THE FLYING EGG
by Carlo Collodi · from Pinocchio: The Tale of a Puppet
Adapted Version
Pinocchio was all alone. He was very, very hungry.
Pinocchio ate nothing all day. His tummy felt empty. He was hungry. He was very, very hungry. He needed food now. He needed food very much.
Pinocchio saw a pot. It was on the fire. He ran to the pot. He wanted to look inside. He wanted to find food. But the pot was not real. It was just paint on the wall. Pinocchio felt sad. He felt very sad.
Pinocchio looked everywhere. He looked in drawers. He looked under things. He looked for bread. He looked for a bone. He found no food. No food at all. He had nothing to eat.
Pinocchio was still hungry. He felt very tired. He yawned a big yawn. His mouth opened wide. He felt so sleepy. Hunger made him tired. He was so tired.
Pinocchio started to cry. He felt sad he left home. He missed his father. "The Talking Cricket was right," he said. "I should not leave home. My father would help me. Hunger is a bad thing."
Pinocchio saw something. It was on the floor. It was white and round. He picked it up fast. It was an egg. A hen's egg. Pinocchio was happy. He was very happy.
Pinocchio was very happy. He held the egg. He wanted to eat it. How to cook it? He wanted to eat it fast. He would cook it now. He would eat it soon.
He put a small pot on the fire. He put water in the pot. The water was hot. It made steam. He broke the egg. He put the egg in the pot. He waited for food.
But no food came out. A little chick came out! It was yellow and small. "Thank you!" said The Little Chick. It flew out the window. It was gone. Pinocchio watched it fly.
Pinocchio was very surprised. He held the eggshell. He felt sad again. He cried. "The Talking Cricket was right," he said. He wished he listened to the Cricket. He wished he was home. He missed his father.
Pinocchio was still hungry. His tummy hurt. He had no food. He must find food. He would go outside. Maybe someone would give him bread. He hoped for food.
Pinocchio was still hungry. He knew he made a mistake. He wished he was home with his father.
Original Story
THE FLYING EGG
Night was coming on and Pinocchio, remembering that he had eaten nothing all day, began to feel a gnawing in his stomach that very much resembled appetite.
After a few minutes his appetite had become hunger and in no time his hunger became ravenous.
Poor Pinocchio ran quickly to the fireplace, where a saucepan was boiling, and was going to take off the lid to see what was in it, but the saucepan was only painted on the wall. You can imagine his feelings. His nose, which was already long, became longer by at least three inches.
He then began to run about the room, searching in the drawers and in every imaginable place, in hopes of finding a bit of bread. If it was only a bit of dry bread, a crust, a bone left by a dog, a little moldy pudding of Indian corn, a fish bone, a cherry stone—in fact, anything that he could gnaw. But he could find nothing, nothing at all, absolutely nothing.
And in the meanwhile his hunger grew and grew. Poor Pinocchio had no other relief than yawning, and his yawns were so tremendous that sometimes his mouth almost reached his ears. And after he had yawned he spluttered and felt as if he were going to faint.
Then he began to cry desperately, and he said:
"The Talking-Cricket was right. I did wrong to rebel against my papa and to run away from home. If my papa were here I should not now be dying of yawning! Oh! what a dreadful illness hunger is!"
Just then he thought he saw something in the dust-heap—something round and white that looked like a hen's egg. To give a spring and seize hold of it was the affair of a moment. It was indeed an egg.
Pinocchio's joy was beyond description. Almost believing it must be a dream he kept turning the egg over in his hands, feeling it and kissing it. And as he kissed it he said:
"And now, how shall I cook it? Shall I make an omelet? No, it would be better to cook it in a saucer! Or would it not be more savory to fry it in the frying-pan? Or shall I simply boil it? No, the quickest way of all is to cook it in a saucer: I am in such a hurry to eat it!"
Without loss of time he placed an earthenware saucer on a brazier full of red-hot embers. Into the saucer instead of oil or butter he poured a little water; and when the water began to smoke, tac! he broke the egg-shell over it and let the contents drop in. But, instead of the white and the yolk a little chicken popped out very gay and polite. Making a beautiful courtesy it said to him:
"A thousand thanks, Master Pinocchio, for saving me the trouble of breaking the shell. Adieu until we meet again. Keep well, and my best compliments to all at home!"
Thus saying, it spread its wings, darted through the open window and, flying away, was lost to sight.
The poor puppet stood as if he had been bewitched, with his eyes fixed, his mouth open, and the egg-shell in his hand. Recovering, however, from his first stupefaction, he began to cry and scream, and to stamp his feet on the floor in desperation, and amidst his sobs he said:
"Ah, indeed, the Talking-Cricket was right. If I had not run away from home, and if my papa were here, I should not now be dying of hunger! Oh! what a dreadful illness hunger is!"
And, as his stomach cried out more than ever and he did not know how to quiet it, he thought he would leave the house and make an excursion in the neighborhood in hopes of finding some charitable person who would give him a piece of bread.
