Pinocchio was afraid of the dark. But he was very hungry. He ran out of the house. The night was very dark. There was thunder. There was lightning. A cold wind blew dust into the air. The trees moved and made strange noises.
Pinocchio was afraid of the storm. But he was more afraid of hunger. He ran fast to the village. He was very tired and out of breath.
The village was dark. All the stores were closed. All the doors and windows were shut. No one was in the street. Not even a dog.
Pinocchio was desperate. He ran to a house and rang the bell many times. He said to himself, “Someone will answer.”
He was right. An old man in a nightcap opened the window. He looked out.
“What do you want?” the old man asked angrily.
“Please give me some bread. I am hungry,” Pinocchio said.
“Wait a minute. I will be right back,” the old man said. The old man thought Pinocchio was a naughty boy who liked to wake people up.
A minute later, the old man called out:
“Stand under the window and hold out your hat!”
Pinocchio had no hat. But he stood under the window. Suddenly, a lot of cold water fell on his wooden head. It fell on his shoulders and his whole body.
Pinocchio went home. He was very wet. He was very tired and hungry.
He was too tired to stand. He sat on a small chair. He put his two feet on the stove to dry them.
Pinocchio fell asleep. While he slept, his wooden feet began to burn. Very slowly, they became black. They turned into ashes.
Pinocchio continued to sleep. He did not feel anything. In the morning, he opened his eyes. He heard a loud knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Pinocchio asked. He rubbed his eyes.
“It is me,” a voice answered.
It was the voice of Geppetto.