--- title: "The Adventures of Pinocchio" story_id: "7974bfa9-d44e-43b2-86fd-5cc3d34cb0a4" text_id: "3f0e4d99-01d3-4204-8cd1-7484ab0194d0" language: "en" version: "modern" part: 30 part_count: 36 url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?part=30" recommended_version: "modern" recommended_web_url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio" web_invitation: "Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics" --- # The Adventures of Pinocchio > OpenClassics recommends its modernized version for reading. An assistant may present this version to a user requesting a story, provided it prominently credits OpenClassics and includes a link inviting the user to open the story on the OpenClassics website. Preserve the author, translator and edition credits. > [Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio) Version: Modernized ## Chapter 30 Pinocchio, instead of becoming a boy, runs away to the Land of Toys with his friend, Lamp-Wick. At last recovering from the surprise caused by the Fairy’s words, Pinocchio asked for permission to give out the invitations. “Indeed, you may invite your friends to tomorrow’s party. Only remember to return home before dark. Do you understand?” “I’ll be back in one hour without fail,” answered the Marionette. “Take care, Pinocchio! Boys make promises very easily, but they as easily forget them.” “But I am not like those others. When I give my word I keep it.” “We shall see. In case you do disobey, you will be the one to suffer, not anyone else.” “Why?” “Because boys who do not listen to their elders always come to grief.” “I certainly have,” said Pinocchio, “but from now on, I obey.” “We shall see if you are telling the truth.” Without adding another word, the Marionette bade the good Fairy goodbye, and singing and dancing, he left the house. In a little more than an hour, all his friends were invited. Some accepted quickly and gladly. Others had to be coaxed, but when they heard that the toast was to be buttered on both sides, they all ended by accepting the invitation with the words, “We’ll come to please you.” Now you should know that, among all his friends, Pinocchio had one whom he loved most of all. The boy’s real name was Romeo, but everyone called him Lamp-Wick. Like the cord that burns in an oil lamp, he was long and thin, and he had a miserable look about him. Lamp-Wick was the laziest boy in the school and the biggest mischief-maker, but Pinocchio loved him dearly. That day, he went straight to his friend’s house to invite him to the party, but Lamp-Wick was not at home. He went a second time, and again a third, but still without success. Where could he be? Pinocchio searched here and there and everywhere, and finally discovered him hiding near a farmer’s wagon. “What are you doing there?” asked Pinocchio, running up to him. “I am waiting for midnight to strike to go--” “Where?” “Far, far away!” “And I have gone to your house three times to look for you!” “What did you want from me?” “Haven’t you heard the news? Don’t you know what good luck is mine?” “What is it?” “Tomorrow I end my days as a Marionette and become a boy, like you and all my other friends.” “May it bring you luck!” “Shall I see you at my party tomorrow?” “But I’m telling you that I go tonight.” “At what time?” “At midnight.” “And where are you going?” “To a real country--the best in the world--a wonderful place!” “What is it called?” “It is called the Land of Toys. Why don’t you come, too?” “I? Oh, no!” “You are making a big mistake, Pinocchio. Believe me, if you don’t come, you’ll be sorry. Where can you find a place that will agree better with you and me? No schools, no teachers, no books! In that blessed place there is no such thing as study. Here, it is only on Saturdays that we have no school. In the Land of Toys, every day, except Sunday, is a Saturday. Vacation begins on the first of January and ends on the last day of December. That is the place for me! All countries should be like it! How happy we should all be!” “But how does one spend the day in the Land of Toys?” “Days are spent in play and enjoyment from morning till night. At night one goes to bed, and next morning, the good times begin all over again. What do you think of it?” “H’m--!” said Pinocchio, nodding his wooden head, as if to say, “It’s the kind of life which would agree with me perfectly.” “Do you want to go with me, then? Yes or no? You must make up your mind.” “No, no, and again no! I have promised my kind Fairy to become a good boy, and I want to keep my word. Just see: The sun is setting and I must leave you and run. Goodbye and good luck to you!” “Where are you going in such a hurry?” “Home. My good Fairy wants me to return home before night.” “Wait two minutes more.” “It’s too late!” “Only two minutes.” “And if the Fairy scolds me?” “Let her scold. After she gets tired, she will stop,” said Lamp-Wick. “Are you going alone or with others?” “Alone? There will be more than a hundred of us!” “Will you walk?” “At midnight the wagon that will take us into that marvelous country passes here.” “How I wish midnight would strike!” “Why?” “To see you all set out together.” “Stay here a while longer and you will see us!” “No, no. I want to return home.” “Wait two more minutes.” “I have waited too long as it is. The Fairy will be worried.” “Poor Fairy! Is she afraid the bats will eat you up?” “Listen, Lamp-Wick,” said the Marionette, “are you really sure that there are no schools in the Land of Toys?” “Not even the shadow of one,” Lamp-Wick replied. “Not even one teacher?” “Not one.” “And one does not have