Everyone has a surprise sometimes. But Pinocchio had a very strange surprise on this morning.
When Pinocchio woke up, he put his hand to his head. He felt something different. During the night, his ears grew very long.
Pinocchio always had very small ears. He could not even see them before. But now, his ears were as long as brushes.
Pinocchio wanted a mirror, but he did not have one. He put some water in a bowl and looked at his face. He saw a terrible thing. He had a beautiful pair of donkey ears.
Pinocchio felt very sad. He felt much shame. He began to cry and scream. He hit his head against the wall. But his ears only grew longer and hairier.
A Dormouse (a small animal that looks like a mouse and sleeps a lot) lived in the room above Pinocchio. The Dormouse heard Pinocchio and came downstairs.
The Dormouse asked, "What is the matter, my neighbor?"
Pinocchio said, "I am very sick, little Dormouse. I am very afraid. Please feel my pulse."
The Dormouse took the hand of Pinocchio. After a few minutes, the Dormouse looked at him sadly.
The Dormouse said, "My friend, I have bad news. You have a very bad fever."
Pinocchio asked, "What fever is it?"
The Dormouse answered, "It is the donkey fever."
Pinocchio began to understand. The Dormouse said, "In two or three hours, you will not be a marionette. You will not be a boy."
Pinocchio asked, "What will I be?"
The Dormouse said, "You will be a real donkey. You will pull heavy carts to the market."
Pinocchio cried and pulled his long ears. He was very angry with himself.
The Dormouse said, "Do not worry now. You cannot change it. Lazy boys who hate school always turn into donkeys."
Pinocchio sobbed. He said, "But it is not my fault. It is the fault of Lamp-Wick!"
The Dormouse asked who Lamp-Wick was. Pinocchio said Lamp-Wick was his friend.
Pinocchio said, "I wanted to study. I wanted to be a good boy. But Lamp-Wick told me to come to the Land of Toys. He said we would be happy there."
The Dormouse asked, "Why did you listen to him?"
Pinocchio said, "Because I am a silly marionette. I have no heart. I left the good Blue Fairy. She loved me and she was kind. Now I will never be a real boy."
Pinocchio wanted to find Lamp-Wick. But he was ashamed of his ears. He found a large cotton bag (a soft cloth container) and put it on his head. It covered his ears and his nose.
Pinocchio went outside. He looked for Lamp-Wick everywhere. He looked in the streets and in the theaters. Finally, he went to the house of Lamp-Wick and knocked on the door.
Lamp-Wick asked, "Who is it?"
Pinocchio said, "It is I!"
Lamp-Wick opened the door after thirty minutes. Pinocchio was very surprised. Lamp-Wick also had a large cotton bag on his head!
Pinocchio thought, "Lamp-Wick has the same sickness! He has donkey fever, too."
Pinocchio smiled and asked, "How are you, Lamp-Wick?"
Lamp-Wick said, "I am very well."
Pinocchio asked, "Why are you wearing that bag over your ears?"
Lamp-Wick said, "The doctor told me to wear it because my knee hurts. Why are you wearing a bag, Pinocchio?"
Pinocchio said, "The doctor told me to wear it because I hurt my foot."
The two friends were silent for a long time. They looked at each other.
Then Pinocchio asked, "Lamp-Wick, do your ears hurt?"
Lamp-Wick said, "Yes. Both of them. Do yours hurt?"
Pinocchio said, "Yes. Both of them. Maybe it is the same sickness."
Pinocchio said, "Let’s do something. Let’s take off our bags at the same time. One, two, three!"
They threw their bags into the air. When they saw each other, they did not feel sad. They began to laugh. They laughed until they cried.
But suddenly, Lamp-Wick stopped laughing. He could not stand up. He said, "Help me, Pinocchio! I am falling."
Pinocchio said, "I am falling, too!"
They both fell down on their hands and feet. Their arms became legs. Their faces became long snouts (the long nose and mouth of an animal). Gray hair grew on their backs.
Then, they both got tails. They were very ashamed. They tried to cry, but they could only bray. They made a loud noise: "Haw! Haw! Haw!"
Just then, someone knocked loudly on the door. A voice said, "Open the door! I am the Little Man. I am the driver of the wagon. Open the door now!"