Uh-oh. Oh, God! Oh, my, my! How clumsy of me. [picks Pinocchio up] I am terribly sorry. [kicks Gideon away before setting Pinocchio down] I do hope you're not injured.
Pinocchio
Injured?
Damaged. Broken. Irreparably splintered beyond repair.
Pinocchio
I'm not broken.
Thank heavens. You must be constructed of pretty sturdy oak.
Pinocchio
I'm pine. That's why I'm called…
Yes, pine. Well, we can't all be constructed of quality lumber. [Laughs] Well, well. Quite the scholar, I see. [tosses the apple aside after taking only one bite out of it] A man of letters. I presume you're on your way to lecture at the science academy?
Pinocchio
No. I'm going to school, so I can learn a bunch of stuff to be a real boy, and make my father proud.
A real boy? Why on Earth would you want to be real when you can be famous?
Pinocchio
Famous?
Yes, famous. I'm speaking of the theater. Bright lights. Music. Applause. Fame!
Pinocchio
Fame? But I want to be real. [starts to walk away, but Honest John holds him back with his cane]
Yes, yes, my boy. But did you know, many people say that you're not actually real until everybody knows about you? Why, to be famous is to be real. Until then, you're just a nobody. Do you want to be a nobody? No! Nobody wants to be a nobody. Everybody who's anybody wants to be a somebody.
Pinocchio
But my father said I should go to school.
Of course he did. All parents say that. But he doesn't recognize your genius. Who needs an education when one has such a personality, such a profile, such a physique?
