When Pinocchio woke up the next morning, the rain had stopped. He jumped out of bed, hoping to see Geppetto. But he saw only the Blue Fairy.
"Do you want to become a real boy?" she asked.
"Yes!" said Pinocchio excitedly.
"Do you want to save Geppetto?" she asked.
"Oh yes!" said Pinocchio.
"Then listen carefully. To become a real boy, you must obey your father. But first, you must save him. You will save him by honoring him."
"I don’t understand. How can I honor him if he is not here?" Pinocchio asked, confused.
"You must honor his wishes. What did Geppetto want you to do?" asked the Blue Fairy.
"He wanted me to go to school," he said.
"Then you must go to school. You may live with me and study in the village. Once you honor him, you can save him," she said.
Pinocchio was sad to hear this. He did not want to go to school. But, he wanted to save his father so he agreed to go. Pinocchio became the best student in the school. His teacher was very happy with him. However, some of the students were mean to Pinocchio.
One day after school, some of the boys followed him home.
"How can a wooden head become smart?" one boy asked.
"Use it as a bookend!" the other said. All the boys laughed.
"What will Pinocchio be when he grows up?" the first boy asked the others.
"A little wooden boy!" they answered. And they laughed again.
"I’m smart, and one day, I will be a real boy!" said Pinocchio.
"Oh yeah? Well, if you prove you are smart now, you can be a real boy today," one boy said.
"What do you mean?" asked Pinocchio.
"Well, if you do what real boys do, that would make you a real boy, right?" he asked.
"Well, I guess so," said Pinocchio. "And if I were a real boy, then I could save Father faster," he thought to himself.
"I can do anything you can do!" said Pinocchio. "I’ll show you I can be a real boy."
"Oh yeah? Well, today, we are running away to Paradisle. If you’re a real boy, you’ll come with us," one boy said.
"What is Paradisle?" Pinocchio asked.
"It’s an island where real boys play all day. They never have to do work. They eat dessert for every meal. And everyone is rich."
This sounded great to Pinocchio. So he followed the boys to the end of the village. There, they met a man with a wagon full of boys. The wagon was pulled by very sad donkeys wearing clothes. But the boys didn’t notice them.
They jumped into the wagon and rode to the end of the island.
"Here we are, boys!" called the wagon master. "This ferry goes to Paradisle, where every day is a holiday, and you never have to work. Come quickly, before the ferry is full!"
Pinocchio and the boys ran to the ferry. Pinocchio noticed there were a lot of donkeys coming off the ferry. But he didn’t stop to wonder why. He wanted to be a real boy. And he wanted to save his father. At Paradisle, he could do both and he wouldn’t have to work!