy’s house. What would she say on seeing
him between two Carabineers?
They had just reached the village, when a sudden gust of wind blew off
Pinocchio’s cap and made it go sailing far down the street.
«Would you allow me,» the Marionette asked the Carabineers, «to run
after my cap?»
«Very well, go; but hurry.»
The Marionette went, picked up his cap—but instead of putting it on his
head, he stuck it between his teeth and then raced toward the sea.
He went like a bullet out of a gun.
The Carabineers, judging that it would be very difficult to catch him,
sent a large Mastiff after him, one that had won first prize in all the
dog races. Pinocchio ran fast and the Dog ran faster. At so much noise,
the people hung out of the windows or gathered in the street, anxious to
see the end of the contest. But they were disappointed, for the Dog and
Pinocchio raised so much dust on the road that, after a few moments, it
was impossible to see them.
CHAPTER 28
Pinocchio runs the danger of being fried in a pan like a fish
During that wild chase, Pinocchio lived through a terrible moment when
he almost gave himself up as lost. This was when Alidoro (that was the
Mastiff’s name), in a frenzy of running, came so near that he was on the
very point of reaching him.
The Marionette heard, close behind him, the labored breathing of the
beast who was fast on his trail, and now and again even felt his hot
breath blow over him.
Luckily, by this time, he was very near the shore, and the sea was in
sight; in fact, only a few short steps away.
As soon as he set foot on the beach, Pinocchio gave a leap and fell into
the water. Alidoro tried to stop, but as he was running very fast, he
couldn’t, and he, too, landed far out in the sea. Strange though it may
seem, the Dog could not swim. He beat the water with his paws to hold
himself up, but the harder he tried, the deeper he sank. As he stuck his
head out once more, the poor fellow’s eyes were bulging and he barked
out wildly, «I drown! I drown!»
«Drown!» answered Pinocchio from afar, happy at his escape.
«Help, Pinocchio, dear little Pinocchio! Save me from death!»
At those cries of suffering, the Marionette, who after all had a very
kind heart, was moved to compassion. He turned toward the poor animal
and said to him:
«But if I help you, will you promise not to bother me again by running
after me?»
«I promise! I promise! Only hurry, for if you wait another second, I’ll
be dead and gone!»
Pinocchio hesitated still another minute. Then, remembering how his
father had often told him that a kind deed is never lost, he swam to
Alidoro and, catching hold of his tail, dragged him to the shore.
The poor Dog was so weak he could not stand. He had swallowed so much
salt water that he was swollen like a balloon. However, Pinocchio, not
wishing to trust him too much, threw himself once again into the sea. As
he swam away, he called out:
«Good-by, Alidoro, good luck and remember me to the family!»
«Good-by, little Pinocchio,» answered the Dog. «A thousand thanks for
having saved me from death. You did me a good turn, and, in this world,
what is given is always returned. If the chance comes, I shall be
there.»
Pinocchio went on swimming close to shore. At last he thought he had
reached a safe place. Glancing up and down the beach, he saw the opening
of a cave out of which rose a spiral of smoke.
«In that cave,» he said to himself, «there must be a fire. So much the
better. I’ll dry my clothes and warm myself, and then—well—«
His mind made up, Pinocchio swam to the rocks, but as he started to
climb, he felt something under him lifting him up higher and higher. He
tried to escape, but he was too late. To his great surprise, he found
himself in a huge net, amid a crowd of fish of all kinds and sizes, who
were fighting and struggling desperately to free themselves.
At the same time, he saw a Fisherman come out of the cave, a Fisherman
so ugly that Pinocchio thought he was a sea monster. In place of hair,
his head was covered by a thick bush of green grass. Green was the skin
of his body, green were his eyes, green was the long, long beard that
reached down to his feet. He looked like a giant lizard with legs and
arms.
When the Fisherman pulled the net out of the sea, he cried out joyfully:
«Blessed Providence! Once more I’ll have a fine meal of fish!»
«Thank Heaven, I’m not a fish!» said Pinocchio to himself, trying with
these words to find a little courage.
The Fisherman took the net and the fish to the cave, a dark, gloomy,
smoky place. In the middle of it, a pan full of oil sizzled over a
smoky fire, sending out a repelling odor of tallow that took away one’s
breath.
«Now, let’s see what kind of fish we have caught today,» said the Green
Fisherman. He put a hand as big as a spade into the net and pulled out a
handful of mullets.
«Fine mullets, these!» he said, after looking at them and smelling them
with pleasure. After that, he threw them into a large, empty tub.
Many times he repeated this performance. As he pulled each fish out of
the net, his mouth watered with the thought of the good dinner coming,
and he said:
«Fine fish, these bass!»
«Very tasty, these whitefish!»
«Delicious flounders, these!»
«What splendid crabs!»
«And these dear little anchovies, with their heads still on!»
As you can well imagine, the bass, the flounders, the whitefish, and
even the little anchovies all went together into the tub to keep the
mullets company. The last to come out of the net was Pinocchio.
As soon as the Fisherman pulled him out, his green eyes opened wide with
surprise, and he cried out in fear:
«What kind of fish is this? I don’t remember ever eating anything like
it.»
He looked at him closely and after turning him over and over, he said at
last:
«I understand. He must be a crab!»
Pinocchio, mortified at being taken for a crab, said resentfully:
«What nonsense! A crab indeed! I am no such thing. Beware how you deal
with me! I am a Marionette, I want you to know.»
«A Marionette?» asked the Fisherman. «I must admit that a Marionette
fish is, for me, an entirely new kind of fish. So much the better. I’ll
eat you with greater relish.»
«Eat me? But can’t you understand that I’m not a fish? Can’t you hear
that I speak and think as you do?»
«It’s true,» answered the Fisherman; «but since I see that you are a
fish, well able to talk and think as I do, I’ll treat you with all due
respect.»
«And that is—«
«That, as a sign of my particular esteem, I’ll leave to you the choice
of the manner in which you are to be cooked. Do you wish to be fried in
a pan, or do you prefer to be cooked with tomato sauce?»
«To tell you the truth,» answered Pinocchio, «if I must choose, I should
much rather go free so I may return home!»
«Are you fooling? Do you think that I want to lose the opportunity to
taste such a rare fish? A Marionette fish does not come very often to
these seas. Leave it to me. I’ll fry you in the pan with the others.
I know you’ll like it. It’s always a comfort to find oneself in good
company.»
The unlucky Marionette, hearing this, began to cry and wail and beg.
With tears streaming down his cheeks, he said:
«How much better it would have been for me to go to school! I did listen
to my playmates and now I am paying for it! Oh! Oh! Oh!»
And as he struggled and squirmed like an eel to escape from him, the
Green Fisherman took a stout cord and tied him hand and foot, and threw
him into the bottom of the tub with the others.
Then he pulled a wooden bowl full of flour out of a cupboard and started
to roll the fish into it, one by one. When they were white with it,
he threw them into the pan. The first to dance in the hot oil were the
mullets, the bass followed, then the whitefish, the flounders, and the
anchovies. Pinocchio’s turn came last. Seeing himself so near to death
(and such a horrible death!) he began to tremble so with fright that he
had no voice left with which to beg for his life.
The poor boy beseeched only with his eyes. But the Green Fisherman,
not even noticing that it was he, turned him over and over in the flour
until he looked like a Marionette made of chalk.
Then he took him by the head and . . .
CHAPTER 29
Pinocchio returns to the Fairy’s house and she promises him that, on the
morrow, he will cease to be a Marionette and become a boy. A wonderful
party of coffee-and-milk to celebrate the great event.
Mindful of what the Fisherman had said, Pinocchio knew that all hope
of being saved had gone. He closed his eyes and waited for the final
moment.
Suddenly, a large Dog, attracted by the odor of the boiling oil, came
running into the cave.
«Get out!» cried the Fisherman threateningly and still holding onto the
Marionette, who was all covered with flour.
But the poor Dog was very hungry, and whining and wagging his tail, he
tried to say:
«Give me a bite of the fish and I’ll go in peace.»
«Get out, I say!» repeated the Fisherman.
And he drew back his foot to give the Dog a kick.
Then the Dog, who, being really hungry, would take no refusal, turned
in a rage toward the Fisherman and bared his terrible fangs. And at that
moment, a pitiful little voice was heard saying: «Save me, Alidoro; if
you don’t, I fry!»
The Dog immediately recognized Pinocchio’s voice. Great was his surprise
to find that the voice came from the little flour-covered bundle that
the Fisherman held in his hand.
Then what did he do? With one great leap, he grasped that bundle in his
mouth and, holding it lightly between his teeth, ran through the door
and disappeared like a flash!
The Fisherman, angry at seeing his meal snatched from under his nose,
ran after the Dog, but a bad fit of coughing made him stop and turn
back.
Meanwhile, Alidoro, as soon as he had found the road which led to the
village, stopped and dropped Pinocchio softly to the ground.
«How much I do thank you!» said the Marionette.
«It is not necessary,» answered the Dog. «You saved me once, and what is
given is always returned. We are in this world to help one another.»
«But how did you get in that cave?»
«I was lying here on the sand more dead than alive, when an appetizing
odor of fried fish came to me. That odor tickled my hunger and I
followed it. Oh, if I had come a moment later!»
«Don’t speak about it,» wailed Pinocchio, still trembling with fright.
«Don’t say a word. If you had come a moment later, I would be fried,
eaten, and digested by this time. Brrrrrr! I shiver at the mere thought
of it.»
Alidoro laughingly held out his paw to the Marionette, who shook it
heartily, feeling that now he and the Dog were good friends. Then they
bid each other good-by and the Dog went home.
Pinocchio, left alone, walked toward a little hut near by, where an old
man sat at the door sunning himself, and asked:
«Tell me, good man, have you heard anything of a poor boy with a wounded
head, whose name was Eugene?»
