Geppetto’s house was very small. But it was clean. It was one room on the ground floor. It had a tiny window under the stairs.
The furniture was very simple. He had an old chair and a rickety (old, weak, and likely to break) bed. He had a table that was falling apart. On the wall, Geppetto had a painting of a fire. Above the fire, there was a painting of a pot. The pot looked like it was boiling.
Geppetto took his tools. He began to cut the wood. He wanted to make a marionette (a wooden doll that moves with strings).
“What name will I give him?” Geppetto asked himself. “I will call him Pinocchio. This name will bring him luck. I knew a family of Pinocchios once. They were all lucky. Even the poorest one was happy.”
Geppetto started to work. He made the hair and the forehead. Then he made the eyes. He was very surprised. The eyes moved! They looked at Geppetto. Geppetto felt bad.
“Ugly wooden eyes, why do you look at me?” Geppetto asked. The eyes did not answer.
Next, Geppetto made the nose. As soon as it was finished, it began to grow. It grew and it grew. It became very long. Geppetto cut the nose. But the nose grew more. It was an impertinent (rude and not showing respect) nose. Geppetto stopped cutting it.
Next, he made the mouth. The mouth began to laugh at Geppetto.
“Stop laughing!” Geppetto said. He was angry. But the mouth did not stop.
“Stop laughing, I say!” Geppetto shouted loudly. The mouth stopped laughing. But it stuck out a long tongue.
Geppetto continued his work. He made the neck and the shoulders. He made the stomach, the arms, and the hands. Then Geppetto felt something. His yellow wig was gone!
Pinocchio had the wig in his hand. “Pinocchio, give me my wig!” Geppetto cried.
Pinocchio did not give it back. He put the wig on his own head. The wig was too big for him.
Geppetto was very sad. “Pinocchio, you are a bad boy!” Geppetto cried. “I have not finished you, but you are already impudent (rude and not showing respect). This is very bad, my son!” Geppetto cried a little.
Next, Geppetto made the legs and the feet. Then he felt a hard kick on his nose.
“I deserve this!” Geppetto said. “I should have thought about this before. Now it is too late.”
Geppetto picked up the marionette (a wooden doll that moves with strings). He put Pinocchio on the floor. He wanted to teach Pinocchio to walk.
Pinocchio’s legs were very stiff. Geppetto held Pinocchio’s hand. He showed him how to move his feet. Soon, Pinocchio could walk by himself.
Pinocchio ran around the room. He saw the open door. He jumped out into the street. He ran away!
Poor Geppetto ran after him. But Geppetto could not catch Pinocchio. Pinocchio was very fast. His wooden feet made a lot of noise on the street.
“Catch him! Catch him!” Geppetto shouted. The people on the street saw the wooden doll. They stood still and laughed.
Finally, a carabineer (a type of police officer) heard the noise. He thought a horse was running away. He stood in the middle of the street. He wanted to stop Pinocchio.
Pinocchio tried to run between the officer's legs. But he failed. The carabineer (a type of police officer) grabbed Pinocchio by the nose. He gave the doll back to Geppetto.
Geppetto wanted to pull Pinocchio’s ears. But he looked and saw no ears. He forgot to make them!
Geppetto grabbed Pinocchio by the neck. “We are going home,” Geppetto said. “When we get home, I will punish you!”
Pinocchio heard this. He threw himself on the ground. He refused to walk. Many people gathered around them.
“Poor doll,” a man said. “I am not surprised he is afraid. Geppetto is a mean man. He will hit the doll!”
“Geppetto looks good,” another man said. “But he is a tyrant (a cruel leader or person). He might break the doll!”
The people said many things. Finally, the officer let Pinocchio go free. He took Geppetto to prison instead.
Geppetto was very sad. He cried like a child. “I tried so hard to make a good doll,” Geppetto said. “I am an old fool.”
What happened next is a very strange story. You can read it in the next chapters.