Gigino Becomes an Egg

W HEN Gigino heard these words he felt a little frightened, and tried to get up. But he couldn't. He was stuck fast to the bench. He tried to turn toward Maurizio and Giorgina but couldn't move his head. Even his eyes felt heavy. He could hardly tell his sister and brother apart, both of them looked small and such a queer shape, almost oval. Then he had a strange sensation. He felt as if he were getting smaller and smaller and turning into a ball.

He tried to move his arms; he wanted to walk a little; to shout, to bite, to cry, to resist somehow the mysterious force that was shrinking him all up; for fear that if it kept on he would soon disappear entirely. But he couldn't move at all. It was just as if he was strapped tight by something, and he began to realize that he was turning into a kind of an egg.

All of a sudden the thought of those old trousers popped into his head and he wondered if that bob tail shirt would stay outside of the egg shell.

He made a desperate effort to put his hand behind him and tuck it in, but it was useless.

Gigino was now reduced to the tiniest size and he felt as if he couldn't think any more. Then he noticed near him two black shadows that looked like ravens and he was frightened, but he made a last struggle to call out to them:

"At least, help me to tuck in my little bob tail."

But this supreme effort took every bit of the energy he had left and after that he lost all memory and consciousness.