The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time, in a small village nestled at the foot of a mountain, there lived a young shepherd boy. His job was to take the village’s sheep to graze on the hills every day and watch over them to keep them safe from harm.

Although it was an important job, the boy found it incredibly boring.

Shepherd Boy (sighing): "All I do is watch sheep all day. Nothing ever happens up here!"

He sat on the hillside, day after day, with only the sheep for company, wishing for some excitement. One day, he got an idea—a mischievous thought that made him grin.

Shepherd Boy (to himself): "What if I tricked the villagers? That would be fun, and at least I wouldn’t be bored anymore!"

Laughing to himself, he jumped to his feet and began shouting at the top of his lungs.

Shepherd Boy (yelling): "Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf attacking the sheep!"

Hearing the boy’s cries, the villagers below were alarmed. They quickly grabbed their tools and ran up the hill to help defend the flock.

Villager 1: "Hurry! We must save the sheep from the wolf!"

But when they reached the top of the hill, they found no wolf—only the shepherd boy laughing so hard he could barely stand.

Shepherd Boy (giggling): "There’s no wolf! I just tricked you!"

The villagers were angry, but relieved there was no real danger.

Villager 2 (sternly): "Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there is no wolf, boy. It’s not a joke."

Villager 3: "Next time, we may not come so quickly."

But the boy only shrugged and waved them off as they returned to the village, chuckling to himself about how clever he had been.

A few days later, the boy grew bored again, sitting alone on the hill with nothing but the sheep and the wind. The memory of how easily he had fooled the villagers came back to him, and soon, he couldn’t resist.

Shepherd Boy (grinning): "I’ll do it again! Let’s see them run this time!"

He leaped to his feet and shouted once more.

Shepherd Boy (yelling): "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!"

Once again, the villagers heard his cries and rushed up the hill to save the flock.

Villager 1 (panting): "Where is the wolf this time?"

But when they arrived, there was no wolf—only the boy, laughing louder than before.

Shepherd Boy: "I fooled you again! There’s no wolf!"

The villagers were furious.

Villager 2 (angrily): "You’ve wasted our time again, boy. Do not call for help if there is no real danger!"

Villager 3: "One day, you’ll cry for real, and we won’t believe you."

But the boy just laughed, watching them grumble as they returned to the village.

Not long after, as the boy watched the sheep graze peacefully on the hillside, he suddenly noticed something moving in the bushes nearby. His heart skipped a beat when he saw it—a large, hungry wolf creeping toward the flock.

Shepherd Boy (terrified): "It’s a wolf! A real wolf!"

Panicked, the boy leaped to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shepherd Boy (frantically): "Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf attacking the sheep! Please help!"

He screamed louder and louder, but this time, no one came. The villagers, having been fooled twice before, thought the boy was playing another trick.

Villager 1 (sighing): "It’s just the boy again. There’s no wolf."

Villager 2: "Let him shout. We’re not falling for it this time."

Back on the hillside, the boy watched in horror as the wolf attacked the sheep. He cried and begged for help, but no one came to save the flock.

The next morning, the villagers finally went up the hill to check on the boy and the sheep. When they arrived, they found the boy sitting alone, weeping.

Shepherd Boy (crying): "The wolf came, and now the sheep are gone. I called for help, but no one came."

The villagers shook their heads sadly.

Villager 3 (gently): "We would have helped you if we believed you, but you lied too many times. No one believes a liar, even when he tells the truth."

The boy realized the terrible mistake he had made. His foolish tricks had cost him the trust of the villagers, and now, when he truly needed help, no one had believed him.

From that day forward, the boy never cried “wolf” again, and he learned a valuable lesson: telling lies, even as a joke, can have serious consequences when trust is broken.

And so, the boy lived with the lesson he had learned, and the story of the boy who cried wolf was passed down through the village, reminding everyone of the importance of honesty.