CHAPTER 20

Freed from prison, Pinocchio sets out to return to the Fairy;

but on the way he meets a Serpent and later is caught in a trap





Fancy the happiness of Pinocchio on finding himself free!

Without saying yes or no, he fled from the city and set

out on the road that was to take him back to the house of

the lovely Fairy.



It had rained for many days, and the road was so muddy

that, at times, Pinocchio sank down almost to his knees.



But he kept on bravely.



Tormented by the wish to see his father and his fairy

sister with azure hair, he raced like a greyhound. As he

ran, he was splashed with mud even up to his cap.



"How unhappy I have been," he said to himself. "And

yet I deserve everything, for I am certainly very stubborn

and stupid! I will always have my own way. I won't

listen to those who love me and who have more brains

than I. But from now on, I'll be different and I'll try to

become a most obedient boy. I have found out, beyond

any doubt whatever, that disobedient boys are certainly

far from happy, and that, in the long run, they always

lose out. I wonder if Father is waiting for me. Will I

find him at the Fairy's house? It is so long, poor man,

since I have seen him, and I do so want his love and his

kisses. And will the Fairy ever forgive me for all I have

done? She who has been so good to me and to whom I

owe my life! Can there be a worse or more heartless

boy than I am anywhere?"



As he spoke, he stopped suddenly, frozen with terror.



What was the matter? An immense Serpent lay stretched

across the road--a Serpent with a bright green skin,

fiery eyes which glowed and burned, and a pointed tail

that smoked like a chimney.



How frightened was poor Pinocchio! He ran back

wildly for half a mile, and at last settled himself atop a

heap of stones to wait for the Serpent to go on his way

and leave the road clear for him.



He waited an hour; two hours; three hours; but the

Serpent was always there, and even from afar one could

see the flash of his red eyes and the column of smoke

which rose from his long, pointed tail.



Pinocchio, trying to feel very brave, walked straight up

to him and said in a sweet, soothing voice:



"I beg your pardon, Mr. Serpent, would you be so

kind as to step aside to let me pass?"



He might as well have talked to a wall. The Serpent

never moved.



Once more, in the same sweet voice, he spoke:



"You must know, Mr. Serpent, that I am going home

where my father is waiting for me. It is so long since I

have seen him! Would you mind very much if I passed?"



He waited for some sign of an answer to his questions,

but the answer did not come. On the contrary, the green

Serpent, who had seemed, until then, wide awake and full

of life, became suddenly very quiet and still. His eyes

closed and his tail stopped smoking.



"Is he dead, I wonder?" said Pinocchio, rubbing his

hands together happily. Without a moment's hesitation,

he started to step over him, but he had just raised one leg

when the Serpent shot up like a spring and the Marionette

fell head over heels backward. He fell so awkwardly

that his head stuck in the mud, and there he stood with

his legs straight up in the air.



At the sight of the Marionette kicking and squirming

like a young whirlwind, the Serpent laughed so heartily

and so long that at last he burst an artery and died on the spot.



Pinocchio freed himself from his awkward position and

once more began to run in order to reach the Fairy's

house before dark. As he went, the pangs of hunger grew

so strong that, unable to withstand them, he jumped into

a field to pick a few grapes that tempted him. Woe to him!



No sooner had he reached the grapevine than--crack!

went his legs.



The poor Marionette was caught in a trap set there by

a Farmer for some Weasels which came every night to

steal his chickens.

****

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