«The boy was brought to this hut and now—«
«Now he is dead?» Pinocchio interrupted sorrowfully.
«No, he is now alive and he has already returned home.»
«Really? Really?» cried the Marionette, jumping around with joy. «Then
the wound was not serious?»
«But it might have been—and even mortal,» answered the old man, «for a
heavy book was thrown at his head.»
«And who threw it?»
«A schoolmate of his, a certain Pinocchio.»
«And who is this Pinocchio?» asked the Marionette, feigning ignorance.
«They say he is a mischief-maker, a tramp, a street urchin—«
«Calumnies! All calumnies!»
«Do you know this Pinocchio?»
«By sight!» answered the Marionette.
«And what do you think of him?» asked the old man.
«I think he’s a very good boy, fond of study, obedient, kind to his
Father, and to his whole family—«
As he was telling all these enormous lies about himself, Pinocchio
touched his nose and found it twice as long as it should be. Scared out
of his wits, he cried out:
«Don’t listen to me, good man! All the wonderful things I have said are
not true at all. I know Pinocchio well and he is indeed a very wicked
fellow, lazy and disobedient, who instead of going to school, runs away
with his playmates to have a good time.»
At this speech, his nose returned to its natural size.
«Why are you so pale?» the old man asked suddenly.
«Let me tell you. Without knowing it, I rubbed myself against a newly
painted wall,» he lied, ashamed to say that he had been made ready for
the frying pan.
«What have you done with your coat and your hat and your breeches?»
«I met thieves and they robbed me. Tell me, my good man, have you not,
perhaps, a little suit to give me, so that I may go home?»
«My boy, as for clothes, I have only a bag in which I keep hops. If you
want it, take it. There it is.»
Pinocchio did not wait for him to repeat his words. He took the bag,
which happened to be empty, and after cutting a big hole at the top and
two at the sides, he slipped into it as if it were a shirt. Lightly clad
as he was, he started out toward the village.
Along the way he felt very uneasy. In fact he was so unhappy that he
went along taking two steps forward and one back, and as he went he said
to himself:
«How shall I ever face my good little Fairy? What will she say when she
sees me? Will she forgive this last trick of mine? I am sure she won’t.
Oh, no, she won’t. And I deserve it, as usual! For I am a rascal, fine
on promises which I never keep!»
He came to the village late at night. It was so dark he could see
nothing and it was raining pitchforks.
Pinocchio went straight to the Fairy’s house, firmly resolved to knock
at the door.
When he found himself there, he lost courage and ran back a few steps.
A second time he came to the door and again he ran back. A third time
he repeated his performance. The fourth time, before he had time to lose
his courage, he grasped the knocker and made a faint sound with it.
He waited and waited and waited. Finally, after a full half hour, a
top-floor window (the house had four stories) opened and Pinocchio saw
a large Snail look out. A tiny light glowed on top of her head. «Who
knocks at this late hour?» she called.
«Is the Fairy home?» asked the Marionette.
«The Fairy is asleep and does not wish to be disturbed. Who are you?»
«It is I.»
«Who’s I?»
«Pinocchio.»
«Who is Pinocchio?»
«The Marionette; the one who lives in the Fairy’s house.»
«Oh, I understand,» said the Snail. «Wait for me there. I’ll come down
to open the door for you.»
«Hurry, I beg of you, for I am dying of cold.»
«My boy, I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry.»
An hour passed, two hours; and the door was still closed. Pinocchio, who
was trembling with fear and shivering from the cold rain on his back,
knocked a second time, this time louder than before.
At that second knock, a window on the third floor opened and the same
Snail looked out.
«Dear little Snail,» cried Pinocchio from the street. «I have been
waiting two hours for you! And two hours on a dreadful night like this
are as long as two years. Hurry, please!»
«My boy,» answered the Snail in a calm, peaceful voice, «my dear boy, I
am a snail and snails are never in a hurry.» And the window closed.
A few minutes later midnight struck; then one o’clock—two o’clock. And
the door still remained closed!
Then Pinocchio, losing all patience, grabbed the knocker with both
hands, fully determined to awaken the whole house and street with it.
As soon as he touched the knocker, however, it became an eel and wiggled
away into the darkness.
«Really?» cried Pinocchio, blind with rage. «If the knocker is gone, I
can still use my feet.»
He stepped back and gave the door a most solemn kick. He kicked so hard
that his foot went straight through the door and his leg followed almost
to the knee. No matter how he pulled and tugged, he could not pull it
out. There he stayed as if nailed to the door.
Poor Pinocchio! The rest of the night he had to spend with one foot
through the door and the other one in the air.
As dawn was breaking, the door finally opened. That brave little animal,
the Snail, had taken exactly nine hours to go from the fourth floor to
the street. How she must have raced!
«What are you doing with your foot through the door?» she asked the
Marionette, laughing.
«It was a misfortune. Won’t you try, pretty little Snail, to free me
from this terrible torture?»
«My boy, we need a carpenter here and I have never been one.»
«Ask the Fairy to help me!»
«The Fairy is asleep and does not want to be disturbed.»
«But what do you want me to do, nailed to the door like this?»
«Enjoy yourself counting the ants which are passing by.»
«Bring me something to eat, at least, for I am faint with hunger.»
«Immediately!»
In fact, after three hours and a half, Pinocchio saw her return with
a silver tray on her head. On the tray there was bread, roast chicken,
fruit.
«Here is the breakfast the Fairy sends to you,» said the Snail.
At the sight of all these good things, the Marionette felt much better.
What was his disgust, however, when on tasting the food, he found the
bread to be made of chalk, the chicken of cardboard, and the brilliant
fruit of colored alabaster!
He wanted to cry, he wanted to give himself up to despair, he wanted to
throw away the tray and all that was on it. Instead, either from pain or
weakness, he fell to the floor in a dead faint.
When he regained his senses, he found himself stretched out on a sofa
and the Fairy was seated near him.
«This time also I forgive you,» said the Fairy to him. «But be careful
not to get into mischief again.»
Pinocchio promised to study and to behave himself. And he kept his word
for the remainder of the year. At the end of it, he passed first in all
his examinations, and his report was so good that the Fairy said to him
happily:
«Tomorrow your wish will come true.»
«And what is it?»
«Tomorrow you will cease to be a Marionette and will become a real boy.»
Pinocchio was beside himself with joy. All his friends and schoolmates
must be invited to celebrate the great event! The Fairy promised to
prepare two hundred cups of coffee-and-milk and four hundred slices of
toast buttered on both sides.
The day promised to be a very gay and happy one, but—
Unluckily, in a Marionette’s life there’s always a BUT which is apt to
spoil everything.
CHAPTER 30
Pinocchio, instead of becoming a boy, runs away to the Land of Toys with
his friend, Lamp-Wick.
Coming at last out of the surprise into which the Fairy’s words had
thrown him, Pinocchio asked for permission to give out the invitations.
«Indeed, you may invite your friends to tomorrow’s party. Only remember
to return home before dark. Do you understand?»
«I’ll be back in one hour without fail,» answered the Marionette.
«Take care, Pinocchio! Boys give promises very easily, but they as
easily forget them.»
«But I am not like those others. When I give my word I keep it.»
«We shall see. In case you do disobey, you will be the one to suffer,
not anyone else.»
«Why?»
«Because boys who do not listen to their elders always come to grief.»
«I certainly have,» said Pinocchio, «but from now on, I obey.»
«We shall see if you are telling the truth.»
Without adding another word, the Marionette bade the good Fairy good-by,
and singing and dancing, he left the house.
In a little more than an hour, all his friends were invited. Some
accepted quickly and gladly. Others had to be coaxed, but when they
heard that the toast was to be buttered on both sides, they all ended by
accepting the invitation with the words, «We’ll come to please you.»
Now it must be known that, among all his friends, Pinocchio had one whom
he loved most of all. The boy’s real name was Romeo, but everyone called
him Lamp-Wick, for he was long and thin and had a woebegone look about
him.
Lamp-Wick was the laziest boy in the school and the biggest
mischief-maker, but Pinocchio loved him dearly.
That day, he went straight to his friend’s house to invite him to the
party, but Lamp-Wick was not at home. He went a second time, and again a
third, but still without success.
Where could he be? Pinocchio searched here and there and everywhere, and
finally discovered him hiding near a farmer’s wagon.
«What are you doing there?» asked Pinocchio, running up to him.
«I am waiting for midnight to strike to go—«
«Where?»
«Far, far away!»
«And I have gone to your house three times to look for you!»
«What did you want from me?»
«Haven’t you heard the news? Don’t you know what good luck is mine?»
«What is it?»
«Tomorrow I end my days as a Marionette and become a boy, like you and
all my other friends.»
«May it bring you luck!»
«Shall I see you at my party tomorrow?»
«But I’m telling you that I go tonight.»
«At what time?»
«At midnight.»
«And where are you going?»
«To a real country—the best in the world—a wonderful place!»
«What is it called?»
«It is called the Land of Toys. Why don’t you come, too?»
«I? Oh, no!»
«You are making a big mistake, Pinocchio. Believe me, if you don’t come,
you’ll be sorry. Where can you find a place that will agree better with
you and me? No schools, no teachers, no books! In that blessed place
there is no such thing as study. Here, it is only on Saturdays that
we have no school. In the Land of Toys, every day, except Sunday, is a
Saturday. Vacation begins on the first of January and ends on the last
day of December. That is the place for me! All countries should be like
it! How happy we should all be!»
«But how does one spend the day in the Land of Toys?»
«Days are spent in play and enjoyment from morn till night. At night one
goes to bed, and next morning, the good times begin all over again. What
do you think of it?»
«H’m—!» said Pinocchio, nodding his wooden head, as if to say, «It’s
the kind of life which would agree with me perfectly.»