CHAPTER VI
Story DNA
Moral
Disobedience and running away from home can lead to suffering and regret.
Plot Summary
Pinocchio, alone and starving after running away from home, desperately searches for food. He is first tricked by a painted fireplace, then finds nothing in the house, leading him to regret his disobedience. He discovers an egg, which fills him with immense joy and hope for a meal. However, when he tries to cook it, a polite little chick hatches and flies away, leaving Pinocchio more desperate and hungry than before, reinforcing his regret and prompting him to seek help outside.
Themes
Emotional Arc
desperation to fleeting hope to deeper despair
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Collodi's Pinocchio often features harsh realities and moral lessons, reflecting 19th-century Italian societal values and child-rearing philosophies.
Plot Beats (11)
- Pinocchio, having eaten nothing all day, feels his hunger grow to ravenous levels.
- He tries to find food in a saucepan on the fireplace, only to discover it's painted on the wall.
- He frantically searches the room for any scrap of food, but finds absolutely nothing.
- His hunger intensifies, causing him to yawn uncontrollably and feel faint.
- He expresses regret for rebelling against his father and running away, acknowledging the Talking-Cricket's warnings.
- He spots a round, white object in the dust-heap, which turns out to be a hen's egg.
- Overjoyed, Pinocchio debates how to cook the egg, deciding on the quickest method.
- He places an earthenware saucer on embers, pours in water, and breaks the egg into it.
- Instead of an omelet, a polite little chicken hatches, thanks Pinocchio, and flies out the window.
- Pinocchio is left stunned, then cries in renewed desperation, again regretting his actions and acknowledging the Talking-Cricket's wisdom.
- Still starving, he decides to leave the house to find someone charitable to give him bread.
Characters
Pinocchio ★ protagonist
A wooden puppet, likely carved from pine, with visible joints and a somewhat stiff posture. His most prominent feature is his nose, which is already long and grows even longer when he is distressed or tells a falsehood (though in this instance, it grows from disappointment). He is small and light enough to move quickly and make sudden springs.
Attire: Simple, likely peasant-style clothing appropriate for a child in 19th-century Tuscany, perhaps a short tunic and breeches made of coarse linen or wool, in muted earth tones. His clothing would be well-worn, reflecting his recent hardships.
Wants: To satisfy his immediate desires, primarily hunger and comfort, and to avoid hardship. He also yearns for his father's presence and the security of home.
Flaw: Impulsiveness, lack of foresight, self-pity, and an inability to learn from past mistakes quickly. His hunger makes him desperate and vulnerable.
In this chapter, he experiences a cycle of hope, disappointment, and renewed despair, reinforcing his regret for leaving home. He learns (or re-learns) the hard lesson that independence without responsibility leads to suffering.
Impulsive, easily distracted, prone to immediate gratification, often regretful, and quick to despair when things don't go his way. He is also hopeful and easily delighted.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small wooden puppet boy, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has a long, pointed wooden nose, round painted eyes, and a wide, expressive mouth. His skin is smooth, light-colored wood. He wears a simple, short tunic of coarse, faded blue linen and brown breeches, with visible wooden joints at his knees and elbows. His expression is one of wide-eyed disappointment, holding a broken eggshell in one hand. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Little Chicken ○ minor
A newly hatched chick, small and delicate, with soft, fluffy yellow down. It is capable of making a 'beautiful courtesy' and spreading its wings to fly.
Attire: None, as it is a newly hatched chick.
Wants: To escape its shell and fly away to freedom.
Flaw: None apparent in this brief appearance.
Appears briefly to hatch and fly away, serving as a catalyst for Pinocchio's renewed despair.
Polite, cheerful, and quick-witted, with a touch of mischievousness in its gratitude for being 'saved the trouble' of hatching itself.
Image Prompt & Upload
A tiny, fluffy yellow chick, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It has small, bright black eyes and a delicate orange beak. Its body is covered in soft, vibrant yellow down. It is depicted in the act of a graceful, polite bow, with one wing slightly extended in a gesture of farewell. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Geppetto's Workshop/Pinocchio's Room
A simple, sparsely furnished room, likely in a humble Italian artisan's home. It contains a fireplace with a painted saucepan, drawers, and a dust-heap. The overall impression is one of poverty and disarray.
Mood: Desperate, hungry, forlorn, then briefly joyful, followed by renewed despair.
Pinocchio searches frantically for food, discovers a magical egg, attempts to cook it, and witnesses a chick hatch and fly away, deepening his hunger and regret.
Image Prompt & Upload
A humble, dimly lit Italian artisan's workshop at night. Rough plastered walls are visible, with a simple, unadorned wooden table in the foreground. A small, open window shows only the dark night sky beyond. On the wall, a crudely painted saucepan hangs above a brick fireplace. Dust motes dance in the faint light cast by a small brazier with glowing red embers, sitting on the floor near a scattered dust-heap. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
