The Boy Who Cried Wolf
A bored shepherd boy plays a trick on his village — again and again.
Once there was a boy whose job was to watch the village sheep on the hill. It was a quiet job, and he was very bored.
One day he had an idea. He ran down the hill shouting, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!"
The villagers dropped their tools and raced up the hill to help. But when they got there, there was no wolf — only the boy, laughing.
"Tricked you!" he giggled. The villagers were not happy. They walked back down the hill, grumbling.
A few days later, the boy was bored again. "Wolf! Wolf!" he cried. Again the villagers ran up the hill. Again there was no wolf.
"This is not funny," said the baker. "We have work to do."
Then one evening, a real wolf crept out of the forest. It crept closer and closer to the sheep.
"WOLF! WOLF!" the boy screamed. "Please help! It is real this time!"
But down in the village, the people shook their heads. "He is playing another trick," they said. Nobody came.
The sheep scattered across the hill, and the boy had to chase them all night long to bring them safely home. In the morning, he went to the village and said sorry. He had learned that once people stop believing you, it is very hard to win back their trust.
⭐ The End ⭐
💬 Talk about it
- Why did the boy shout "Wolf!" the first time?
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He was bored and wanted to play a trick. - Why didn't the villagers come when the wolf was real?
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They thought he was lying again. - What does "trust" mean in this story?
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Believing that someone is telling the truth.