«Do you want to go with me, then? Yes or no? You must make up your
mind.»
«No, no, and again no! I have promised my kind Fairy to become a good
boy, and I want to keep my word. Just see: The sun is setting and I must
leave you and run. Good-by and good luck to you!»
«Where are you going in such a hurry?»
«Home. My good Fairy wants me to return home before night.»
«Wait two minutes more.»
«It’s too late!»
«Only two minutes.»
«And if the Fairy scolds me?»
«Let her scold. After she gets tired, she will stop,» said Lamp-Wick.
«Are you going alone or with others?»
«Alone? There will be more than a hundred of us!»
«Will you walk?»
«At midnight the wagon passes here that is to take us within the
boundaries of that marvelous country.»
«How I wish midnight would strike!»
«Why?»
«To see you all set out together.»
«Stay here a while longer and you will see us!»
«No, no. I want to return home.»
«Wait two more minutes.»
«I have waited too long as it is. The Fairy will be worried.»
«Poor Fairy! Is she afraid the bats will eat you up?»
«Listen, Lamp-Wick,» said the Marionette, «are you really sure that
there are no schools in the Land of Toys?» «Not even the shadow of one.»
«Not even one teacher?»
«Not one.»
«And one does not have to study?»
«Never, never, never!»
«What a great land!» said Pinocchio, feeling his mouth water. «What a
beautiful land! I have never been there, but I can well imagine it.»
«Why don’t you come, too?»
«It is useless for you to tempt me! I told you I promised my good Fairy
to behave myself, and I am going to keep my word.»
«Good-by, then, and remember me to the grammar schools, to the high
schools, and even to the colleges if you meet them on the way.»
«Good-by, Lamp-Wick. Have a pleasant trip, enjoy yourself, and remember
your friends once in a while.»
With these words, the Marionette started on his way home. Turning once
more to his friend, he asked him:
«But are you sure that, in that country, each week is composed of six
Saturdays and one Sunday?»
«Very sure!»
«And that vacation begins on the first of January and ends on the
thirty-first of December?»
«Very, very sure!»
«What a great country!» repeated Pinocchio, puzzled as to what to do.
Then, in sudden determination, he said hurriedly:
«Good-by for the last time, and good luck.»
«Good-by.»
«How soon will you go?»
«Within two hours.»
«What a pity! If it were only one hour, I might wait for you.»
«And the Fairy?»
«By this time I’m late, and one hour more or less makes very little
difference.»
«Poor Pinocchio! And if the Fairy scolds you?»
«Oh, I’ll let her scold. After she gets tired, she will stop.»
In the meantime, the night became darker and darker. All at once in the
distance a small light flickered. A queer sound could be heard, soft
as a little bell, and faint and muffled like the buzz of a far-away
mosquito.
«There it is!» cried Lamp-Wick, jumping to his feet.
«What?» whispered Pinocchio.
«The wagon which is coming to get me. For the last time, are you coming
or not?»
«But is it really true that in that country boys never have to study?»
«Never, never, never!»
«What a wonderful, beautiful, marvelous country! Oh—h—h!!»
CHAPTER 31
After five months of play, Pinocchio wakes up one fine morning and finds
a great surprise awaiting him.
Finally the wagon arrived. It made no noise, for its wheels were bound
with straw and rags.
It was drawn by twelve pair of donkeys, all of the same size, but all
of different color. Some were gray, others white, and still others a
mixture of brown and black. Here and there were a few with large yellow
and blue stripes.
The strangest thing of all was that those twenty-four donkeys, instead
of being iron-shod like any other beast of burden, had on their feet
laced shoes made of leather, just like the ones boys wear.
And the driver of the wagon?
Imagine to yourselves a little, fat man, much wider than he was long,
round and shiny as a ball of butter, with a face beaming like an apple,
a little mouth that always smiled, and a voice small and wheedling like
that of a cat begging for food.
No sooner did any boy see him than he fell in love with him, and nothing
satisfied him but to be allowed to ride in his wagon to that lovely
place called the Land of Toys.
In fact the wagon was so closely packed with boys of all ages that it
looked like a box of sardines. They were uncomfortable, they were piled
one on top of the other, they could hardly breathe; yet not one word of
complaint was heard. The thought that in a few hours they would reach a
country where there were no schools, no books, no teachers, made these
boys so happy that they felt neither hunger, nor thirst, nor sleep, nor
discomfort.
No sooner had the wagon stopped than the little fat man turned to
Lamp-Wick. With bows and smiles, he asked in a wheedling tone:
«Tell me, my fine boy, do you also want to come to my wonderful
country?»
«Indeed I do.»
«But I warn you, my little dear, there’s no more room in the wagon. It
is full.»
«Never mind,» answered Lamp-Wick. «If there’s no room inside, I can sit
on the top of the coach.»
And with one leap, he perched himself there.
«What about you, my love?» asked the Little Man, turning politely to
Pinocchio. «What are you going to do? Will you come with us, or do you
stay here?»
«I stay here,» answered Pinocchio. «I want to return home, as I prefer
to study and to succeed in life.»
«May that bring you luck!»
«Pinocchio!» Lamp-Wick called out. «Listen to me. Come with us and we’ll
always be happy.»
«No, no, no!»
«Come with us and we’ll always be happy,» cried four other voices from
the wagon.
«Come with us and we’ll always be happy,» shouted the one hundred and
more boys in the wagon, all together. «And if I go with you, what will
my good Fairy say?» asked the Marionette, who was beginning to waver and
weaken in his good resolutions.
«Don’t worry so much. Only think that we are going to a land where
we shall be allowed to make all the racket we like from morning till
night.»
Pinocchio did not answer, but sighed deeply once—twice—a third time.
Finally, he said:
«Make room for me. I want to go, too!»
«The seats are all filled,» answered the Little Man, «but to show you
how much I think of you, take my place as coachman.»
«And you?»
«I’ll walk.»
«No, indeed. I could not permit such a thing. I much prefer riding one
of these donkeys,» cried Pinocchio.
No sooner said than done. He approached the first donkey and tried to
mount it. But the little animal turned suddenly and gave him such a
terrible kick in the stomach that Pinocchio was thrown to the ground and
fell with his legs in the air.
At this unlooked-for entertainment, the whole company of runaways
laughed uproariously.
The little fat man did not laugh. He went up to the rebellious animal,
and, still smiling, bent over him lovingly and bit off half of his right
ear.
In the meantime, Pinocchio lifted himself up from the ground, and with
one leap landed on the donkey’s back. The leap was so well taken that
all the boys shouted,
«Hurrah for Pinocchio!» and clapped their hands in hearty applause.
Suddenly the little donkey gave a kick with his two hind feet and,
at this unexpected move, the poor Marionette found himself once again
sprawling right in the middle of the road.
Again the boys shouted with laughter. But the Little Man, instead of
laughing, became so loving toward the little animal that, with another
kiss, he bit off half of his left ear.
«You can mount now, my boy,» he then said to Pinocchio. «Have no fear.
That donkey was worried about something, but I have spoken to him and
now he seems quiet and reasonable.»
Pinocchio mounted and the wagon started on its way. While the donkeys
galloped along the stony road, the Marionette fancied he heard a very
quiet voice whispering to him:
«Poor silly! You have done as you wished. But you are going to be a
sorry boy before very long.»
Pinocchio, greatly frightened, looked about him to see whence the words
had come, but he saw no one. The donkeys galloped, the wagon rolled
on smoothly, the boys slept (Lamp-Wick snored like a dormouse) and the
little, fat driver sang sleepily between his teeth.
After a mile or so, Pinocchio again heard the same faint voice
whispering: «Remember, little simpleton! Boys who stop studying and turn
their backs upon books and schools and teachers in order to give all
their time to nonsense and pleasure, sooner or later come to grief. Oh,
how well I know this! How well I can prove it to you! A day will come
when you will weep bitterly, even as I am weeping now—but it will be
too late!»
At these whispered words, the Marionette grew more and more frightened.
He jumped to the ground, ran up to the donkey on whose back he had been
riding, and taking his nose in his hands, looked at him. Think how great
was his surprise when he saw that the donkey was weeping—weeping just
like a boy!
«Hey, Mr. Driver!» cried the Marionette. «Do you know what strange thing
is happening here! This donkey weeps.»
«Let him weep. When he gets married, he will have time to laugh.»
«Have you perhaps taught him to speak?»
«No, he learned to mumble a few words when he lived for three years with
a band of trained dogs.»
«Poor beast!»
«Come, come,» said the Little Man, «do not lose time over a donkey that
can weep. Mount quickly and let us go. The night is cool and the road is
long.»
Pinocchio obeyed without another word. The wagon started again. Toward
dawn the next morning they finally reached that much-longed-for country,
the Land of Toys.
This great land was entirely different from any other place in the
world. Its population, large though it was, was composed wholly of boys.
The oldest were about fourteen years of age, the youngest, eight. In
the street, there was such a racket, such shouting, such blowing of
trumpets, that it was deafening. Everywhere groups of boys were gathered
together. Some played at marbles, at hopscotch, at ball. Others rode on
bicycles or on wooden horses. Some played at blindman’s buff, others at
tag. Here a group played circus, there another sang and recited. A few
turned somersaults, others walked on their hands with their feet in the
air. Generals in full uniform leading regiments of cardboard soldiers
passed by. Laughter, shrieks, howls, catcalls, hand-clapping followed
this parade. One boy made a noise like a hen, another like a rooster,
and a third imitated a lion in his den. All together they created such
a pandemonium that it would have been necessary for you to put cotton
in your ears. The squares were filled with small wooden theaters,
overflowing with boys from morning till night, and on the walls of the
houses, written with charcoal, were words like these: HURRAH FOR THE
LAND OF TOYS! DOWN WITH ARITHMETIC! NO MORE SCHOOL!
