The Adventures of Pinocchio (1904)/Chapter 36
While Pinocchio swam fast so as to reach the beach quickly, he perceived that his papa, who sat on his back, trembled just as if he had a high fever. Did he tremble from cold or fear? Who knows? Perhaps a little of both. But Pinocchio, believing that he trembled from fear, said to him in a comforting tone: “Courage, Papa! In a little while we shall arrive on the shore safe and sound.”
“But where is the shore?” asked the old man, becoming more and more uneasy and straining his eyes to see it, just as tailors do when they thread a needle. “Here we are, swimming all night; and I see only sky and sea.”
“But I see the shore,” said the marionette. “Through your skill in making me, I can see in the night as well as a cat.”
Poor Pinocchio pretended to be in good humor; but he was really beginning to lose heart. His strength was giving out and his breath growing shorter. In fact, he could not swim much longer and the shore could not be seen.
He swam until he had no more breath. Then he turned his head toward Geppetto and said in broken tones, “Help me, Papa, or I shall die.”
The father and the boy were nearly drowned when they heard a voice, like a guitar out of tune, saying, “Who is going to die?”
“My papa and I.”
“I recognize that voice. You are Pinocchio.”
“Exactly; and who are you?”
“I am Tunny, your companion in the Dogfish’s stomach.”
“How did you escape?”
“I followed your example. You taught me the way; and after I saw you go, I went also.”
“Oh, my friend, you have come just in time! I pray you, for the love you bear your little tunny fishes, to help us, or we are lost.”
“With all my heart! Get on my back and in a few minutes we shall reach land.”
As you may easily imagine, Geppetto and Pinocchio quickly accepted the invitation.
“Are we too heavy?” asked Pinocchio.
“Heavy? Why, you are like two shadows. It seems to me that I have two small shells on my back.”
When they arrived at the shore Pinocchio was the first to jump down, and he helped his papa. Then he turned to the Tunny and, with a voice that trembled with emotion, said: “My friend, you have saved my papa and me. I do not know how to thank you. Permit me to kiss you as a sign of eternal friendship.”
The Tunny put his nose out of the water, and Pinocchio, kneeling on the ground, gave the fish an affectionate kiss. At this sign of tenderness the poor Tunny, who was not accustomed to such kindness, felt himself so moved that he began to cry like a baby, and quickly sank into the water to hide his tears.
In the meantime the sun arose. Then Pinocchio, offering his arm to his papa, who was very weak, said: “Lean on my arm, dear Papa, and let us go. We will walk just as slowly as ants, and when we are tired we will rest ourselves.”
“And where shall we go?” asked Geppetto.
“In search of a house where we can get a bit to eat and some straw to lie upon.”
But they had not gone a hundred steps when they saw two ugly faces asking for money. They were the faces of the Fox and the Cat; but one would not have recognized them. Just think! the Cat who feigned to be blind had really become so, and the Fox’s hair was all shaggy and he had lost his tail.
“Oh, Pinocchio,” cried the Fox, “give a little charity to two old people.”
“Two old people,” repeated the Cat.
“Good-by, masqueraders,” replied Pinocchio; “you deceived me once and now you are paying for it.”
“Believe us, Pinocchio, we are to-day truly poor and starving.”
“Truly,” repeated the Cat.
“If you are poor, you deserve it. Remember the proverb that says, ‘Stolen money will never bear fruit.’ Good-by, deceivers!”
“Have compassion on us.”
“On us,” said the Cat.
“Good-by. Remember the proverb that says, ‘Stolen wheat always makes poor bread.’”
“Do not abandon us.”
“No, no!” said the Cat.
“Good-by. Remember the proverb, ‘Whoever steals the cloak of his neighbor usually dies without a shirt.’”
Geppetto and Pinocchio continued their walk until they saw a small farmhouse with a straw roof.
“That house is inhabited by some one,” said Pinocchio. “Let us go and knock at the door.”
“Who is there?” said a voice inside, when they had reached the house.
“We are a poor papa and his son, without bread or a home,” replied the marionette.
“Turn the key and the door will open,” said the same voice.
Pinocchio turned the key and the door opened. As soon as they entered the house they looked around, but saw no one. “Where is the master of this house?” asked Pinocchio, greatly surprised.
“Here I am, up here.”
Papa and son turned quickly and saw on a rafter the Talking Cricket.
“Oh, my dear Cricket!” said Pinocchio, saluting him politely.
“Now you call me your dear Cricket, do you not? Do you remember the time when you struck me with a hammer?”
“Yes, you were right, Cricket. Take a hammer and hit me, but spare my poor papa.”
“I will have pity on you both; but I wished to remind you of your ugly manners.”
“Yes, Cricket, you were right to tell me what you did. You were right, and I will bear in mind the lessons you have taught me. But tell me, how did you build such a nice large house?”
“This little house was given me yesterday by a beautiful Goat that had blue wool.”
“And where has the Goat gone?” asked Pinocchio, with lively curiosity.
“I do not know.”
“And when will it return?”
“Never. Yesterday it went away bleating. I thought I heard it say, ‘Poor Pinocchio! I shall never see him again. The Dogfish has swallowed him.’”
“It said that? Then it was she. It was the beautiful Fairy,” said Pinocchio, and he began to cry.
When he had cried a long time he dried his eyes and prepared a nice bed of straw for his papa. Then he said to the Talking Cricket, “Tell me, Cricket, where I can find a glass of milk for my poor papa.”
“Three fields from here you will see a farmer who has cows. Go to him and you will find the milk you seek.”
