Читать книгу Приключения Пиноккио / The adventures of Pinocchio. Уровень 1 - Карло Коллоди - Страница 2

Centuries ago there lived-

“A king!” my little readers will say immediately.

No, children, you are wrong. It was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood that can make cold rooms cozy and warm.

I do not know how this really happened, but one fine day this piece of wood found itself in the shop[1] of an old carpenter. His real name was Master Antonio, but everyone called him Master Cherry. The tip of his nose was so round and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.

As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Master Cherry enjoyed it. He mumbled to himself happily:

“Very well. I shall use it to make the leg of a table.”

He grasped the hatchet quickly to peel off the bark[2] and shape the wood. But suddenly he heard a wee, little voice:

“Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!”

Master Cherry was very surprised! He turned frightened eyes about the room to find out where that wee, little voice came from. And he saw no one! He looked under the bench-no one! He peeped inside the closet-no one! He searched among the shavings-no one! He opened the door-and still no one!

“Oh, I see!” he then said. “It is a hallucination! Well, well-to work once more.”

He tried to cut the piece of wood.

“Oh, oh! You hurt!” cried the same little voice.

Master Cherry was dumb. His eyes popped out of his head, his mouth opened wide, and his tongue hung down on his chin. Then he said:

“Where did that voice come from? There is no one around. Maybe this piece of wood can weep and cry like a child. I can hardly believe it. Here it is-a piece of firewood, the same as any other. Yet someone is in it. I’ll find him!”

With these words, he grabbed the log with both hands and started to beat it unmercifully. He threw it to the floor, against the walls of the room, and even up to the ceiling.

Where is the tiny voice? He waited two minutes-nothing; five minutes-nothing; ten minutes-nothing.

“Oh, I see,” he said. “It is just a hallucination! Well, well-to work once more.”

He picked up the plane[3] to make the wood smooth and even. But as he drew it to and fro[4], he heard the same tiny voice. This time it giggled:

“Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle my stomach.”

This time poor Master Cherry fell down on the floor.