The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time, there was a little shepherd boy named Sammy who watched over the fluffiest, wooliest sheep in the whole valley. Every morning, he led his sheep - Blossom, Clover, and Daisy - up to the sunny green meadow where they could munch on sweet grass all day long. "Baa-baa-baa!" said the happy sheep as they nibbled and wandered around the hill. Sammy sat under a shady oak tree, watching his fluffy friends eat. But after a while... he started to get bored. "One sheep, two sheep, three sheep," he counted, throwing little pebbles at dandelions. "This is SO boring! I wish something exciting would happen!" Then Sammy got a very silly idea. He jumped up on a big rock and shouted as loud as he could: "WOLF! WOLF! HELP! A big scary wolf is chasing my sheep!" Down in the village, the people heard Sammy's cries. CLANG! went the blacksmith's hammer as he dropped it. THUD! went the baker's rolling pin as she set it down. "Oh no! Poor Sammy!" they cried, and they all came running up the hill - THUMP-THUMP-THUMP - carrying brooms and rakes and shovels. "Where's the wolf?" puffed the red-faced baker, flour still dusting her apron. "Is everyone safe?" wheezed the blacksmith, waving his hammer. But when they looked around, there was no wolf anywhere! Sammy was giggling behind the oak tree, and his sheep were peacefully eating grass. "There's no wolf!" Sammy laughed, pointing at their surprised faces. "I was just pretending! Wasn't that funny?" The villagers were NOT amused. They had dropped everything and run all the way up the steep hill for nothing! "Sammy, that wasn't funny at all," said the tired baker, wiping sweat from her forehead. "We were worried about you!" Grumbling and shaking their heads, the villagers trudged back down the hill - STOMP, STOMP, STOMP. The next day, Sammy felt lonely again. The sun was warm, his sheep were quietly munching, and nothing exciting was happening. "I wonder if those people would come help me again," he thought. "That was kind of fun..." So once again, Sammy climbed on his rock and shouted even LOUDER: "WOLF! WOLF! This time there really IS a wolf! HELP!" And wouldn't you know it - THUMP-THUMP-THUMP - up the hill came the same kind villagers, running even faster this time! "Where is it?" called the shopkeeper, carrying a big stick. "We'll save you, Sammy!" shouted the farmer, ready to fight. But when they reached the top... Sammy was smiling sheepishly, and there was still no wolf in sight. "Gotcha again!" Sammy said weakly, but this time he didn't feel proud of his trick. The baker put her hands on her hips. "Sammy," she said sternly, "you must never, EVER lie like this! What if a real wolf comes and you need our help?" "But I was just having fun," mumbled Sammy, his cheeks turning red. "Lying is never fun," said the blacksmith sadly. "Now we don't know when to believe you." This time, the villagers walked away shaking their heads, and Sammy felt terrible in his tummy. The very next morning, Sammy was sitting quietly under his tree when he heard a loud RUSTLING in the bushes. Out bounded the biggest, shaggiest dog he had ever seen! It had floppy ears, a waggy tail, and it was headed straight for his sheep! "WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" barked the enormous dog. "BAA-AAA-AAA!" cried Blossom, Clover, and Daisy, and they went running in three different directions - their fluffy wool bouncing as they scrambled away! "Oh no! WOLF! WOLF!" Sammy shouted desperately, jumping up and down and waving his arms. "HELP! My sheep are running away! This time it's REAL!" But down in the village, the people heard Sammy's cries and just shook their heads. "There goes Sammy again with his silly tricks," sighed the baker. "We're not falling for that a third time," said the blacksmith. Nobody came to help. Poor Sammy had to chase his sheep all by himself! He ran this way and that way - PUFF-PUFF-PUFF - trying to catch Blossom as she squeezed through a fence. He scrambled after Clover as she rolled down a hill like a fluffy white ball. He called and called for Daisy, but she had disappeared behind some trees! By the time the big dog got bored and wandered away, all three sheep were scattered across the countryside, and Sammy was tired, sweaty, and very, very sorry. With his head hanging low, Sammy walked back to the village. "I'm so sorry," he said to the baker, the blacksmith, and all the other villagers. "I know you don't want to listen to me anymore, but I told lies before, and now my sheep are really lost. I was wrong to trick you, and I'm really, truly sorry." The baker's stern face softened when she saw how sad and sorry Sammy looked. "Well," she said kindly, "at least you're telling the truth now. Let's go help you find those sheep." All the villagers spread out across the valley calling, "Blossom! Clover! Daisy!" And just as the sun was setting, a kind farmer came walking up with all three sheep following behind him. "I found these woolly wanderers in my pasture," he chuckled. "My big dog Patches likes to play chase, but he's really very gentle. I'm sorry he scared your sheep!" "Thank you so much!" cried Sammy, hugging Blossom, Clover, and Daisy. "I'm so happy you're all safe!" That night, as Sammy tucked his sheep into their cozy pen, he learned the most important lesson of his life: When you always tell the truth, people know they can trust you. And when people trust you, they'll always be there to help when you really need them. THE END! *Now that's what we call learning your lesson!*