As soon as they had set foot in that land, Pinocchio, Lamp-Wick, and
all the other boys who had traveled with them started out on a tour of
investigation. They wandered everywhere, they looked into every nook and
corner, house and theater. They became everybody’s friend. Who could be
happier than they?
What with entertainments and parties, the hours, the days, the weeks
passed like lightning.
«Oh, what a beautiful life this is!» said Pinocchio each time that, by
chance, he met his friend Lamp-Wick.
«Was I right or wrong?» answered Lamp-Wick. «And to think you did not
want to come! To think that even yesterday the idea came into your head
to return home to see your Fairy and to start studying again! If today
you are free from pencils and books and school, you owe it to me, to
my advice, to my care. Do you admit it? Only true friends count, after
all.»
«It’s true, Lamp-Wick, it’s true. If today I am a really happy boy, it
is all because of you. And to think that the teacher, when speaking of
you, used to say, ‘Do not go with that Lamp-Wick! He is a bad companion
and some day he will lead you astray.'»
«Poor teacher!» answered the other, nodding his head. «Indeed I know how
much he disliked me and how he enjoyed speaking ill of me. But I am of a
generous nature, and I gladly forgive him.»
«Great soul!» said Pinocchio, fondly embracing his friend.
Five months passed and the boys continued playing and enjoying
themselves from morn till night, without ever seeing a book, or a desk,
or a school. But, my children, there came a morning when Pinocchio awoke
and found a great surprise awaiting him, a surprise which made him feel
very unhappy, as you shall see.
CHAPTER 32
Pinocchio’s ears become like those of a Donkey. In a little while he
changes into a real Donkey and begins to bray.
Everyone, at one time or another, has found some surprise awaiting him.
Of the kind which Pinocchio had on that eventful morning of his life,
there are but few.
What was it? I will tell you, my dear little readers. On awakening,
Pinocchio put his hand up to his head and there he found—
Guess!
He found that, during the night, his ears had grown at least ten full
inches!
You must know that the Marionette, even from his birth, had very small
ears, so small indeed that to the naked eye they could hardly be seen.
Fancy how he felt when he noticed that overnight those two dainty organs
had become as long as shoe brushes!
He went in search of a mirror, but not finding any, he just filled a
basin with water and looked at himself. There he saw what he never
could have wished to see. His manly figure was adorned and enriched by a
beautiful pair of donkey’s ears.
I leave you to think of the terrible grief, the shame, the despair of
the poor Marionette.
He began to cry, to scream, to knock his head against the wall, but the
more he shrieked, the longer and the more hairy grew his ears.
At those piercing shrieks, a Dormouse came into the room, a fat little
Dormouse, who lived upstairs. Seeing Pinocchio so grief-stricken, she
asked him anxiously:
«What is the matter, dear little neighbor?»
«I am sick, my little Dormouse, very, very sick—and from an illness
which frightens me! Do you understand how to feel the pulse?»
«A little.»
«Feel mine then and tell me if I have a fever.»
The Dormouse took Pinocchio’s wrist between her paws and, after a few
minutes, looked up at him sorrowfully and said: «My friend, I am sorry,
but I must give you some very sad news.»
«What is it?»
«You have a very bad fever.»
«But what fever is it?»
«The donkey fever.»
«I don’t know anything about that fever,» answered the Marionette,
beginning to understand even too well what was happening to him.
«Then I will tell you all about it,» said the Dormouse. «Know then that,
within two or three hours, you will no longer be a Marionette, nor a
boy.»
«What shall I be?»
«Within two or three hours you will become a real donkey, just like the
ones that pull the fruit carts to market.»
«Oh, what have I done? What have I done?» cried Pinocchio, grasping his
two long ears in his hands and pulling and tugging at them angrily, just
as if they belonged to another.
«My dear boy,» answered the Dormouse to cheer him up a bit, «why worry
now? What is done cannot be undone, you know. Fate has decreed that all
lazy boys who come to hate books and schools and teachers and spend all
their days with toys and games must sooner or later turn into donkeys.»
«But is it really so?» asked the Marionette, sobbing bitterly.
«I am sorry to say it is. And tears now are useless. You should have
thought of all this before.»
«But the fault is not mine. Believe me, little Dormouse, the fault is
all Lamp-Wick’s.»
«And who is this Lamp-Wick?»
«A classmate of mine. I wanted to return home. I wanted to be obedient.
I wanted to study and to succeed in school, but Lamp-Wick said to me,
‘Why do you want to waste your time studying? Why do you want to go to
school? Come with me to the Land of Toys. There we’ll never study again.
There we can enjoy ourselves and be happy from morn till night.'»
«And why did you follow the advice of that false friend?»
«Why? Because, my dear little Dormouse, I am a heedless
Marionette—heedless and heartless. Oh! If I had only had a bit of
heart, I should never have abandoned that good Fairy, who loved me
so well and who has been so kind to me! And by this time, I should no
longer be a Marionette. I should have become a real boy, like all these
friends of mine! Oh, if I meet Lamp-Wick I am going to tell him what I
think of him—and more, too!»
After this long speech, Pinocchio walked to the door of the room. But
when he reached it, remembering his donkey ears, he felt ashamed to show
them to the public and turned back. He took a large cotton bag from a
shelf, put it on his head, and pulled it far down to his very nose.
Thus adorned, he went out. He looked for Lamp-Wick everywhere, along the
streets, in the squares, inside the theatres, everywhere; but he was
not to be found. He asked everyone whom he met about him, but no one had
seen him. In desperation, he returned home and knocked at the door.
«Who is it?» asked Lamp-Wick from within.
«It is I!» answered the Marionette.
«Wait a minute.»
After a full half hour the door opened. Another surprise awaited
Pinocchio! There in the room stood his friend, with a large cotton bag
on his head, pulled far down to his very nose.
At the sight of that bag, Pinocchio felt slightly happier and thought to
himself:
«My friend must be suffering from the same sickness that I am! I wonder
if he, too, has donkey fever?»
But pretending he had seen nothing, he asked with a smile:
«How are you, my dear Lamp-Wick?»
«Very well. Like a mouse in a Parmesan cheese.»
«Is that really true?»
«Why should I lie to you?»
«I beg your pardon, my friend, but why then are you wearing that cotton
bag over your ears?»
«The doctor has ordered it because one of my knees hurts. And you, dear
Marionette, why are you wearing that cotton bag down to your nose?»
«The doctor has ordered it because I have bruised my foot.»
«Oh, my poor Pinocchio!»
«Oh, my poor Lamp-Wick!»
An embarrassingly long silence followed these words, during which time
the two friends looked at each other in a mocking way.
Finally the Marionette, in a voice sweet as honey and soft as a flute,
said to his companion:
«Tell me, Lamp-Wick, dear friend, have you ever suffered from an
earache?»
«Never! And you?»
«Never! Still, since this morning my ear has been torturing me.»
«So has mine.»
«Yours, too? And which ear is it?»
«Both of them. And yours?»
«Both of them, too. I wonder if it could be the same sickness.»
«I’m afraid it is.»
«Will you do me a favor, Lamp-Wick?»
«Gladly! With my whole heart.»
«Will you let me see your ears?»
«Why not? But before I show you mine, I want to see yours, dear
Pinocchio.»
«No. You must show yours first.»
«No, my dear! Yours first, then mine.»
«Well, then,» said the Marionette, «let us make a contract.»
«Let’s hear the contract!»
«Let us take off our caps together. All right?»
«All right.»
«Ready then!»
Pinocchio began to count, «One! Two! Three!»
At the word «Three!» the two boys pulled off their caps and threw them
high in air.
And then a scene took place which is hard to believe, but it is all too
true. The Marionette and his friend, Lamp-Wick, when they saw each other
both stricken by the same misfortune, instead of feeling sorrowful and
ashamed, began to poke fun at each other, and after much nonsense, they
ended by bursting out into hearty laughter.
They laughed and laughed, and laughed again—laughed till they
ached—laughed till they cried.
But all of a sudden Lamp-Wick stopped laughing. He tottered and almost
fell. Pale as a ghost, he turned to Pinocchio and said:
«Help, help, Pinocchio!»
«What is the matter?»
«Oh, help me! I can no longer stand up.»
«I can’t either,» cried Pinocchio; and his laughter turned to tears as
he stumbled about helplessly.
They had hardly finished speaking, when both of them fell on all fours
and began running and jumping around the room. As they ran, their arms
turned into legs, their faces lengthened into snouts and their backs
became covered with long gray hairs.
This was humiliation enough, but the most horrible moment was the one
in which the two poor creatures felt their tails appear. Overcome with
shame and grief, they tried to cry and bemoan their fate.
But what is done can’t be undone! Instead of moans and cries, they burst
forth into loud donkey brays, which sounded very much like, «Haw! Haw!
Haw!»
At that moment, a loud knocking was heard at the door and a voice called
to them:
«Open! I am the Little Man, the driver of the wagon which brought you
here. Open, I say, or beware!»
CHAPTER 33
Pinocchio, having become a Donkey, is bought by the owner of a Circus,
who wants to teach him to do tricks. The Donkey becomes lame and is sold
to a man who wants to use his skin for a drumhead.
Very sad and downcast were the two poor little fellows as they stood
and looked at each other. Outside the room, the Little Man grew more and
more impatient, and finally gave the door such a violent kick that
it flew open. With his usual sweet smile on his lips, he looked at
Pinocchio and Lamp-Wick and said to them:
«Fine work, boys! You have brayed well, so well that I recognized your
voices immediately, and here I am.»
On hearing this, the two Donkeys bowed their heads in shame, dropped
their ears, and put their tails between their legs.
At first, the Little Man petted and caressed them and smoothed down
their hairy coats. Then he took out a currycomb and worked over them
till they shone like glass. Satisfied with the looks of the two little
animals, he bridled them and took them to a market place far away from
the Land of Toys, in the hope of selling them at a good price.
