登陆注册
5190000000015

第15章

The Assassins chase Pinocchio, catch him, and hang him to the branch of a giant oak treeAs he ran, the Marionette felt more and more certain that he would have to give himself up into the hands of his pursuers.Suddenly he saw a little cottage gleaming white as the snow among the trees of the forest.

"If I have enough breath left with which to reach that little house, I may be saved," he said to himself.

Not waiting another moment, he darted swiftly through the woods, the Assassins still after him.

After a hard race of almost an hour, tired and out of breath, Pinocchio finally reached the door of the cottage and knocked.No one answered.

He knocked again, harder than before, for behind him he heard the steps and the labored breathing of his persecutors.The same silence followed.

As knocking was of no use, Pinocchio, in despair, began to kick and bang against the door, as if he wanted to break it.At the noise, a window opened and a lovely maiden looked out.She had azure hair and a face white as wax.Her eyes were closed and her hands crossed on her breast.With a voice so weak that it hardly could be heard, she whispered:

"No one lives in this house.Everyone is dead.""Won't you, at least, open the door for me?"cried Pinocchio in a beseeching voice.

"I also am dead."

"Dead? What are you doing at the window, then?""I am waiting for the coffin to take me away."After these words, the little girl disappeared and the window closed without a sound.

"Oh, Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair," cried Pinocchio, "open, I beg of you.Take pity on a poor boy who is being chased by two Assass--"He did not finish, for two powerful hands grasped him by the neck and the same two horrible voices growled threateningly: "Now we have you!"The Marionette, seeing death dancing before him, trembled so hard that the joints of his legs rattled and the coins tinkled under his tongue.

"Well," the Assassins asked, "will you open your mouth now or not? Ah! You do not answer? Very well, this time you shall open it."Taking out two long, sharp knives, they struck two heavy blows on the Marionette's back.

Happily for him, Pinocchio was made of very hard wood and the knives broke into a thousand pieces.The Assassins looked at each other in dismay, holding the handles of the knives in their hands.

"I understand," said one of them to the other, "there is nothing left to do now but to hang him.""To hang him," repeated the other.

They tied Pinocchio's hands behind his shoulders and slipped the noose around his neck.Throwing the rope over the high limb of a giant oak tree, they pulled till the poor Marionette hung far up in space.

Satisfied with their work, they sat on the grass waiting for Pinocchio to give his last gasp.But after three hours the Marionette's eyes were still open, his mouth still shut and his legs kicked harder than ever.

Tired of waiting, the Assassins called to him mockingly:

"Good-by till tomorrow.When we return in the morning, we hope you'll be polite enough to let us find you dead and gone and with your mouth wide open."With these words they went.

A few minutes went by and then a wild wind started to blow.As it shrieked and moaned, the poor little sufferer was blown to and fro like the hammer of a bell.

The rocking made him seasick and the noose, becoming tighter and tighter, choked him.Little by little a film covered his eyes.

Death was creeping nearer and nearer, and the Marionette still hoped for some good soul to come to his rescue, but no one appeared.As he was about to die, he thought of his poor old father, and hardly conscious of what he was saying, murmured to himself:

"Oh, Father, dear Father! If you were only here!"These were his last words.He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his legs, and hung there, as if he were dead.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 图书馆事件

    图书馆事件

    杨雪误打误撞的捡到一本看起普通,实际自带黑科技系统的纸质装帧书。每一页能像Pad旋转一样方便,但每一页的内容都费解难懂……象形文字、神秘图腾、字体的变换莫测,等待杨雪的可能是一个冒险,又或许是另一个未知的领域……
  • 君子风

    君子风

    工作是嘉兴市中级法院的一名法官。已发表小说100万余字,散见于《小说选刊》、《中篇小说选刊》、《中国作家》、《江南》、《山花》、《百花洲》等期刊。
  • 锦江禅灯

    锦江禅灯

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 花开半世羞

    花开半世羞

    传说,绝情蛊,得者,断尽红尘。他是堂堂太子殿下,可为寻找解药隐藏身份,不近红尘。清冷淡漠,薄情无心。……女子望着无果树有些出神,她放不下,也可能……放的下。他在时,曾说,“你知道我最在意的是什么吗?”她摇头,他说“你的眼泪,三次落泪,皆是为我。”顿了顿,“若有来生,我还你。”…………男强女强,虐恋情深,入坑需谨慎!
  • 逍遥小神农

    逍遥小神农

    新时代大学生农民,意外得到药皇传承,逆天崛起!每天晚上十一点左右更新!!!!新书《修道千年归来》发布了,请各位道友一起去观赏,多多支持,在此拜谢了!
  • 尼尔斯骑鹅旅行记

    尼尔斯骑鹅旅行记

    这是一套献给孩子们的书。一如它的名字“阅读一小步·成长一大步”,在孩子们开始求知的成长旅程时,一套适合他们课外阅读的好书无疑为他们的人生……
  • 蜀鉴

    蜀鉴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 遇见,傅先生

    遇见,傅先生

    (超甜)父母偏心,闺蜜陷害,走投无路之下,叶繁星嫁给了坐在轮椅上的傅先生。他会教她弹钢琴,送她花,将她宠成了这个世界上最幸福的人。某天,同学聚会,她被人嘲笑,说她老公是个残废,他风度翩翩出现,让所有笑话她的人哑口无言。在人生最灰暗的时光里,有他牵引着她积极向阳而生,从而有了灿烂的人生。遇见你真好,我的傅先生。
  • 苍海明珠

    苍海明珠

    她重生了,或许是带着前世的记忆转世投胎,不管怎么说吧,反正她还活着,只不过得从头开始,一点儿一点儿的慢慢长大,这也没什么,她有的是耐心,只是希望新的人生能活得简单、快乐、肆意。
  • 总裁大人的100次壁咚

    总裁大人的100次壁咚

    “我们结婚吧”林轩慕深情的对着夏晴霜说,“不好,我不喜欢你”