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,“l(fā)et 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!”
匹諾曹的耳朵變成了驢耳朵。又過了一小會兒,他變成了一頭真正的驢子——而且開始像驢一樣叫。
每個人都曾經發(fā)現某個意外在等著自己。匹諾曹的生命中就有這種意外,只是不多。
這個意外是什么呢?我會告訴你們的,親愛的小讀者們。醒來時,匹諾曹抬起一只手摸他的頭,發(fā)現那兒——
猜猜看他發(fā)現了什么?
他發(fā)現夜間他的耳朵至少長了整整二十五厘米!
你一定知道,木偶一生下來,耳朵就很小,小得肉眼幾乎看不見。想象一下,當發(fā)現那兩個小巧玲瓏的器官一夜之間變得像鞋刷那么長,他是什么樣的感受吧!
他去找鏡子,但沒有找到任何鏡子,就往洗臉盆里倒?jié)M水,去看自己。他在盆里看到了他永遠不希望看到的東西,他看見他的影子頭上添了一對妙不可言的驢耳朵。
想一下,可憐的匹諾曹是多么傷心、羞恥和絕望??!
他開始又哭又叫,用腦袋去撞墻,但他越是尖叫,耳朵越長,耳朵上的毛也越多。
聽到刺耳的尖叫聲,一只睡鼠來到屋里。這是一只小肥睡鼠,住在樓上??吹侥九紓挠^,它擔心地問道:“怎么了,親愛的小鄰居?”
“我病了,小睡鼠,病得非常非常厲害——這病真讓我害怕!你知道怎么把脈嗎?”
“知道一點兒?!?/p>
“那給我把把脈,告訴我,看看我有沒有發(fā)燒。”
睡鼠用爪子夾住匹諾曹的手腕,過了一會兒,傷心地抬起頭說:“我的朋友,對不起,但我必須告訴你一個非常不幸的消息?!?/p>
“什么消息?”
“你在發(fā)高燒。”
“可是,發(fā)的是什么高燒?”
“驢高燒。”
“我對那種高燒一無所知?!蹦九蓟卮鹫f,開始完全明白他出了什么事。
“那我來告訴你?!彼笳f,“要知道,不出兩三個小時,你就不再是木偶,也不是男孩子了?!?/p>
“那我會是什么?”
“不出兩三個小時,你就要變成一頭真正的驢子,就像拉水果車去市場的驢子一樣?!?/p>
“噢,我做了什么呀?我做了什么呀?”匹諾曹哭叫著,兩手抓住兩只長耳朵,生氣地又拉又拽,好像這是別人的耳朵似的。
“我親愛的孩子,”睡鼠回答說,想要讓他振奮點兒,“現在為什么苦惱呢?覆水難收,你知道。命運已經判定,所有討厭書本、學校和老師,整天玩樂的懶孩子,早晚會變成驢子。”
“這是真的嗎?”木偶痛哭著問道。
“很抱歉這樣說。現在眼淚沒用。你以前早就該想到這一點!”
“可這不是我的錯。相信我,小睡鼠,請你相信我,全都是燈芯的錯?!?/p>
“這個燈芯是誰?”
“是我的一個同學。我想回家,我想聽話,我想學習,我想學有所成,但燈芯對我說:‘你為什么要浪費時間學習呢?你為什么想上學呢?跟我去玩具國吧。到了那兒,我們就再不用學習了,可以開開心心從早玩到晚?!?/p>
“那你為什么要聽那個假朋友的建議呢?”
“為什么?我的小睡鼠,因為我是一個木偶——沒頭腦,沒心肝。噢!只要我有一點兒心肝,就絕不會拋棄那個好心的仙女了。她曾那么愛我,對我那么好!現在,我不再是一個木偶了。我本該像我所有這些朋友一樣成為一個真正的男孩子??!噢,我要是碰見燈芯,我要叫他倒霉!我要罵他一通,罵他個狗血噴頭!”
