The Adventures of Pinocchio






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The Adventures of Pinocchio
    There was once upon a time

    'A king!' my little listeners will shout together. No, children.

    Once upon a time there was a piece of wood, just a common piece of firewood to put on the fire in winter. One fine day this piece of wood happened to be in the shop of an old carpenter whose real name was Mr Antonio, but everyone called him Mr Cherry, because the tip of his nose was always as red and shiny as a ripe cherry. As soon as he saw the piece of wood, Mr Cherry was delighted. Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbled to himself:

    'This has come in the nick of time. I shall use it to make the leg of a table.'

    He grasped the axe quickly to peel off the bark and shape the wood. But just as he was about to give it the first blow, he stopped with his arm in the air, for he had heard a tiny voice begging him gently 'Please be careful! You can imagine old Mr Cherry's surprise.

    He looked about the room to find out where the tiny voice had come from and he saw no one! He looked under the bench--nobody! He searched among the shavings-- nobody! He opened the door to look up and down the street--and still nobody!

    'Oh, I see!' he said, I must have imagined that tiny voice. Well--to work once more.'

    He raised his axe again, and down it went on the piece of wood.

    'Oh, oh! You hurt me!' cried the same little voice.

    Mr Cherry grew dumb. As soon as he could speak, he said, trembling and stuttering from fright:

    'Where did that voice come from. This piece of wood is nothing, firewood like all the others Is someone hidden inside it? If so, so much the worse for him. I'll fix him!' And he took the poor piece of wood in both hands and, without mercy, started to beat it against the wall. Then he stopped and listened for the tiny voice to cry. He waited two minutes--nothing; five minutes--nothing; ten minutes--still nothing.

    'I must have imagined that tiny voice! Well, to work once more!'

    And because he was frightened, he began singing to encourage himself. Meanwhile he put the axe down and taking his plane began planing and shaping the wood. But while the plane went to and fro, he heard the same tiny voice. This time it giggled :

    'Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You're tickling me.'

    This time, poor Mr Cherry fell as if struck by lightening. When he opened his eyes, he was sitting on the floor. The tip of his nose, which was always red, had turned blue with fright.

    In that moment, somebody knocked on the door. 'Come in,' said Mr Cherry, too weak to stand up.

    A little, jolly old man came into the shop. His name was Geppetto.

    'What brought you here, Mr Geppetto?'

    'I have come to ask you a favour.'

    'Here I am, at your service,' answered the carpenter, getting to his knees.

    'I want a piece of wood to make a Marionette. Will you give it to me?'

    Mr Antonio, pleased as Punch, hurried to his bench to get the piece of wood which had frightened him so much.