In fact, he did not have to wait very long for an offer. Lamp-Wick was
bought by a farmer whose donkey had died the day before. Pinocchio went
to the owner of a circus, who wanted to teach him to do tricks for his
audiences.
And now do you understand what the Little Man’s profession was? This
horrid little being, whose face shone with kindness, went about the
world looking for boys. Lazy boys, boys who hated books, boys who wanted
to run away from home, boys who were tired of school—all these were his
joy and his fortune. He took them with him to the Land of Toys and let
them enjoy themselves to their heart’s content. When, after months of
all play and no work, they became little donkeys, he sold them on the
market place. In a few years, he had become a millionaire.
What happened to Lamp-Wick? My dear children, I do not know. Pinocchio,
I can tell you, met with great hardships even from the first day.
After putting him in a stable, his new master filled his manger with
straw, but Pinocchio, after tasting a mouthful, spat it out.
Then the man filled the manger with hay. But Pinocchio did not like that
any better.
«Ah, you don’t like hay either?» he cried angrily. «Wait, my pretty
Donkey, I’ll teach you not to be so particular.»
Without more ado, he took a whip and gave the Donkey a hearty blow
across the legs.
Pinocchio screamed with pain and as he screamed he brayed:
«Haw! Haw! Haw! I can’t digest straw!»
«Then eat the hay!» answered his master, who understood the Donkey
perfectly.
«Haw! Haw! Haw! Hay gives me a headache!»
«Do you pretend, by any chance, that I should feed you duck or chicken?»
asked the man again, and, angrier than ever, he gave poor Pinocchio
another lashing.
At that second beating, Pinocchio became very quiet and said no more.
After that, the door of the stable was closed and he was left alone. It
was many hours since he had eaten anything and he started to yawn from
hunger. As he yawned, he opened a mouth as big as an oven.
Finally, not finding anything else in the manger, he tasted the hay.
After tasting it, he chewed it well, closed his eyes, and swallowed it.
«This hay is not bad,» he said to himself. «But how much happier I
should be if I had studied! Just now, instead of hay, I should be eating
some good bread and butter. Patience!»
Next morning, when he awoke, Pinocchio looked in the manger for more
hay, but it was all gone. He had eaten it all during the night.
He tried the straw, but, as he chewed away at it, he noticed to his
great disappointment that it tasted neither like rice nor like macaroni.
«Patience!» he repeated as he chewed. «If only my misfortune might serve
as a lesson to disobedient boys who refuse to study! Patience! Have
patience!»
«Patience indeed!» shouted his master just then, as he came into the
stable. «Do you think, perhaps, my little Donkey, that I have brought
you here only to give you food and drink? Oh, no! You are to help me
earn some fine gold pieces, do you hear? Come along, now. I am going
to teach you to jump and bow, to dance a waltz and a polka, and even to
stand on your head.»
Poor Pinocchio, whether he liked it or not, had to learn all these
wonderful things; but it took him three long months and cost him many,
many lashings before he was pronounced perfect.
The day came at last when Pinocchio’s master was able to announce an
extraordinary performance. The announcements, posted all around the
town, and written in large letters, read thus:
GREAT SPECTACLE TONIGHT
LEAPS AND EXERCISES BY THE GREAT ARTISTS
AND THE FAMOUS HORSES
of the
COMPANY
First Public Appearance
of the
FAMOUS DONKEY
called
PINOCCHIO
THE STAR OF THE DANCE
—-
The Theater will be as Light as Day
That night, as you can well imagine, the theater was filled to
overflowing one hour before the show was scheduled to start.
Not an orchestra chair could be had, not a balcony seat, nor a gallery
seat; not even for their weight in gold.
The place swarmed with boys and girls of all ages and sizes, wriggling
and dancing about in a fever of impatience to see the famous Donkey
dance.
When the first part of the performance was over, the Owner and Manager
of the circus, in a black coat, white knee breeches, and patent leather
boots, presented himself to the public and in a loud, pompous voice made
the following announcement:
«Most honored friends, Gentlemen and Ladies!
«Your humble servant, the Manager of this theater, presents himself
before you tonight in order to introduce to you the greatest, the most
famous Donkey in the world, a Donkey that has had the great honor in his
short life of performing before the kings and queens and emperors of all
the great courts of Europe.
«We thank you for your attention!»
This speech was greeted by much laughter and applause. And the applause
grew to a roar when Pinocchio, the famous Donkey, appeared in the circus
ring. He was handsomely arrayed. A new bridle of shining leather with
buckles of polished brass was on his back; two white camellias were tied
to his ears; ribbons and tassels of red silk adorned his mane, which was
divided into many curls. A great sash of gold and silver was fastened
around his waist and his tail was decorated with ribbons of many
brilliant colors. He was a handsome Donkey indeed!
The Manager, when introducing him to the public, added these words:
«Most honored audience! I shall not take your time tonight to tell you
of the great difficulties which I have encountered while trying to tame
this animal, since I found him in the wilds of Africa. Observe, I beg
of you, the savage look of his eye. All the means used by centuries of
civilization in subduing wild beasts failed in this case. I had finally
to resort to the gentle language of the whip in order to bring him to
my will. With all my kindness, however, I never succeeded in gaining my
Donkey’s love. He is still today as savage as the day I found him. He
still fears and hates me. But I have found in him one great redeeming
feature. Do you see this little bump on his forehead? It is this bump
which gives him his great talent of dancing and using his feet as nimbly
as a human being. Admire him, O signori, and enjoy yourselves. I let
you, now, be the judges of my success as a teacher of animals. Before
I leave you, I wish to state that there will be another performance
tomorrow night. If the weather threatens rain, the great spectacle will
take place at eleven o’clock in the morning.»
The Manager bowed and then turned to Pinocchio and said: «Ready,
Pinocchio! Before starting your performance, salute your audience!»
Pinocchio obediently bent his two knees to the ground and remained
kneeling until the Manager, with the crack of the whip, cried sharply:
«Walk!»
The Donkey lifted himself on his four feet and walked around the ring. A
few minutes passed and again the voice of the Manager called:
«Quickstep!» and Pinocchio obediently changed his step.
«Gallop!» and Pinocchio galloped.
«Full speed!» and Pinocchio ran as fast as he could. As he ran the
master raised his arm and a pistol shot rang in the air.
At the shot, the little Donkey fell to the ground as if he were really
dead.
A shower of applause greeted the Donkey as he arose to his feet. Cries
and shouts and handclappings were heard on all sides.
At all that noise, Pinocchio lifted his head and raised his eyes. There,
in front of him, in a box sat a beautiful woman. Around her neck she
wore a long gold chain, from which hung a large medallion. On the
medallion was painted the picture of a Marionette.
«That picture is of me! That beautiful lady is my Fairy!» said Pinocchio
to himself, recognizing her. He felt so happy that he tried his best to
cry out:
«Oh, my Fairy! My own Fairy!»
But instead of words, a loud braying was heard in the theater, so loud
and so long that all the spectators—men, women, and children, but
especially the children—burst out laughing.
Then, in order to teach the Donkey that it was not good manners to bray
before the public, the Manager hit him on the nose with the handle of
the whip.
The poor little Donkey stuck out a long tongue and licked his nose for a
long time in an effort to take away the pain.
And what was his grief when on looking up toward the boxes, he saw that
the Fairy had disappeared!
He felt himself fainting, his eyes filled with tears, and he wept
bitterly. No one knew it, however, least of all the Manager, who,
cracking his whip, cried out:
«Bravo, Pinocchio! Now show us how gracefully you can jump through the
rings.»
Pinocchio tried two or three times, but each time he came near the ring,
he found it more to his taste to go under it. The fourth time, at a look
from his master he leaped through it, but as he did so his hind legs
caught in the ring and he fell to the floor in a heap.
When he got up, he was lame and could hardly limp as far as the stable.
«Pinocchio! We want Pinocchio! We want the little Donkey!» cried the
boys from the orchestra, saddened by the accident.
No one saw Pinocchio again that evening.
The next morning the veterinary—that is, the animal doctor—declared
that he would be lame for the rest of his life.
«What do I want with a lame donkey?» said the Manager to the stableboy.
«Take him to the market and sell him.»
When they reached the square, a buyer was soon found.
«How much do you ask for that little lame Donkey?» he asked.
«Four dollars.»
«I’ll give you four cents. Don’t think I’m buying him for work. I want
only his skin. It looks very tough and I can use it to make myself a
drumhead. I belong to a musical band in my village and I need a drum.»
I leave it to you, my dear children, to picture to yourself the great
pleasure with which Pinocchio heard that he was to become a drumhead!
As soon as the buyer had paid the four cents, the Donkey changed hands.
His new owner took him to a high cliff overlooking the sea, put a stone
around his neck, tied a rope to one of his hind feet, gave him a push,
and threw him into the water.
Pinocchio sank immediately. And his new master sat on the cliff waiting
for him to drown, so as to skin him and make himself a drumhead.
CHAPTER 34
Pinocchio is thrown into the sea, eaten by fishes, and becomes a
Marionette once more. As he swims to land, he is swallowed by the
Terrible Shark.
Down into the sea, deeper and deeper, sank Pinocchio, and finally, after
fifty minutes of waiting, the man on the cliff said to himself:
«By this time my poor little lame Donkey must be drowned. Up with him
and then I can get to work on my beautiful drum.»
He pulled the rope which he had tied to Pinocchio’s leg—pulled and
pulled and pulled and, at last, he saw appear on the surface of the
water—Can you guess what? Instead of a dead donkey, he saw a very much
alive Marionette, wriggling and squirming like an eel.
Seeing that wooden Marionette, the poor man thought he was dreaming and
sat there with his mouth wide open and his eyes popping out of his head.