Pinocchio ran toward the farmer and said to him, “Will you please give me some milk?”
“How much do you want?”
“I want a glassful.”
“A glass of milk costs one cent. Where is the money?”
“I have nothing,” cried Pinocchio, mortified.
“If you have no money, I have no milk.”
“I am so sorry!” said Pinocchio.
“Wait a minute,” said the farmer; “I think we can arrange it. Do you know how to draw water from a well?”
“I can try.”
“Well, draw me one hundred bucketfuls and I will give you a glass of milk.”
“All right!”
Pinocchio worked so hard that when he had finished he was wet with perspiration from head to foot. He had never felt so tired in all his life.
“I have a little donkey that draws water for me; but to-day he is sick, poor thing!”
“May I see him?” asked Pinocchio.
“Certainly.”
As soon as Pinocchio saw the donkey he recognized him. “I think I know that donkey,” said he. Speaking to it in the donkey language, he asked, “Who are you?” At the question the donkey opened his eyes and replied in the same language, “I am Lamp Wick;” then he closed his eyes again.
“Oh, my poor Lamp Wick,” said Pinocchio in an undertone; and then he took a little hay and gave it to him.
“Why do you take so much interest in a donkey that is not worth a cent?” asked the farmer.
“I will tell you. He was a friend of mine.”
“Your friend?”
“Yes; a school companion.”
“How is that?” asked the farmer, bursting into laughter. “You had donkeys for school companions?”
The marionette felt so mortified at these words that he took the glass of milk and returned to his papa.
From that day, for five months afterward, Pinocchio continued to get up in the morning at daybreak to draw water for the farmer; and he gained only a little milk for his trouble. He was not contented with simply doing that; he learned to make straw mats and sold them to buy food for his daily wants. Among other things, he made a little cart so that he could take his papa out and give him a little fresh air.
In the evenings he practiced reading and writing. In fact, he behaved so nicely that his papa was overjoyed. One morning he said to Geppetto: “I am going to market to buy a jacket, a cap, and a pair of shoes. When I come back I shall be dressed like a real gentleman.”
Outside the house he began to run, because he was so happy. Suddenly he heard himself called by name, and, turning, he saw a beautiful Snail.
“Do you not know me?” asked the Snail.
“It seems to me— It seems to me—”
“Don’t you remember the Snail that lived with the beautiful Fairy with the Blue Hair?”
“I remember all,” cried Pinocchio. “Tell me quickly, where is the beautiful Fairy now?”
At these words the Snail replied with his usual slowness, “The beautiful Fairy lies ill in a hospital.”
“In a hospital?”
“Yes. Wounded by so many misfortunes, she is very sick and so poor that she eats only a mouthful of bread each day.”
“Truly? Oh, what a blow you have given me! Oh, my poor Fairy, my poor Fairy! If I had a million, I would give it all to you, but I have only forty cents, which I was going to use to buy some clothes. Take my money, Snail, and carry it quickly to the good Fairy.”
“And what about your clothes?”
“What does that matter? I would sell these rags in order to help her. Go, Snail, and in two days come back, and I will have some more money for her.”
The Snail began to get excited and ran as if a bird were after him.
When Pinocchio returned home his papa asked him, “Where are your new clothes?”
“I heard from the Snail that my good Fairy was ill in the hospital and so poor that she had no food, so I sent her the forty cents.”
That night, instead of going to bed, Pinocchio worked until midnight. Afterward he went to bed and slept. And while he slept he thought he saw the good Fairy, all beautiful and happy and smiling, who, after giving him a kiss, said: “Good Pinocchio! For your good heart I pardon all your misdeeds. Boys that help their parents lovingly in their troubles always deserve praise and affection.” Just here Pinocchio’s dream ended and he awoke with his eyes opened wide.
Now imagine, little readers, the great surprise of Pinocchio, upon waking, to find that he was no longer a wooden marionette, but that he had become a boy like all the others! He gave a glance around him and, instead of a bed of straw, he saw a room beautifully furnished. Jumping down from his bed, he found prepared for him a nice new suit, a new cap, and a pair of new shoes.
He had scarcely dressed himself when, like all boys who have a new suit, he put his hands into his pockets; and just imagine his surprise when he pulled out a small pocketbook of mother-of-pearl, on which were written these words: “The Fairy with the Blue Hair returns the forty cents to her dear Pinocchio and thanks him with all her heart.” Opening the pocketbook, he found, instead of forty pennies, forty pieces of gold.
Afterward he went to look in the looking-glass and he did not know himself. He saw no longer the reflection of a wooden marionette, but the image of a bright and intelligent boy with chestnut hair and large bright eyes. Pinocchio was greatly surprised. In the midst of these marvels that happened one after another he did not know whether it was all real or whether it was a dream.
“Where is my papa?” he cried suddenly. Then, entering the next room, he found Geppetto well and as young as when he first began his profession of carving.
“What does it all mean, dear Papa?” asked Pinocchio.
“It means that you deserve all this beautiful house,” said Geppetto.
“I deserve it? Why?”
“Because when bad boys become good, they make everything change for the better and make the whole family happy.”
“And the old wooden Pinocchio—where is it hidden?”
“There it is,” replied Geppetto, pointing to a wooden marionette leaning on a chair with its head limp, its arms hanging down, and its legs crossed, so that it was a wonder that it could stand at all.
Pinocchio turned to look at his old self; and after he had regarded it a little, he said to himself with great satisfaction: “How funny I was when I was a marionette! and how happy I am now that I have become a real live boy!”