In a little valley near a dark, whispering forest, there was a young boy who watched over his father’s sheep. The boy’s job was to keep the sheep safe from wolves hiding in the forest, but he was very lonely and often bored.
One day, the boy thought of a way to have some fun. “I know! I’ll pretend a wolf is coming!” he said with a giggle.
The sheep, who were his only company, baa-ed and watched. One sheep, who liked to be a little mischievous, said, “Yes, pretend a wolf is attacking us!”
But another wise sheep warned, “Don’t listen to him; it’s not a good idea.”
Ignoring the warning, the boy ran to the village, shouting, “Wolf! Wolf! The mean, old wolf is coming!” His father and all the townspeople rushed over with sticks and shovels to help.
But when they got there, the boy laughed and said, “There’s no wolf. I tricked you!”
The people were upset but went back to their work, shaking their heads.
The boy thought it was so funny that he did the same trick again a few days later. Once more, the townspeople came running, but again, there was no wolf. The boy laughed and laughed.
The townspeople said, “We won’t come again if you trick us.”
Then one day, while the boy was napping, real wolves crept out of the forest, eyeing the sheep.
“This time, it’s not a shadow,” the boy cried when he saw the wolves. “Help! Wolf! Wolf! The mean, old wolves are here for real!”
But this time, nobody came to help. The townspeople thought it was another trick.
Sadly, the wolves scared all the sheep away.
When the boy’s father found out, he was very disappointed. “You lied to us many times, so we didn’t believe you when the danger was real,” he said.
The boy felt very sorry for not telling the truth. He learned that if you lie, people won’t trust you when you really need them.
From then on, the boy decided to always tell the truth, and he worked hard to win back everyone’s trust. And the sheep, once scattered, came back to their safe valley, never to be tricked again.
And all the children in the village learned from the boy’s story: always tell the truth, because lies can cause trouble for you and for everyone else too.
aesopsfablesforchildren.com 
Leave a comment