Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

his cap, one yanked his little jacket from behind, one tried to draw a big mustache under his nose in ink, and one even tried to tie strings to his hands and feet to make him dance.
    For a while, Pinocchio maintained his composure and kept his distance. But finally, feeling his patience running out, he turned to the ones who were pestering him and making sport of him the most, and he told them sternly, “Watch out, boys, I didn’t come here to be the butt of your jokes. I respect others and I want to be respected.”
    â€œBravo, dunce! You speak like a printed book!” howled the rascals, falling over with laughter. And one of them, the cheekiest of the bunch, reached out his hand intending to seize the puppet by the end of his nose.
    But he wasn’t quick enough: Pinocchio stuck his leg out under the table and gave him a kick on the shins.
    â€œOuch! What hard feet!” cried the boy, rubbing the bruise the puppet had given him.
    â€œAnd what elbows—even harder than his feet!” said another, who in return for one of his rude tricks had received an elbow in the belly.
    The fact is that after that kick and that elbow, Pinocchio swiftly gained the admiration and the sympathy of all the boys in school. They all took a heartfelt liking to him and began showering him with affection.
    And even the teacher boasted about him, for he could see that Pinocchio was attentive, hardworking, intelligent, always the first to arrive at school and the last to get out of his seat at the end of the day.
    His only fault was knocking about with too many of his schoolmates. Among them were a bunch of rogues notorious for their lack of interest in studying or doing well in school.
    His teacher warned him every day, and even the good Fairy told him over and over again: “Watch out, Pinocchio! Sooner or later those naughty schoolmates of yours will end up causing you to lose all love for learning, and they might, just might, get you into some big trouble.”
    â€œDon’t worry!” the puppet replied, shrugging and tapping his index finger on his forehead, as if to say: “There’s a lot of good sense in here!”
    Then one fine day, as he was walking to school, he happened to run into his usual flock of friends. As they approached, they said, “Have you heard the big news?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œA shark as big as a mountain has appeared nearby in the sea.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œWe’re going to the beach to see it. You want to come, too?”
    â€œNot me. I want to go to school.”
    â€œWho cares about school? We can go to school tomorrow. One day more or less of school—we’ll still be the same old jackasses.”
    â€œBut what will the teacher say?”
    â€œThe teacher can say whatever he likes. He’s paid to spend his days grumbling.”
    â€œAnd my mother?”
    â€œMothers never know anything,” replied those rogues.
    â€œYou know what I’ll do?” Pinocchio said. “I want to see that Shark for certain reasons of my own—but I’ll go see it after school.”
    â€œSilly fool!” retorted one of the flock. “Do you think that a fish of that magnitude will hang around until it suits you? As soon as he gets bored, he’ll blunder off to someplace else, and that will be that.”
    â€œHow long does it take to get from here to the beach?” the puppet asked.
    â€œWe can be there and back in an hour.”
    â€œThen let’s go! And the last one there’s a rotten egg!”
    The starting signal having thus been given, that flock of rogues began to sprint across the fields, with their books and notebooks under their arms. And Pinocchio was always in the lead; he seemed to have wings on his feet.
    Every now and then he turned back to taunt his friends, who were a considerable distance behind him, and seeing them panting and gasping and covered with dust, their tongues hanging out, he