Upon returning home, Annabelle told Pinocchio about how Andre and his gang stole the music box and that her friends helped get it back and deliver it to the mayor. At first, Annabelle was worried her father might be mad at her for losing the box, but Pinocchio smiled and patted her head.
"You did well, Princess," said Pinocchio proudly. "You did a fine job. And here's a little reward for doing a good job."
He opened the money bag the mayor had paid for the music box and gave Annabelle five shiny gold coins for her service.
"Wow! Thanks, Daddy. But why are you giving me your money?" Annabelle asked.
"Your father is paying you for the work you did for delivering the music box for him," Jiminy explained to her.
"If you'd like Annabelle" Pinocchio offered, "I could give you an allowance for doing your chores and running deliveries for me. That way you'll have some spending money."
"Ok, Daddy, But what do I do with my money?"
"You can use it buy things, Annabelle," said Jiminy. "You can also save what you've earned to purchase something you want. You understand?"
"I think I do," Annabelle stated. "But where should my money so it won't get lost?"
"I can help you with that, Honey." Annabelle followed Pinocchio into the workshop where he handed her a little wooden bank craved like a pig with a slot on its back.
"What's this wooden animal for daddy?"
"Its called a piggy bank, Princess," Pinocchio explained. "I had one when I was a boy. You put your money inside and it will be safe."
"Oh, Ok. Thank you," Annabelle smiled with delight and put all five coins in the little bank. She then brought it up to her room and laid on the dresser near her bed.
"Remember, kiddo," Jiminy added. "Money doesn't grow on trees and should be used responsibly. So be careful what you spend it on, and don't get greedy with it either. That's temptation."
"Don't worry, Jiminy," Annabelle stated. "I'm not like Andre and his friends. I promise I won't be greedy."
"Good girl. I hope you'll remember that in the future."
On her way to school the next day, Annabelle told Alex about her reward and for delivering the music box. As they passed by an antique shop, Annabelle noticed something in the window that caught her attention.
"Oh wow! Look at that dress!" Annabelle exclaimed walking up to the store and staring at a beautiful Porcelain doll wearing a blue dress with frills, and ribbons, and matching blue shoes with gold buckles. "It's the most beautiful doll I've ever seen!"
"It sure is, Annie," said Alex admiring the dress. "But it's expensive too." Alex pointed out the price tag that read 15 coins.
"I'd really love to have that doll! But I don't have enough money to buy it." She frowned in disappointment.
"Then you'll have to save your allowance to buy it," Alex told her. "That's what I did to buy my red dress and hat."
"Alright. I'll save up until I have enough to buy the doll." Annabelle stated.
"Come on, Annie! We'd better get going or we'll be late for school!" Alex said pulling her along. As continued on, Annabelle had thought about the doll and how much she wanted to have it.
At school, Annabelle did her best to focus on her lessons and got through the day, while still thinking about the doll. Later that day n the way home, Annabelle showed Pinocchio the doll in the store window.
"I don't know, Annabelle," Pinocchio said. "That's a very delicate and expensive doll."
"Aw, but I really want it, daddy!" Annabelle insisted. "I'll work extra hard and save up my money to buy it!"
"Well...alright, if that's what you want to do, Princess." Pinocchio didn't like the idea of her wasting her money on an expensive toy but thought perhaps this would teach her a lesson.
Over the next two weeks, Annabelle worked hard cleaning the house, doing the dishes, and laundry, ran a few deliveries for Pinocchio and at the end of the week, he paid her five coins. Finally, had enough to get the doll she wanted. As she was about to leave to go buy it, Alex arrived.
"Hey, Annie!" Alex said.
"Hi' Alex!" Annabelle replied. Alex noticed she was holding her piggybank in her arms.
"Did you make to buy the doll you wanted?" Alex asked.
"Yep! I was just going to go get it. You want to come with me?"
