14 A “But” Instead of Boy

CHAPTER 14 A "But" Instead of Boy All seemed to be settled. Pinocchio had finally proven himself and was now ready to become a boy! However, in a certain puppet's life, there was always a "but," bound to spoil everything. "Can I go hand out invitations?" Pinocchio asked Fairy. "Of course," Fairy replied. "But be sure to be home before dark." "I promise," Pinocchio said. "It is easy to give a promise," Fairy warned,

"but not always so easy to keep it." "It's a cinch!" Pinocchio declared confidently. "We'll see," Fairy said. Pinocchio ran around town and, within an hour, handed out all of his invitations but one: Lamp-Wick's. Lamp-Wick was Pinocchio's best friend. His real name was Romeo, but everyone called him Lamp-Wick because of his long, thin, stringlike face. He was the laziest boy in school, but Pinocchio still loved him. It took a very long time, but finally Pinocchio found Lamp-Wick hiding in an alley. Lamp-Wick explained that he was waiting until sunset, at which point he planned to run far, far away. "How?" Pinocchio asked. "A wagon is going to come by and I am going to hop on," Lamp-Wick explained.

"But haven't you heard?" Pinocchio asked. "Tomorrow, I am going to become a real boy. I'm having a party and you have to come." "Terribly sorry," Lamp-Wick said, "but I told you, I leave tonight for Funland. It is a magical land, with no schools, teachers, or books. Every day is Saturday, except Sunday. All you do is play. You should come, too." Pinocchio had to admit, this magical place called Funland sounded wonderful. But he had made Fairy a promise, and he was about to become a boy! Just then he also recalled his additional promise to Fairy that he would return home before dark. And the sun was starting to set. "I've got to go!" he cried. "Fairy will scold me!" "Let her scold," scoffed Lamp-wick. "After a few minutes, she will get tired and stop." Pinocchio considered that. Then he asked,

"Are there really no schools in this Funland place? Not even the shadow of a school?" "Not a one." Both boys watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. "It is dark already," Lamp-wick pointed out. "You're already in trouble." The boys could hear the wheels of an approaching wagon in the distance. "Well..." that rascal Pinocchio said. When the wagon arrived, twelve pairs of donkeys were pulling it. Each one was a different color, and they were all wearing sneakers! The driver was a round, shiny little man with a big friendly smile. "Climb aboard, boys!" he cried. But the wagon was so packed with other boys that it looked like a can of sardines. There was simply no room.

"I'll sit up front with you," Lamp-Wick said to the driver. "And what about you?" the driver asked Pinocchio. "I'll just stay behind," Pinocchio said. "It's for the best. I'll just go home and study." "No!" cried Lamp-Wick and all of the other bad boys. "Come with us and we'll always be happy! We can play with toys and make lots of noise from morning until night!" "Well..." Pinocchio said, wavering. "Okay, but there's no room for me!" "You can ride one of the donkeys," the driver said. And climbing aboard, Pinocchio did just that. But as the donkeys galloped along the bumpy road, Pinocchio imagined he heard a very quiet voice whispering to him: "You are making a mistake." After about a mile or so, Pinocchio heard

the whispering again. "Oh, silly simpleton," it said. "Boys who run away from home and school can only come to no good. Someday you will realize that, but it will be too late." Spooked, Pinocchio jumped off of the donkey he had been riding and ran around to look him in the face. "Did you say something?" he asked. The donkey just stared at him blankly. But did Pinocchio imagine it, or was the donkey crying? "Don't you worry about that dumb animal," the driver snapped. "Climb back on and let's get on our way." Pinocchio obeyed and the wagon resumed its journey. The next morning, they finally reached the magical land of fun. And what a place it was! It was entirely composed of boys and toys. Everywhere you looked, boys were playing. Some played