Pinocchio ran to the ocean. Because he had worked at the orphanage, he was very strong. He swam through the waves easily. He swam so fast, he was able to swim with some dolphins.
"Hello, dolphins!" Pinocchio called. "I am looking for a large whale. Do you know where I can find it?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the dolphins said.
They swam a big circle around him. One dolphin came below Pinocchio to help him swim deeper. The dolphins swam off in a new direction. Pinocchio held on tightly.
"Whee, this is fun!" he shouted through the bubbles.
The dolphins dove deeper and deeper. Pinocchio could see something very big ahead. It looked like a big blue house. It was the whale! The dolphins swam near the whale.
"Hi, big whale!" they called.
"Hello," the whale called back.
When the whale opened its mouth to say hello, Pinocchio jumped inside.
"It’s so dark in here!" Pinocchio said, walking carefully along the whale’s teeth. "It’s nice and warm though." He walked deep into the whale’s throat.
As Pinocchio got closer to the whale’s stomach, he noticed a bad smell. "Oh, that’s gross!" he said. "What smells so bad?"
"I do," said a voice.
"Father?" Pinocchio called.
"Pinocchio, is that you?" Geppetto called back. Even though they were inside a smelly fish, they had never been happier. They ran across the whale’s stomach and held each other.
"Oh, Father. You are very thin. I am sorry it took me so long to find you. Please forgive me," Pinocchio said.
"Pinocchio, how did you find me? I had given up hope. I thought you were lost too," said Geppetto.
They both had many questions to ask and even more stories to tell. But the whale was swimming deeper.
"Father, we must get out of this whale quickly," said Pinocchio.
"It is no use," said Geppetto. "I have tried many times, but the whale will not open its mouth."
Pinocchio remembered the story of Jonah. The whale had spit Jonah out. How could Pinocchio make this whale spit them out? Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Father, climb with me up to the whale’s mouth. Here, I will help you."
Together, the two climbed up and sat on the whale’s teeth.
"Can you reach up and tickle the top of the whale’s mouth?" Pinocchio asked.
"I can try," answered Geppetto.
He stood very tall and tickled the whale. The whale started to swim up very quickly. Its tongue started to jump.
"Ahh-ahh-choo!" the whale said, and it sneezed them onto the sand.
"Hooray, we made it!" cheered Pinocchio.
"Oh, you are so smart, son!" said Geppetto.
"How did you know to tickle the whale?"
"I got the idea from something I learned at a school," Pinocchio said, smiling.
Just then, the whale began to slide up onto the sand and speak. Its voice was soft and pretty.
"Well done, Pinocchio," it said. "You have proven yourself to be a good boy. You have honored your father. You have been obedient and generous. You have risked your life to save him." Suddenly, the whale vanished. In its place stood the Blue Fairy.
"Blue Fairy! You were the whale?" Pinocchio asked, very surprised.
"Yes. I kept Geppetto safe until you learned to be a good boy. Farewell, gentlemen. I wish you a happy life together," she said, and the Blue Fairy flew away.
Pinocchio and Geppetto waved good-bye. As Pinocchio waved, he looked at his hand. It was the hand of a real boy.
"Ah! I’m a real boy! Father, look! I’m really real!" he cried.
Father and son laughed and hugged and danced all the way home.