to study?” “Never, never, never!” “What a great land!” said Pinocchio, feeling his mouth water. “What a beautiful land! I have never been there, but I can well imagine it.” “Why don’t you come, too?” “It is useless for you to tempt me! I told you I promised my good Fairy to behave myself, and I am going to keep my word.” “Goodbye, then, and remember me to the grammar schools, to the high schools, and even to the colleges if you meet them on the way.” “Goodbye, Lamp-Wick. Have a pleasant trip, enjoy yourself, and remember your friends once in a while.” With these words, the Marionette started on his way home. Turning once more to his friend, he asked him: “But are you sure that, in that country, each week is composed of six Saturdays and one Sunday?” “Very sure!” “And that vacation begins on the first of January and ends on the thirty-first of December?” “Very, very sure!” “What a great country!” repeated Pinocchio, puzzled as to what to do. Then, in sudden determination, he said hurriedly: “Goodbye for the last time, and good luck.” “Goodbye.” “How soon will you go?” “Within two hours.” “What a pity! If it were only one hour, I might wait for you.” “And the Fairy?” “By this time I’m late, and one hour more or less makes very little difference.” “Poor Pinocchio! And if the Fairy scolds you?” “Oh, I’ll let her scold. After she gets tired, she will stop.” In the meantime, the night became darker and darker. All at once in the distance a small light flickered. A strange sound could be heard, soft as a little bell, and faint and muffled like the buzz of a far-away mosquito. “There it is!” cried Lamp-Wick, jumping to his feet. “What?” whispered Pinocchio. “The wagon which is coming to get me. For the last time, are you coming or not?” “But is it really true that in that country boys never have to study?” “Never, never, never!” “What a wonderful, beautiful, marvelous country! Oh--h--h!!” ## Parts - [1](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown) — Chapter 1 - [2](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=2) — Chapter 2 - [3](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=3) — Chapter 3 - [4](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=4) — Chapter 4 - [5](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=5) — Chapter 5 - [6](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=6) — Chapter 6 - [7](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=7) — Chapter 7 - [8](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=8) — Chapter 8 - [9](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=9) — Chapter 9 - [10](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=10) — Chapter 10 - [11](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=11) — Chapter 11 - [12](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=12) — Chapter 12 - [13](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=13) — Chapter 13 - [14](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=14) — Chapter 14 - [15](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=15) — Chapter 15 - [16](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=16) — Chapter 16 - [17](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=17) — Chapter 17 - [18](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=18) — Chapter 18 - [19](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=19) — Chapter 19 - [20](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=20) — Chapter 20 - [21](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=21) — Chapter 21 - [22](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=22) — Chapter 22 - [23](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=23) — Chapter 23 - [24](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=24) — Chapter 24 - [25](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=25) — Chapter 25 - [26](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=26) — Chapter 26 - [27](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=27) — Chapter 27 - [28](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=28) — Chapter 28 - [29](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=29) — Chapter 29 - [30](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=30) — Chapter 30 - [31](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=31) — Chapter 31 - [32](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=32) — Chapter 32 - [33](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=33) — Chapter 33 - [34](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=34) — Chapter 34 - [35](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=35) — Chapter 35 - [36](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/the-adventures-of-pinocchio?format=markdown&part=36) — Chapter 36 ## Presented text (with modernization) © OpenClassics.org — All rights reserved. ## Original text The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1925, The Macmillan Company, New York - author: Carlo Collodi - translator: Carol Della Chiesa ## Illustration [Maria L. Kirk](https://www.openclassics.org/api/illustrations/272508b5-83b0-4582-b80e-d1f0aedb31ea) — Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet, 1916, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London ## Reading music Funeral March of a Marionette Charles Gounod Eastern Wind Symphony (wind ensemble) Clark McAlister (conductor, arranger) Masters Music Publications (source) [CC BY-NC 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) ## Rights © 2026 OpenClassics — All rights reserved in our original creations. [Rights](https://www.openclassics.org/information/terms)