Gathering his wits together, he said:
«And the Donkey I threw into the sea?»
«I am that Donkey,» answered the Marionette laughing.
«You?»
«I.»
«Ah, you little cheat! Are you poking fun at me?»
«Poking fun at you? Not at all, dear Master. I am talking seriously.»
«But, then, how is it that you, who a few minutes ago were a donkey, are
now standing before me a wooden Marionette?»
«It may be the effect of salt water. The sea is fond of playing these
tricks.»
«Be careful, Marionette, be careful! Don’t laugh at me! Woe be to you,
if I lose my patience!»
«Well, then, my Master, do you want to know my whole story? Untie my leg
and I can tell it to you better.»
The old fellow, curious to know the true story of the Marionette’s life,
immediately untied the rope which held his foot. Pinocchio, feeling free
as a bird of the air, began his tale:
«Know, then, that, once upon a time, I was a wooden Marionette, just
as I am today. One day I was about to become a boy, a real boy, but on
account of my laziness and my hatred of books, and because I listened to
bad companions, I ran away from home. One beautiful morning, I awoke to
find myself changed into a donkey—long ears, gray coat, even a tail!
What a shameful day for me! I hope you will never experience one like
it, dear Master. I was taken to the fair and sold to a Circus Owner, who
tried to make me dance and jump through the rings. One night, during a
performance, I had a bad fall and became lame. Not knowing what to do
with a lame donkey, the Circus Owner sent me to the market place and you
bought me.»
«Indeed I did! And I paid four cents for you. Now who will return my
money to me?»
«But why did you buy me? You bought me to do me harm—to kill me—to
make a drumhead out of me!»
«Indeed I did! And now where shall I find another skin?»
«Never mind, dear Master. There are so many donkeys in this world.»
«Tell me, impudent little rogue, does your story end here?»
«One more word,» answered the Marionette, «and I am through. After
buying me, you brought me here to kill me. But feeling sorry for me, you
tied a stone to my neck and threw me to the bottom of the sea. That was
very good and kind of you to want me to suffer as little as possible and
I shall remember you always. And now my Fairy will take care of me, even
if you—«
«Your Fairy? Who is she?»
«She is my mother, and, like all other mothers who love their children,
she never loses sight of me, even though I do not deserve it. And today
this good Fairy of mine, as soon as she saw me in danger of drowning,
sent a thousand fishes to the spot where I lay. They thought I was
really a dead donkey and began to eat me. What great bites they took!
One ate my ears, another my nose, a third my neck and my mane. Some went
at my legs and some at my back, and among the others, there was one tiny
fish so gentle and polite that he did me the great favor of eating even
my tail.»
«From now on,» said the man, horrified, «I swear I shall never again
taste fish. How I should enjoy opening a mullet or a whitefish just to
find there the tail of a dead donkey!»
«I think as you do,» answered the Marionette, laughing. «Still, you must
know that when the fish finished eating my donkey coat, which covered
me from head to foot, they naturally came to the bones—or rather, in my
case, to the wood, for as you know, I am made of very hard wood. After
the first few bites, those greedy fish found out that the wood was not
good for their teeth, and, afraid of indigestion, they turned and ran
here and there without saying good-by or even as much as thank you to
me. Here, dear Master, you have my story. You know now why you found a
Marionette and not a dead donkey when you pulled me out of the water.»
«I laugh at your story!» cried the man angrily. «I know that I spent
four cents to get you and I want my money back. Do you know what I can
do; I am going to take you to the market once more and sell you as dry
firewood.»
«Very well, sell me. I am satisfied,» said Pinocchio. But as he spoke,
he gave a quick leap and dived into the sea. Swimming away as fast as he
could, he cried out, laughing:
«Good-by, Master. If you ever need a skin for your drum, remember me.»
He swam on and on. After a while, he turned around again and called
louder than before:
«Good-by, Master. If you ever need a piece of good dry firewood,
remember me.»
In a few seconds he had gone so far he could hardly be seen. All that
could be seen of him was a very small black dot moving swiftly on the
blue surface of the water, a little black dot which now and then lifted
a leg or an arm in the air. One would have thought that Pinocchio had
turned into a porpoise playing in the sun.
After swimming for a long time, Pinocchio saw a large rock in the middle
of the sea, a rock as white as marble. High on the rock stood a little
Goat bleating and calling and beckoning to the Marionette to come to
her.
There was something very strange about that little Goat. Her coat was
not white or black or brown as that of any other goat, but azure, a deep
brilliant color that reminded one of the hair of the lovely maiden.
Pinocchio’s heart beat fast, and then faster and faster. He redoubled
his efforts and swam as hard as he could toward the white rock. He was
almost halfway over, when suddenly a horrible sea monster stuck its head
out of the water, an enormous head with a huge mouth, wide open, showing
three rows of gleaming teeth, the mere sight of which would have filled
you with fear.
Do you know what it was?
That sea monster was no other than the enormous Shark, which has often
been mentioned in this story and which, on account of its cruelty, had
been nicknamed «The Attila of the Sea» by both fish and fishermen.
Poor Pinocchio! The sight of that monster frightened him almost to
death! He tried to swim away from him, to change his path, to escape,
but that immense mouth kept coming nearer and nearer.
«Hasten, Pinocchio, I beg you!» bleated the little Goat on the high
rock.
And Pinocchio swam desperately with his arms, his body, his legs, his
feet.
«Quick, Pinocchio, the monster is coming nearer!»
Pinocchio swam faster and faster, and harder and harder.
«Faster, Pinocchio! The monster will get you! There he is! There he is!
Quick, quick, or you are lost!»
Pinocchio went through the water like a shot—swifter and swifter. He
came close to the rock. The Goat leaned over and gave him one of her
hoofs to help him up out of the water.
Alas! It was too late. The monster overtook him and the Marionette found
himself in between the rows of gleaming white teeth. Only for a moment,
however, for the Shark took a deep breath and, as he breathed, he drank
in the Marionette as easily as he would have sucked an egg. Then he
swallowed him so fast that Pinocchio, falling down into the body of the
fish, lay stunned for a half hour.
When he recovered his senses the Marionette could not remember where he
was. Around him all was darkness, a darkness so deep and so black that
for a moment he thought he had put his head into an inkwell. He listened
for a few moments and heard nothing. Once in a while a cold wind blew
on his face. At first he could not understand where that wind was coming
from, but after a while he understood that it came from the lungs of the
monster. I forgot to tell you that the Shark was suffering from asthma,
so that whenever he breathed a storm seemed to blow.
Pinocchio at first tried to be brave, but as soon as he became convinced
that he was really and truly in the Shark’s stomach, he burst into sobs
and tears. «Help! Help!» he cried. «Oh, poor me! Won’t someone come to
save me?»
«Who is there to help you, unhappy boy?» said a rough voice, like a
guitar out of tune.
«Who is talking?» asked Pinocchio, frozen with terror.
«It is I, a poor Tunny swallowed by the Shark at the same time as you.
And what kind of a fish are you?»
«I have nothing to do with fishes. I am a Marionette.»
«If you are not a fish, why did you let this monster swallow you?»
«I didn’t let him. He chased me and swallowed me without even a ‘by your
leave’! And now what are we to do here in the dark?»
«Wait until the Shark has digested us both, I suppose.»
«But I don’t want to be digested,» shouted Pinocchio, starting to sob.
«Neither do I,» said the Tunny, «but I am wise enough to think that if
one is born a fish, it is more dignified to die under the water than in
the frying pan.»
«What nonsense!» cried Pinocchio.
«Mine is an opinion,» replied the Tunny, «and opinions should be
respected.»
«But I want to get out of this place. I want to escape.»
«Go, if you can!»
«Is this Shark that has swallowed us very long?» asked the Marionette.
«His body, not counting the tail, is almost a mile long.»
While talking in the darkness, Pinocchio thought he saw a faint light in
the distance.
«What can that be?» he said to the Tunny.
«Some other poor fish, waiting as patiently as we to be digested by the
Shark.»
«I want to see him. He may be an old fish and may know some way of
escape.»
«I wish you all good luck, dear Marionette.»
«Good-by, Tunny.»
«Good-by, Marionette, and good luck.»
«When shall I see you again?»
«Who knows? It is better not to think about it.»
CHAPTER 35
In the Shark’s body Pinocchio finds whom? Read this chapter, my
children, and you will know.
Pinocchio, as soon as he had said good-by to his good friend, the Tunny,
tottered away in the darkness and began to walk as well as he could
toward the faint light which glowed in the distance.
As he walked his feet splashed in a pool of greasy and slippery water,
which had such a heavy smell of fish fried in oil that Pinocchio thought
it was Lent.
The farther on he went, the brighter and clearer grew the tiny light. On
and on he walked till finally he found—I give you a thousand guesses,
my dear children! He found a little table set for dinner and lighted by
a candle stuck in a glass bottle; and near the table sat a little old
man, white as the snow, eating live fish. They wriggled so that, now and
again, one of them slipped out of the old man’s mouth and escaped into
the darkness under the table.
At this sight, the poor Marionette was filled with such great and sudden
happiness that he almost dropped in a faint. He wanted to laugh, he
wanted to cry, he wanted to say a thousand and one things, but all he
could do was to stand still, stuttering and stammering brokenly. At
last, with a great effort, he was able to let out a scream of joy and,
opening wide his arms he threw them around the old man’s neck.
«Oh, Father, dear Father! Have I found you at last? Now I shall never,
never leave you again!»
«Are my eyes really telling me the truth?» answered the old man, rubbing
his eyes. «Are you really my own dear Pinocchio?»
