The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once, in a small, quiet village on the edge of an emerald-green forest, there lived a young boy named Lucas. His job was simple: watch over the village’s flock of sheep while they grazed on the rolling hills nearby. But day after day, Lucas found himself growing bored with the endless stretches of silence.

One afternoon, he thought of a way to add excitement to his lonely routine. He scrambled to the top of a hill and shouted, “Wolf! There’s a wolf attacking the sheep!”

Hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help, their tools and clubs ready to fend off the threat. But when they arrived, they found only a smirking Lucas and a flock of calm, grazing sheep. The villagers shook their heads and returned to their work, muttering about the boy’s prank.

Yet, Lucas found their reactions amusing and did it again the next day, with the villagers running to his aid just as before. Each time, Lucas laughed as he watched them realize there was no wolf.

But one evening, just as the sun dipped low and shadows began to stretch across the field, a real wolf did appear. Its yellow eyes gleamed hungrily as it crept toward the unsuspecting sheep. Panic seized Lucas as he scrambled up the hill, yelling, “Wolf! Wolf! Please, there’s a wolf this time!” His voice echoed over the fields, but this time, the villagers ignored him. They thought it was just another prank.

With no one to help, Lucas could only watch helplessly as the wolf lunged at the sheep, scattering them in terror. By the time the villagers finally realized the truth and arrived, it was too late. The boy had learned a hard lesson: a lie can turn the ears of truth to silence.

From that day on, Lucas watched the flock with a new sense of purpose and humility, understanding that trust, once broken, is not easily mended.