說完這一長段話,匹諾曹走到屋門口。但是,他走到屋門口時,想起了自己的驢耳朵,不好意思讓大家看到,又退了回去,從一個架子上拿起一頂大棉帽戴在頭上,然后狠狠地往下拉,一直拉到鼻尖那兒。
這樣裝飾完后,他才走出去,到處找燈芯。他在街上找,在廣場上找,在戲棚里找,到處都找遍了,就是找不到燈芯。他見人就問,但誰也沒有看到燈芯。絕望之中,他又回到燈芯家,他敲了敲門。
“是誰呀?”燈芯從里面問道。
“是我!”木偶回答說。
“等一會兒?!?/p>
過了整整半小時,門才打開。另一個意外在等著匹諾曹!只見他的朋友站在屋里,頭上也戴著一頂大棉帽,也一直拉到鼻子底下。
匹諾曹看到那頂帽子,稍微心寬了些,暗自想道:“我的朋友肯定和我得的是同樣的??!我不知道他是不是也在發(fā)驢高燒?”
但是,他裝作什么也沒有看到,微笑著問道:“你好嗎,我親愛的燈芯?”
“很好,就像一只住在一塊意大利干酪里的老鼠?!?/p>
“是真的嗎?”
“我為什么要對你撒謊?”
“對不起,我的朋友,可你為什么戴那么一頂棉帽蓋住耳朵呀?”
“是醫(yī)生吩咐的,因為我的一個膝蓋疼。你呢,親愛的木偶,你為什么戴一頂棉帽蓋住鼻子呢?”
“也是醫(yī)生吩咐的,因為我的一只腳擦傷了。”
“噢,我可憐的匹諾曹!”
“噢,我可憐的燈芯!”
說完這番話,他們倆尷尬地沉默了好一陣子。在此期間,兩個朋友互相嘲笑著面面相覷。
最后,木偶用甜似蜜、柔如笛的聲音對同伴說道:
“告訴我,燈芯,我親愛的朋友,你是得了耳痛嗎?”
“從來沒有!你呢?”
“從來沒有!不過,從今天早上起,我的一只耳朵就一直在折磨我。”
“我也是。”
“你也是?是哪只耳朵?”
“兩只。你呢?”
“也是兩只。我怕我們可能得的是同樣的病。”
“我也怕。”
“你愿意幫我嗎,燈芯?”
“很樂意!打心底里樂意。”
“你讓我看看你的耳朵好嗎?”
“為什么不?可是,在我讓你看我的之前,我要看看你的,親愛的匹諾曹?!?/p>
“不,親愛的!先看你的,再看我的。”
“那好吧,”木偶說,“我們訂個協(xié)定。”
“讓我們聽聽這個協(xié)定。”
“讓我們一起脫下帽子,好嗎?”
“好。”
“那好,準備!”匹諾曹開始數道,“一!二!三!”
一說到三,兩個男孩子都脫下帽子,扔到了半空中。
隨后,發(fā)生了一幕讓人難以相信的情景,但這卻非常真實。匹諾曹和他的朋友燈芯一看到彼此遭遇同樣的不幸,沒有感到傷心和羞恥,而是開始相互取笑,最后他們突然放聲大笑。
他們笑啊笑啊笑,一個勁兒地笑個不停。
可燈芯突然不再笑了,他搖搖晃晃,差點兒摔倒。他臉色慘白地轉向匹諾曹說道:“救命啊,救命啊,匹諾曹!”
“怎么了?”
“噢,救救我!我再也站不住了。”
“我也站不住了?!逼ブZ曹叫道,笑聲變成了哭聲,身子搖搖晃晃。
他們一說完,就手腳并用趴在地上,開始滿屋亂跑亂跳。他們跑著跑著,胳膊變成了腿,臉變長,變成了驢子臉,背上長滿了長長的灰色的毛。
這夠丟臉了,但最丟臉的時刻是兩個可憐的家伙感覺自己長出了尾巴。他們既羞恥又傷心,開始哭叫,哀嘆自己的命運。
但是,最后他們連抱怨叫苦也辦不到了!他們發(fā)出的不是呻吟和哭叫,而是響亮的驢叫聲:嗷!嗷!嗷!
這時候,外面?zhèn)鱽砹隧懥恋那瞄T聲,一個聲音對他們喊道:“開門!我是小矮人,是帶你們到這兒來的車夫。馬上開門,我說,不然你們就倒霉了!”