«Yes, yes, yes! It is I! Look at me! And you have forgiven me, haven’t
you? Oh, my dear Father, how good you are! And to think that I—Oh, but
if you only knew how many misfortunes have fallen on my head and how
many troubles I have had! Just think that on the day you sold your old
coat to buy me my A-B-C book so that I could go to school, I ran away to
the Marionette Theater and the proprietor caught me and wanted to burn
me to cook his roast lamb! He was the one who gave me the five gold
pieces for you, but I met the Fox and the Cat, who took me to the Inn of
the Red Lobster. There they ate like wolves and I left the Inn alone
and I met the Assassins in the wood. I ran and they ran after me, always
after me, till they hanged me to the branch of a giant oak tree. Then
the Fairy of the Azure Hair sent the coach to rescue me and the doctors,
after looking at me, said, ‘If he is not dead, then he is surely alive,’
and then I told a lie and my nose began to grow. It grew and it grew,
till I couldn’t get it through the door of the room. And then I went
with the Fox and the Cat to the Field of Wonders to bury the gold
pieces. The Parrot laughed at me and, instead of two thousand gold
pieces, I found none. When the Judge heard I had been robbed, he sent
me to jail to make the thieves happy; and when I came away I saw a fine
bunch of grapes hanging on a vine. The trap caught me and the Farmer put
a collar on me and made me a watchdog. He found out I was innocent when
I caught the Weasels and he let me go. The Serpent with the tail that
smoked started to laugh and a vein in his chest broke and so I went back
to the Fairy’s house. She was dead, and the Pigeon, seeing me crying,
said to me, ‘I have seen your father building a boat to look for you in
America,’ and I said to him, ‘Oh, if I only had wings!’ and he said to
me, ‘Do you want to go to your father?’ and I said, ‘Perhaps, but how?’
and he said, ‘Get on my back. I’ll take you there.’ We flew all night
long, and next morning the fishermen were looking toward the sea,
crying, ‘There is a poor little man drowning,’ and I knew it was you,
because my heart told me so and I waved to you from the shore—«
«I knew you also,» put in Geppetto, «and I wanted to go to you; but how
could I? The sea was rough and the whitecaps overturned the boat. Then
a Terrible Shark came up out of the sea and, as soon as he saw me in the
water, swam quickly toward me, put out his tongue, and swallowed me as
easily as if I had been a chocolate peppermint.»
«And how long have you been shut away in here?»
«From that day to this, two long weary years—two years, my Pinocchio,
which have been like two centuries.»
«And how have you lived? Where did you find the candle? And the matches
with which to light it—where did you get them?»
«You must know that, in the storm which swamped my boat, a large ship
also suffered the same fate. The sailors were all saved, but the ship
went right to the bottom of the sea, and the same Terrible Shark that
swallowed me, swallowed most of it.»
«What! Swallowed a ship?» asked Pinocchio in astonishment.
«At one gulp. The only thing he spat out was the main-mast, for it
stuck in his teeth. To my own good luck, that ship was loaded with meat,
preserved foods, crackers, bread, bottles of wine, raisins, cheese,
coffee, sugar, wax candles, and boxes of matches. With all these
blessings, I have been able to live happily on for two whole years, but
now I am at the very last crumbs. Today there is nothing left in the
cupboard, and this candle you see here is the last one I have.»
«And then?»
«And then, my dear, we’ll find ourselves in darkness.»
«Then, my dear Father,» said Pinocchio, «there is no time to lose. We
must try to escape.»
«Escape! How?»
«We can run out of the Shark’s mouth and dive into the sea.»
«You speak well, but I cannot swim, my dear Pinocchio.»
«Why should that matter? You can climb on my shoulders and I, who am a
fine swimmer, will carry you safely to the shore.»
«Dreams, my boy!» answered Geppetto, shaking his head and smiling sadly.
«Do you think it possible for a Marionette, a yard high, to have the
strength to carry me on his shoulders and swim?»
«Try it and see! And in any case, if it is written that we must die, we
shall at least die together.»
Not adding another word, Pinocchio took the candle in his hand and going
ahead to light the way, he said to his father:
«Follow me and have no fear.»
They walked a long distance through the stomach and the whole body of
the Shark. When they reached the throat of the monster, they stopped for
a while to wait for the right moment in which to make their escape.
I want you to know that the Shark, being very old and suffering from
asthma and heart trouble, was obliged to sleep with his mouth open.
Because of this, Pinocchio was able to catch a glimpse of the sky filled
with stars, as he looked up through the open jaws of his new home.
«The time has come for us to escape,» he whispered, turning to his
father. «The Shark is fast asleep. The sea is calm and the night is
as bright as day. Follow me closely, dear Father, and we shall soon be
saved.»
No sooner said than done. They climbed up the throat of the monster till
they came to that immense open mouth. There they had to walk on tiptoes,
for if they tickled the Shark’s long tongue he might awaken—and where
would they be then? The tongue was so wide and so long that it looked
like a country road. The two fugitives were just about to dive into the
sea when the Shark sneezed very suddenly and, as he sneezed, he gave
Pinocchio and Geppetto such a jolt that they found themselves thrown
on their backs and dashed once more and very unceremoniously into the
stomach of the monster.
To make matters worse, the candle went out and father and son were left
in the dark.
«And now?» asked Pinocchio with a serious face.
«Now we are lost.»
«Why lost? Give me your hand, dear Father, and be careful not to slip!»
«Where will you take me?»
«We must try again. Come with me and don’t be afraid.»
With these words Pinocchio took his father by the hand and, always
walking on tiptoes, they climbed up the monster’s throat for a second
time. They then crossed the whole tongue and jumped over three rows of
teeth. But before they took the last great leap, the Marionette said to
his father:
«Climb on my back and hold on tightly to my neck. I’ll take care of
everything else.»
As soon as Geppetto was comfortably seated on his shoulders, Pinocchio,
very sure of what he was doing, dived into the water and started to
swim. The sea was like oil, the moon shone in all splendor, and the
Shark continued to sleep so soundly that not even a cannon shot would
have awakened him.
CHAPTER 36
Pinocchio finally ceases to be a Marionette and becomes a boy
«My dear Father, we are saved!» cried the Marionette. «All we have to do
now is to get to the shore, and that is easy.»
Without another word, he swam swiftly away in an effort to reach land as
soon as possible. All at once he noticed that Geppetto was shivering and
shaking as if with a high fever.
Was he shivering from fear or from cold? Who knows? Perhaps a little
of both. But Pinocchio, thinking his father was frightened, tried to
comfort him by saying:
«Courage, Father! In a few moments we shall be safe on land.»
«But where is that blessed shore?» asked the little old man, more and
more worried as he tried to pierce the faraway shadows. «Here I am
searching on all sides and I see nothing but sea and sky.»
«I see the shore,» said the Marionette. «Remember, Father, that I am
like a cat. I see better at night than by day.»
Poor Pinocchio pretended to be peaceful and contented, but he was
far from that. He was beginning to feel discouraged, his strength was
leaving him, and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. He
felt he could not go on much longer, and the shore was still far away.
He swam a few more strokes. Then he turned to Geppetto and cried out
weakly:
«Help me, Father! Help, for I am dying!»
Father and son were really about to drown when they heard a voice like a
guitar out of tune call from the sea:
«What is the trouble?»
«It is I and my poor father.»
«I know the voice. You are Pinocchio.»
«Exactly. And you?»
«I am the Tunny, your companion in the Shark’s stomach.»
«And how did you escape?»
«I imitated your example. You are the one who showed me the way and
after you went, I followed.»
«Tunny, you arrived at the right moment! I implore you, for the love you
bear your children, the little Tunnies, to help us, or we are lost!»
«With great pleasure indeed. Hang onto my tail, both of you, and let me
lead you. In a twinkling you will be safe on land.»
Geppetto and Pinocchio, as you can easily imagine, did not refuse the
invitation; indeed, instead of hanging onto the tail, they thought it
better to climb on the Tunny’s back.
«Are we too heavy?» asked Pinocchio.
«Heavy? Not in the least. You are as light as sea-shells,» answered the
Tunny, who was as large as a two-year-old horse.
As soon as they reached the shore, Pinocchio was the first to jump to
the ground to help his old father. Then he turned to the fish and said
to him:
«Dear friend, you have saved my father, and I have not enough words
with which to thank you! Allow me to embrace you as a sign of my eternal
gratitude.»
The Tunny stuck his nose out of the water and Pinocchio knelt on the
sand and kissed him most affectionately on his cheek. At this warm
greeting, the poor Tunny, who was not used to such tenderness, wept
like a child. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he turned quickly,
plunged into the sea, and disappeared.
In the meantime day had dawned.
Pinocchio offered his arm to Geppetto, who was so weak he could hardly
stand, and said to him:
«Lean on my arm, dear Father, and let us go. We will walk very, very
slowly, and if we feel tired we can rest by the wayside.»
«And where are we going?» asked Geppetto.
«To look for a house or a hut, where they will be kind enough to give us
a bite of bread and a bit of straw to sleep on.»
They had not taken a hundred steps when they saw two rough-looking
individuals sitting on a stone begging for alms.
It was the Fox and the Cat, but one could hardly recognize them, they
looked so miserable. The Cat, after pretending to be blind for so many
years had really lost the sight of both eyes. And the Fox, old, thin,
and almost hairless, had even lost his tail. That sly thief had fallen
into deepest poverty, and one day he had been forced to sell his
beautiful tail for a bite to eat.
«Oh, Pinocchio,» he cried in a tearful voice. «Give us some alms, we beg
of you! We are old, tired, and sick.»
«Sick!» repeated the Cat.
«Addio, false friends!» answered the Marionette. «You cheated me once,
but you will never catch me again.»
«Believe us! Today we are truly poor and starving.»
«Starving!» repeated the Cat.
«If you are poor; you deserve it! Remember the old proverb which says:
‘Stolen money never bears fruit.’ Addio, false friends.»
«Have mercy on us!»
«On us.»
«Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb which says: ‘Bad wheat
always makes poor bread!'»
