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I . A Piece of Wood That Talked Once upon a time there was . . . “ A king ! ” my little readers will say at once . No , children , you are wrong . Once upon a time there was a piece of wood . It was just an ordinary log for the fire . One day this log came to the workshop of an old woodworker . His name was Master Antonio , but everyone called him Master Cherry , because the end of his nose was always red and shiny , like a ripe cherry . Master Cherry wanted to make a table leg from the log . But when he lifted his axe , he heard a tiny voice : “ Please don’t hit me so hard ! ” He looked everywhere , but there was nobody there . “ I only imagined it , ” he said , and he hit the log hard . “ Ow ! You hurt me ! ” cried the little voice . Master Cherry could not move for a long time . Then he took a tool to make the wood smooth . But the little voice laughed and said , “ Stop ! Stop ! You’re tickling me ! ” This time the poor man fell to the floor as if he were dead . He was so scared that the end of his nose turned blue . Just then someone knocked at the door . It was his friend Geppetto , a small old man who was full of life . The boys in the street called him Polendina , because his yellow wig , or false hair , looked like polenta , a yellow dish made from corn . Geppetto hated that name . “ Good morning , Master Antonio , ” said Geppetto . “ I want to make a wooden puppet that can dance and jump . Then I’ll travel around the world with it . Can you give me a piece of wood ? ” “ Well done , Polendina ! ” shouted the tiny voice . Geppetto went as red as a beetroot . He thought that his friend had said it , and soon the two old men were fighting . In the end , Master Antonio had Geppetto’s wig in his hands , and Geppetto had his friend’s grey wig in his mouth . They gave the wigs back and promised to be friends for ever . Then Master Antonio gave away the log , very glad to get rid of it . Geppetto lived in a small , poor room . On the wall there was a fire with a pot boiling on it , but it was only a painting . As soon as he got home , Geppetto started work . “ I’ll call him Pinocchio , ” he said . “ It’s a lucky name . I once knew a whole family of Pinocchios , and they all did very well . The richest one was a beggar . ” First he made the hair and the eyes . Imagine his surprise when the eyes moved and looked at him ! Next he made the nose , and the nose began to grow . Geppetto cut it shorter , but the more he cut , the longer it grew . Then he made the mouth , and the mouth began to laugh at him . The moment the hands were ready , the puppet pulled off Geppetto’s wig and put it on his own head . “ You naughty boy ! ” said Geppetto sadly . “ You aren’t even finished yet ! ” And when he made the feet , he got a kick on the nose .
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