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, t
he 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.
The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Page 10