Tonino the Invisible - by Gianni Rodari, from "Favole al telefono", "Fairy tales on the phone," 1961, translated from Italian.

There once was a boy named Tonino, who went to school without having studied his lesson and was worried that the teacher would question him.

"Ah - he told himself - if I could become invisible …"

The teacher called out the names of the students, and when he arrived at Tonino’s name, the boy replied: - present - but nobody heard him, and the teacher said - What a shame that Tonino is not here, I thought about questioning him. If he is sick, we hope it's nothing serious.

So Tonino understood that he had become invisible, as he had desired. Full of joy, he leaped from his chair and ended up in the trash can. He stood up and walked around the class, he pulled people here and there by the hair and spilled ink pots. There were noisy protests and endless arguments. Schoolchildren accused each other of mischief; they could not suspect that, in fact, the culprit was the invisible Tonino.

When he got tired of that game, Tonino left the school and got on a tram, obviously without paying for a ticket because the driver could not see him. He found a place and sat down. At the next stop a lady with her shopping bag got on the tram and just started sitting in a place, which looked empty in her eyes. Instead she sat on Tonino's knees; he almost suffocated. The lady shouted: - What kind of trick is this? You cannot even sit here anymore? Look, I put the bag down and it remains suspended in the air.

The bag was actually placed on Tonino's knees. There was lots of discussion, and almost all the passengers voiced fiery words against the streetcar company.

Tonino got off in the town center, and into a bakery and started to take what he wanted. He fished with both hands between rolls, chocolate eclairs and all kinds of cakes. The saleswoman, who saw the pastry disappear from the counter, accused a worthy gentleman who had bought candy with a hole in them for an old aunt. The gentleman protested – I, a thief? You do not know to who you're talking. Don’t you know who my father was. Don’t you know who my grandfather was!

- I do not want to know, - said the saleswoman.

- How dare you insult my grandfather!

It was a terrible fight. The guards came running in. Tonino the invisible slipped between the legs of the lieutenant and went back to school to meet his companions as they came out. Indeed, he saw them leave, or rather rolling down from the steps of the school like a snowball, but they never saw him. Tonino tried in vain to chase one or the other, or to pull his friend Roberto’s hair, or to give a lollipop to his friend Guiscardo. They did not see him, they did not listen at all, they looked through him like he was made of glass.

Tired and a little discouraged Tonino went home. His mother was waiting for him on the balcony. - I'm here, Mom! – Tonino shouted. But she did not see him nor hear him, and looked anxiously at the road behind him.

- Here I am, Dad, - said Tonino, when he was home, sitting at his usual place at the table.
- But his father murmured uneasily: - I wonder why Tonino's so late. Hopefully he hasn't had an accident?

- But I'm here, I'm here! Ma, Dad! - Tonino shouted. But they didn’t hear his voice.

Tonino began to cry, but what good are tears, when no one can see them?

- I never want to be invisible again - complained Tonino, devastated by grief. - I want my father to see me, my mother scolding me, and the teacher questioning me!. I want to play with my friends! It's bad to be invisible, it's bad to be alone.

He went out down the stairs and went slowly down to the garden.

- Why are you crying? - Asked an old man sitting on a bench in the sun.

- But you can see me? - Tonino asked, very anxious.

-. Yes, I see you. I see you go to school every day and come back again.

- But I've never seen you.

- Yes I know. Nobody notices me. A retired old man, all alone, why should children look at him? For you I am like the invisible man.

- “Tonino!“ - Called his mother from the balcony.

- Mom, can you see me?
- Well, I'd have to be blind not to see you.
Come on, come on and you will have listen to what your father has to say.

- I'm coming, Mom - Tonino shouted, joyfully.
- Are you not afraid you'll get a spanking? - laughed the old man.

Tonino threw his arms around the man’s neck and gave him a kiss. - You saved me, - he said.

- Ah, what an exaggeration, - said the old man.