"Sure, alright." Annabelle took Alex and hand and hurried out the door eager to get her precious new doll. As they walked quickly were the town, Alex realized Annabelle was overexcited and pulling her along very quickly. "Whoa! Annie! Slow down! Your walking too fast!"
"We have to get there before the store closes or someone else buys the doll!" Annabelle insisted continuing to move quicker. Suddenly, Alex tripped over a loose stone and fell, pulling Annabelle down with her.
"Oh, dear! Alex! I'm sorry, Are you alright?" cried Annabelle worried about her friend.
"Ya, I'm alright," Alex picked her self up then realized everything around her was all blurry and hard to see. "Uh oh! My glasses fell again! Annie! I can't see it! Help me find my glasses?"
Annabelle stood up and looked around for Alex's glasses. At first, she didn't she then until she took a step backward and heard a loud crunch that made her freeze with fear.
"Uh-oh!" Annabelle uttered looking down and lifting up her right foot. She had accidentally stepped on Alex's glasses, and the weight of her wooden shoe had crushed them. She picked them up and handed them to her friend.
"Oh no! You stepped on my glasses!" Alex yelled holding up her destroyed glasses. Fear entered her mind as she worried about what her mother would think when she learned what had happened to them.
"I'm so sorry, Alex!" Annabelle replied. "I shouldn't have been in such a hurry to buy that doll!" Alex was a little upset with Annabelle for breaking her glasses, but she knew it was an accident and didn't want to be mad at her.
"It's alright, Annie. I'll have to tell mom, I need new ones. They cost a lot of money to replace, so I hope she won't be too mad. But how am I going to get home if I can't see?"
"I'll help you get home, Alex!" Said Annabelle remembering where Alex lived with her mom. She held her hand and guided her through the town. As they walked, she noticed that her friend was constantly blinking her eyes and having trouble walking straight. "Do your eyes hurt when you can't see?"
"Not really. It's just hard to see because everything is all blurry like being underwater. Mom said I was born with bad eyesight and that's why I need to wear glasses to help me see." Alex was looking in the wrong direction to where Annabelle was walking next to her.
"Alex, I'm over here!" Alex turned her head to where Annabelle's voice was coming from feeling a little embarrassed.
"Oh! Sorry, Annie. When I can't see its hard to tell where the person that's talking to you is." Annabelle felt sad that her friend couldn't see anything. All because she was so eager to buy a doll for herself. When they arrived at the house, Alex's mother, Juliana was outside watering some potted flowers on the windowsill when the girls walked up to her.
"Alexandra! Where are your glasses?" She asked her daughter sounding both surprised and a little angry. Alex's fear increased when she heard her mother's voice.
"I accidentally stepped on Alex's glasses and broke them, Miss Julie," Annabelle admitted feeling ashamed of what she did.
"Please don't be mad, mom! It wasn't Annabelle's fault. I tripped, and they fell off." Alex handed her mother the broken glasses.
"It's alright girls, I'm not angry," said Juliana calmly. "These were old anyway Alex. You've worn them for over four years now. We'll just have to go and buy new ones." Annabelle accompanied Alex and her mother to a shop that sold glasses for people who had trouble seeing. Inside were shelves filled with eyeglasses in many different shapes and sizes.
"Hello, Miss Antonio. How may I help you today?" Asked the shop owner. He was a senior man with white hair, a beard and wore glasses too which were small and rested on his nose.
"Alexandra's glasses got broken, and she needs a new pair," Juliana explained handing him the broken glasses. The man examined them, left the room a few minutes, then returned with a new pair that looked like the old ones. Alex tried them on and her vision was clear again.
"Thank goodness I can see again!" Said Alex with relief. Annabelle was happy her friend was able to see once more.
"That will be thirty coins, Ma'am," said the owner. But when Juliana counted her money she relieved it wasn't enough and was five coins short.
