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 coffin 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.