The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Part One · Wolf! Wolf!

A boy watched sheep on a hill above the village. Every day was exactly the same. The sheep ate grass and said baa.

"This is so boring," said the boy. Then he had an idea. It was not a good idea.

He raced down the hill as fast as he could. "Wolf, wolf!" he shouted. "A wolf is after the sheep!"

The people in the village dropped their work. They grabbed sticks and hurried up the hill. But there was no wolf.

The boy laughed and laughed. "I tricked you!" he said. The people were cross, and they walked back down.

A few days later, the boy was bored again. "Wolf, wolf!" he cried. Up the hill ran the people once more.

Again, there was no wolf anywhere. "Fooled you!" said the boy, rolling in the grass.

An old man shook his head. "Never cry wolf when there is no wolf," he said. But the boy just giggled.

Then one evening, something moved in the trees. There were two yellow eyes and a long gray tail. It was a real wolf!

"Wolf, wolf!" shouted the boy. "Help, it's a real wolf this time!" He raced down to the village.

But nobody came. "He is playing another trick," the people said. "We will not be fooled again."

The wolf ran at the sheep. The frightened sheep scattered in every direction. They ran over the hills and far away.

The wolf chased them into the woods. Then it ran off with an empty tummy. The hill was very quiet.

It took the boy all night to find the sheep. He found them one by one, in bushes and ditches.

In the morning, he was tired and sad. The old man helped him bring the last sheep home.

"Nobody believes a fibber," said the old man. "Not even when he is telling the truth." The boy nodded slowly.

From that day on, the boy only told the truth. And when he shouted "Wolf!" again, the whole village came.