"Oh, dear! I'm afraid I don't have enough to pay for glasses!" Alex grew worried. If her mother couldn't pay for the new glasses, then she'd have to give them back. Annabelle looked down at her piggy bank and thought about what Jiminy had told her not being greedy and wasting her money on foolish things. She then stepped forward and help up her bank.
"Here Miss Julie, you can use some of my money to pay for Alex's new glasses."
"But Annie, then you won't have enough to buy the doll you wanted!" Said Alex.
"I don't want that doll anymore, Alex. I'm the one who broke your glass and I want to help pay for the new ones. You're more important to me than a silly doll." Alex was touched by her friend's selflessness.
"Thanks, Annie, you're a true friend!" Said Alex and hugged Annabelle.
"That's very sweet of you Annabelle," Alex's mom smiled. "I'm glad to see Pinocchio has taught you never to be greedy or selfish." Julianna took the bank from Annabelle, open it, took five coins, paid for the glasses and handed the bank back to the puppet girl. Annabelle felt proud of what she did to help her friend.
"Now what should we do?" Annabelle asked.
"Would you like to come to our house for a while, Annabelle?" Julia asked. "I'll make you a delicious apple pie to take home since you helped pay for Alex's new glasses."
"OK, I'd love to! I haven't been inside your house yet," Annabelle replied. The three of them then walked back to Alex and Julianna's house. When they arrived, Alex stopped Annabelle as her mom opened the door.
"Hold it! You'll have to take your clogs off before you come inside Annie," said Alex, slipping off her shoes and picking up.
"Huh? But why Alex?" Annabelle asked confused.
"Shoes track dirt and mud on the floor, and mom likes to keep floors clean," Alex explained.
"Oh! Okay." Annabelle slipped her wooden feet out of her clogs and picked them up. The girls then entered the house and laid their shoes by the door. Alex showed Annabelle around the house that had once belonged to her great-grandfather and was left to her mother by her grandparents. It was a small house with a living room, a kitchen, a bathing room, and two bedrooms upstairs.
"So what do you do for a job, Miss Julie?" Annabelle asked.
"I'm a baker Annabelle," Juliana replied. "I work at the bakery in the market and make bread, cakes, cookies, and pies. Speaking of which, I'll start on your apple pie right away and make dinner too. Why don't you girls play upstairs until it's ready?"
"Ok, mom." Alex led Annabelle upstairs to her room which looked similar to her bedroom back at the workshop. In one corner was a big wooden wardrobe and on the other, a large shelf filled with books and dolls, and in the corner near the window was a big comfy bed with a red blanket.
"Your room is so cool, Alex!" said Annabelle looking around her friend's room.
"Thank, Annie. I'm glad you like it." The girls spent the next hour playing with Alex's dolls and trying on a few dresses till Julianna had finished baking Annabelle's pie.
"Wow! That pie looks good, Miss Julie," Said Annabelle.
"Thank you, Annabelle. I hope your father and Jiminy will enjoy it too."
"You'll love mom's apple pie, Annie. She's an amazing baker," said Alex looking at mother. Julianna smiled at her daughter and gave Annabelle the pie.
"Thank you, ma'am. I should be getting home now before Daddy wonders where I've been so long."
"I'll help you carry the pie home, Annie," Alex offered.
The girls walked through the town and back to Annabelle's house and when she told Pinocchio and Jiminy what happened and how she used her money to buy Alex a new pair of glasses they were both pleased with her.
"That was a truly noble and selfless act, Annabelle," said Jiminy proudly. "I'm you glad listened to your conscience and did the right thing by helping your friend instead of being greedy and buying that doll."
"Thanks, Jiminy," Annabelle said and handed Pinocchio the pie.
"I'm proud of you too, Annabelle," Pinocchio said patting her head and sitting the pie on the table. "Now let's all have some Apple pie."
The girls sat at the table as Pinocchio served everyone including Figaro and Figgy a slice of pie. Both Pinocchio and Jiminy were proud of Annabelle for learning her lesson and hoped she would remember it in the future.
End of Chapter 14