Many years ago, there lived—
“A king!” my little readers will say.
No, children, you are wrong. Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood. It was not expensive wood. It was just a common piece of firewood (wood that you burn to make heat). People put this kind of wood in a fire in winter to make a cold room feel warm.
I do not know how it happened. But one day, this piece of wood was in the shop of an old carpenter (a person who makes things from wood). His name was Mastro Antonio. Everyone called him Mastro Cherry because his nose was very round and red. It looked like a ripe cherry.
Mastro Antonio saw the piece of wood and he felt very happy. He rubbed his hands together. He said to himself, “This wood is good. I will use it to make a leg for a table.”
Mastro Antonio took his hatchet (a small tool with a sharp blade for cutting wood). He wanted to remove the bark (the hard outside skin of a tree) and shape the wood. He raised his arm to hit the wood. But he heard a very small voice.
The voice said, “Please be careful! Do not hit me hard!”
Mastro Antonio was very surprised. His funny face became even funnier. He looked around the room. He wanted to see the person with the small voice. But Mastro Antonio saw no one.
Mastro Antonio looked under his work bench. He saw no one. He looked inside his closet. He saw no one. He looked in the shavings (thin pieces of wood on the floor). He saw no one. Mastro Antonio opened the door and looked at the street. He still saw no one.
“Oh, I see!” Mastro Antonio said. He laughed and scratched his wig (hair made of silk or wool that you wear on your head). “I only thought I heard a voice. I will work again.”
Mastro Antonio hit the piece of wood hard.
“Oh, oh! You hurt me!” cried the same little voice.
Mastro Antonio could not speak. His eyes were very wide. His mouth opened and his tongue hung down. He was very afraid.
He started to shake. Mastro Antonio said, “Where is that voice? No one is here. Did this piece of wood learn to cry like a child? I do not believe it. This is just common wood for a fire. Is someone hidden inside the wood? I will fix him!”
Mastro Antonio grabbed the wood with both hands. He hit it against the walls. He threw it on the floor. He even threw it against the ceiling. He waited for the voice to cry.
He waited for two minutes. He heard nothing. He waited for five minutes. He heard nothing. He waited for ten minutes. He heard nothing.
“Oh, I see,” Mastro Antonio said. He tried to laugh. He moved his wig (hair made of silk or wool that you wear on your head) with his hand. “I only imagined the voice. I will work again.”
Mastro Antonio was very scared. He sang a happy song because he wanted to feel brave. He put away the hatchet (a small tool with a sharp blade for cutting wood).
He picked up his plane (a tool used to make wood smooth). He moved it back and forth on the wood. Then he heard the small voice again. This time, the voice laughed.
“Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle my stomach!” the voice said.
This time, Mastro Antonio fell down. He was very shocked. When he opened his eyes, he was sitting on the floor. His face was different now. He was so scared that his nose was not red. It was dark purple.