Pinocchio started his journey again. He talked to himself as he walked. He thought that boys were very unlucky. He said that everyone wanted to give him advice. He felt that everyone wanted to be his father or mother.
Pinocchio thought about the Talking Cricket. He did not listen to the Cricket. He wondered if bad things would happen now. But Pinocchio did not believe in Assassins. He thought parents invented them to frighten children.
Pinocchio said to himself, "If I meet them, I will not be afraid. I will tell them to go away. They will run away from me." He felt very brave. But he also thought that he could run away if he needed to.
Suddenly, Pinocchio heard a sound in the leaves behind him. He turned to look. He saw two big, black shadows in the darkness. They wore black sacks over their bodies. They moved toward Pinocchio very quietly.
"Here they come!" Pinocchio thought. He did not know where to hide his four gold coins. He put the coins under his tongue. Then he tried to run away.
The two men grabbed Pinocchio by the arms. They had deep, horrible voices. They said, "Your money or your life!" Pinocchio had the coins in his mouth. He could not speak.
Pinocchio moved his head and hands. He tried to show the men that he was just a poor puppet. He wanted them to think he had no money. The two thieves became angry. They told Pinocchio to give them the money.
Pinocchio shook his head again. He used his hands to say, "I do not have a penny." The taller man said, "Give us the money or you are a dead man." The other man repeated his words.
The men said they would kill Pinocchio and then kill his father. Pinocchio was very afraid. He screamed, "No, no! Not my father!" When he screamed, the gold coins made a noise in his mouth.
The men heard the noise. They knew the money was under Pinocchio's tongue. They told Pinocchio to give them the coins. But Pinocchio was stubborn and kept his mouth shut.
The men tried to force his mouth open. One man grabbed Pinocchio's nose. The other man grabbed Pinocchio's chin. They pulled and pulled, but the puppet’s lips stayed closed.
The smaller man took a long knife from his pocket. He tried to open Pinocchio's mouth with the knife. Pinocchio was very fast. He bit the man’s hand very hard.
Pinocchio bit the hand off and spat it out. He was very surprised. It was not a human hand. It was a cat’s paw. Pinocchio felt strong now. He jumped over some bushes and ran into the fields.
The two men chased Pinocchio. They were like two dogs chasing a hare (a large rabbit with long ears). Pinocchio ran for seven miles. He was very tired. He saw a giant pine tree and climbed to the top.
The men tried to climb the tree, but they fell down. They did not stop. They gathered wood and put it under the tree. They started a fire. The tree began to burn like a big candle.
Pinocchio saw the flames coming up. He did not want to burn. He jumped to the ground and ran again. The men were close behind him.
The sun started to rise. Suddenly, Pinocchio saw a deep pool of water. The water was the color of muddy coffee. Pinocchio jumped across the water. One, two, three!
The two men jumped too, but they were not careful. They fell into the middle of the water with a loud splash. Pinocchio laughed. He said, "I hope you enjoy your bath!"
Pinocchio thought they were dead. He turned his head to see. But the two black figures were still coming. Their black sacks were wet, but they did not stop.
CHAPTER 15
The Assassins chase Pinocchio. They catch him and hang him from a big tree.
Pinocchio ran and ran. He felt very tired. He thought the men would catch him soon. Then, he saw a small house among the trees. The house was white like snow.
Pinocchio thought, "If I reach that house, I will be safe." He ran through the woods as fast as he could. The men were still behind him.
Pinocchio reached the house after an hour. He was out of breath. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He heard the men coming closer. He knocked again very hard.
Pinocchio began to kick the door because he was desperate. A window opened. A lovely Maiden (a young woman) looked out. She had blue hair and a white face. Her eyes were closed.
The girl spoke with a very weak voice. She said, "No one lives here. Everyone is dead." Pinocchio begged her to open the door. The girl said, "I am also dead."
Pinocchio asked, "Why are you at the window then?" The girl said she was waiting for a box to take her away. Then she disappeared and the window closed.
Pinocchio cried out to the girl with blue hair. He asked for help. But then, two strong hands grabbed his neck. The men said, "Now we have you!"
Pinocchio was shaking with fear. The gold coins made a noise in his mouth. The men told him to open his mouth. Pinocchio did not answer.
The men took out two sharp knives. They hit Pinocchio's back with the knives. But Pinocchio was made of hard wood. The knives broke into many small pieces.
The men were very surprised. They looked at the handles of their broken knives. One man said, "We must hang him." The other man agreed.
They tied Pinocchio's hands behind him. They put a noose (a circle of rope that becomes tight) around his neck. They threw the rope over a branch of a giant oak tree. They pulled the rope until Pinocchio was high in the air.
The men sat on the grass. They waited for Pinocchio to die. But after three hours, Pinocchio’s eyes were still open. He was still moving his legs.
The men were tired of waiting. They said, "Good-bye. We will come back tomorrow morning. We hope you will be dead then." Then the men walked away.
A strong wind started to blow. The wind moved Pinocchio back and forth. The rope became very tight around his neck. He could not breathe well.
Pinocchio felt that death was near. He hoped someone would save him, but no one came. He thought about his father. He whispered, "Oh, Father! I wish you were here!"
These were his last words. Pinocchio closed his eyes. He opened his mouth and his legs became still. He hung there like he was dead.