«Do not abandon us.»
«Abandon us,» repeated the Cat.
«Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb: ‘Whoever steals his
neighbor’s shirt, usually dies without his own.'»
Waving good-by to them, Pinocchio and Geppetto calmly went on their way.
After a few more steps, they saw, at the end of a long road near a clump
of trees, a tiny cottage built of straw.
«Someone must live in that little hut,» said Pinocchio. «Let us see for
ourselves.»
They went and knocked at the door.
«Who is it?» said a little voice from within.
«A poor father and a poorer son, without food and with no roof to cover
them,» answered the Marionette.
«Turn the key and the door will open,» said the same little voice.
Pinocchio turned the key and the door opened. As soon as they went in,
they looked here and there and everywhere but saw no one.
«Oh—ho, where is the owner of the hut?» cried Pinocchio, very much
surprised.
«Here I am, up here!»
Father and son looked up to the ceiling, and there on a beam sat the
Talking Cricket.
«Oh, my dear Cricket,» said Pinocchio, bowing politely.
«Oh, now you call me your dear Cricket, but do you remember when you
threw your hammer at me to kill me?»
«You are right, dear Cricket. Throw a hammer at me now. I deserve it!
But spare my poor old father.»
«I am going to spare both the father and the son. I have only wanted to
remind you of the trick you long ago played upon me, to teach you that
in this world of ours we must be kind and courteous to others, if we
want to find kindness and courtesy in our own days of trouble.»
«You are right, little Cricket, you are more than right, and I shall
remember the lesson you have taught me. But will you tell how you
succeeded in buying this pretty little cottage?»
«This cottage was given to me yesterday by a little Goat with blue
hair.»
«And where did the Goat go?» asked Pinocchio.
«I don’t know.»
«And when will she come back?»
«She will never come back. Yesterday she went away bleating sadly, and
it seemed to me she said: ‘Poor Pinocchio, I shall never see him again.
. .the Shark must have eaten him by this time.'»
«Were those her real words? Then it was she—it was—my dear little
Fairy,» cried out Pinocchio, sobbing bitterly. After he had cried a
long time, he wiped his eyes and then he made a bed of straw for old
Geppetto. He laid him on it and said to the Talking Cricket:
«Tell me, little Cricket, where shall I find a glass of milk for my poor
Father?»
«Three fields away from here lives Farmer John. He has some cows. Go
there and he will give you what you want.»
Pinocchio ran all the way to Farmer John’s house. The Farmer said to
him:
«How much milk do you want?»
«I want a full glass.»
«A full glass costs a penny. First give me the penny.»
«I have no penny,» answered Pinocchio, sad and ashamed.
«Very bad, my Marionette,» answered the Farmer, «very bad. If you have
no penny, I have no milk.»
«Too bad,» said Pinocchio and started to go.
«Wait a moment,» said Farmer John. «Perhaps we can come to terms. Do you
know how to draw water from a well?»
«I can try.»
«Then go to that well you see yonder and draw one hundred bucketfuls of
water.»
«Very well.»
«After you have finished, I shall give you a glass of warm sweet milk.»
«I am satisfied.»
Farmer John took the Marionette to the well and showed him how to draw
the water. Pinocchio set to work as well as he knew how, but long before
he had pulled up the one hundred buckets, he was tired out and dripping
with perspiration. He had never worked so hard in his life.
«Until today,» said the Farmer, «my donkey has drawn the water for me,
but now that poor animal is dying.»
«Will you take me to see him?» said Pinocchio.
«Gladly.»
As soon as Pinocchio went into the stable, he spied a little Donkey
lying on a bed of straw in the corner of the stable. He was worn out
from hunger and too much work. After looking at him a long time, he said
to himself: «I know that Donkey! I have seen him before.»
And bending low over him, he asked: «Who are you?»
At this question, the Donkey opened weary, dying eyes and answered in
the same tongue: «I am Lamp-Wick.»
Then he closed his eyes and died.
«Oh, my poor Lamp-Wick,» said Pinocchio in a faint voice, as he wiped
his eyes with some straw he had picked up from the ground.
«Do you feel so sorry for a little donkey that has cost you nothing?»
said the Farmer. «What should I do—I, who have paid my good money for
him?»
«But, you see, he was my friend.»
«Your friend?»
«A classmate of mine.»
«What,» shouted Farmer John, bursting out laughing. «What! You had
donkeys in your school? How you must have studied!»
The Marionette, ashamed and hurt by those words, did not answer, but
taking his glass of milk returned to his father.
From that day on, for more than five months, Pinocchio got up every
morning just as dawn was breaking and went to the farm to draw water.
And every day he was given a glass of warm milk for his poor old father,
who grew stronger and better day by day. But he was not satisfied with
this. He learned to make baskets of reeds and sold them. With the money
he received, he and his father were able to keep from starving.
Among other things, he built a rolling chair, strong and comfortable, to
take his old father out for an airing on bright, sunny days.
In the evening the Marionette studied by lamplight. With some of the
money he had earned, he bought himself a secondhand volume that had
a few pages missing, and with that he learned to read in a very short
time. As far as writing was concerned, he used a long stick at one end
of which he had whittled a long, fine point. Ink he had none, so he used
the juice of blackberries or cherries. Little by little his diligence
was rewarded. He succeeded, not only in his studies, but also in his
work, and a day came when he put enough money together to keep his old
father comfortable and happy. Besides this, he was able to save the
great amount of fifty pennies. With it he wanted to buy himself a new
suit.
One day he said to his father:
«I am going to the market place to buy myself a coat, a cap, and a pair
of shoes. When I come back I’ll be so dressed up, you will think I am a
rich man.»
He ran out of the house and up the road to the village, laughing and
singing. Suddenly he heard his name called, and looking around to see
whence the voice came, he noticed a large snail crawling out of some
bushes.
«Don’t you recognize me?» said the Snail.
«Yes and no.»
«Do you remember the Snail that lived with the Fairy with Azure Hair? Do
you not remember how she opened the door for you one night and gave you
something to eat?»
«I remember everything,» cried Pinocchio. «Answer me quickly, pretty
Snail, where have you left my Fairy? What is she doing? Has she forgiven
me? Does she remember me? Does she still love me? Is she very far away
from here? May I see her?»
At all these questions, tumbling out one after another, the Snail
answered, calm as ever:
«My dear Pinocchio, the Fairy is lying ill in a hospital.»
«In a hospital?»
«Yes, indeed. She has been stricken with trouble and illness, and she
hasn’t a penny left with which to buy a bite of bread.»
«Really? Oh, how sorry I am! My poor, dear little Fairy! If I had a
million I should run to her with it! But I have only fifty pennies. Here
they are. I was just going to buy some clothes. Here, take them, little
Snail, and give them to my good Fairy.»
«What about the new clothes?»
«What does that matter? I should like to sell these rags I have on to
help her more. Go, and hurry. Come back here within a couple of days
and I hope to have more money for you! Until today I have worked for my
father. Now I shall have to work for my mother also. Good-by, and I hope
to see you soon.»
The Snail, much against her usual habit, began to run like a lizard
under a summer sun.
When Pinocchio returned home, his father asked him:
«And where is the new suit?»
«I couldn’t find one to fit me. I shall have to look again some other
day.»
That night, Pinocchio, instead of going to bed at ten o’clock waited
until midnight, and instead of making eight baskets, he made sixteen.
After that he went to bed and fell asleep. As he slept, he dreamed of
his Fairy, beautiful, smiling, and happy, who kissed him and said to
him, «Bravo, Pinocchio! In reward for your kind heart, I forgive you for
all your old mischief. Boys who love and take good care of their parents
when they are old and sick, deserve praise even though they may not be
held up as models of obedience and good behavior. Keep on doing so well,
and you will be happy.»
At that very moment, Pinocchio awoke and opened wide his eyes.
What was his surprise and his joy when, on looking himself over, he saw
that he was no longer a Marionette, but that he had become a real live
boy! He looked all about him and instead of the usual walls of straw, he
found himself in a beautifully furnished little room, the prettiest he
had ever seen. In a twinkling, he jumped down from his bed to look on
the chair standing near. There, he found a new suit, a new hat, and a
pair of shoes.
As soon as he was dressed, he put his hands in his pockets and pulled
out a little leather purse on which were written the following words:
The Fairy with Azure Hair returns
fifty pennies to her dear Pinocchio
with many thanks for his kind heart.
The Marionette opened the purse to find the money, and behold—there
were fifty gold coins!
Pinocchio ran to the mirror. He hardly recognized himself. The bright
face of a tall boy looked at him with wide-awake blue eyes, dark brown
hair and happy, smiling lips.
Surrounded by so much splendor, the Marionette hardly knew what he was
doing. He rubbed his eyes two or three times, wondering if he were still
asleep or awake and decided he must be awake.
«And where is Father?» he cried suddenly. He ran into the next room, and
there stood Geppetto, grown years younger overnight, spick and span
in his new clothes and gay as a lark in the morning. He was once more
Mastro Geppetto, the wood carver, hard at work on a lovely picture
frame, decorating it with flowers and leaves, and heads of animals.
«Father, Father, what has happened? Tell me if you can,» cried
Pinocchio, as he ran and jumped on his Father’s neck.
«This sudden change in our house is all your doing, my dear Pinocchio,»
answered Geppetto.
«What have I to do with it?»
«Just this. When bad boys become good and kind, they have the power of
making their homes gay and new with happiness.»
«I wonder where the old Pinocchio of wood has hidden himself?»
«There he is,» answered Geppetto. And he pointed to a large Marionette
leaning against a chair, head turned to one side, arms hanging limp, and
legs twisted under him.
After a long, long look, Pinocchio said to himself with great content:
«How ridiculous I was as a Marionette! And how happy I am, now that I
have become a real boy!»
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