Poor Geppetto was locked in prison. But Pinocchio was laughing and running through the forest. Pinocchio wasn’t wearing clothes, and he didn’t care.
"I’m free, I’m free," he shouted as he ran. "I can run and leap and play!"
The sun began to set, and Pinocchio was getting tired. So he returned to Geppetto’s house.
"I’m hungry," he said, and he searched the house for food. But Pinocchio didn’t know how to cook, so he couldn’t eat.
"I’m cold," he said, and he searched the house for clothes. But Pinocchio had run away before Geppetto could make him any clothes. So he wrapped himself in a blanket.
"I’m tired," he said, but Geppetto’s bed was too tall.
"Whaaa!" Pinocchio cried. "I am cold and hungry and tired, and there is no one here to take care of me!" Big tears ran down his wooden face.
"Well, if you hadn’t been a bad boy, Geppetto would be here," said a tiny voice.
"Who’s there?" asked Pinocchio, a little scared.
Night was falling and the room was getting dark. Pinocchio couldn’t see anyone.
"I am," said the voice again, with a chirping sound.
A small candle on the table suddenly lit up.
Pinocchio saw a cricket crawling down the candle.
"Oh! You’re a bug!" said Pinocchio. "Who are you?"
"My name is Mick the Cricket. You may call me Mr. Cricket. I have lived in this room for one hundred years. But I have never seen such a bad boy as you!" he scolded.
"I don’t like you either!" said Pinocchio. He was mad at the cricket for calling him a bad boy.
"Shame on you for being rude!" chirped the cricket. "I am trying to help you, and Geppetto has been very kind. Is this how you thank your friends? If so, you will have very bad friends. Children should honor their parents, and you have not!"
Pinocchio banged his hand on the table. He was trying to squash Mr. Cricket!
"I’ll show you! I can have all the friends I want!" Pinocchio screamed. "I can do whatever I want! I don’t have to honor anyone! I am going to go on adventures. One day, I will be rich and famous!"
Mr. Cricket jumped to the floor to run away. But Pinocchio chased him and tried to step on him.
"You are making very bad choices!" said the cricket. "One day those bad choices will hurt you. You can’t run away from the choices you’ve made. You must learn to do honest work and study to be a good boy," he chirped, and he ran toward the door.
"I won’t work. I won’t study. I won’t listen to what you say! I will do only what I want!" Pinocchio screamed.
Mr. Cricket ran under the door. Pinocchio kicked the door. He walked over to the table, sat down, and started to cry.
"I won’t listen to you or anyone else," he cried.
He fell asleep with teardrops dripping off his nose.