A Village Boy
Story # 1
Ramu was a village boy. He acted as a shepherd. He took out sheep and goats to a hillside for grazing. It was his daily routine. He felt bored doing the same job every day. He thought of a plan. He thought of a frank just for fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf !! Help! Help The villagers working in the nearby fields rushed to his help. They had sickles and in their hands. They wanted to drive away from the nasty wolf. But to their amazement, there was no wolf. They found Ramu laughing and laughing out of mischief. They lost their temper and went away in a bluff. Ramu continued laughing as he said he had made fun of them.
Many days passed, Ramu kept silent. One day he repeated the same joke. This time also some villagers came running to help him but they had again to return in a huff as he had played simply mischief.
One day a wolf actually came. He killed many sheep. Ramu climbed a tree and cried on the top of his voice for help. He cried and cried. But the people took no notice of him. They thought that he was again trying to make a fool of them. They went on working in their fields and took no notice of his cries. The wolf had a nice day. Ramu tried to drive the wolf himself but he could not face him single-handed. He was wounded seriously and reached home with a lot of difficulties. The people again scolded him for this folly. He was treated in a hospital. Now he promised never to play such a silly joke again.
Moral: Once a liar always a liar.
The Boy who cried “Wolf!”
Story # 2
Long, long ago, there lived a shepherd boy. He used to graze sheep in a nearby jungle. He had nobody there to talk to. So he often felt lonely.
One day, the boy thought of having some fun at the cost of the villagers. He cried out at the top of his voice: “A wolf! A wolf !”
The villagers got alarmed. Some of them armed themselves with weapons and rushed to the spot. They wanted to save the boy and the sheep, too.
But imagine their surprise when the people found no wolf there. The boy had raised a false alarm. They asked him, “Where’s the wolf?” “Nowhere,” replied the boy with mischief in his eyes. “I just wanted to have some fun.”
The villagers were greatly annoyed at the boy’s silly idea of fun. They scolded him and went back. A few days passed, and the boy again cried, “A wolf! A wolf !” The villagers took him seriously and reached the spot in no time. But they lost their temper when they found that they had been befooled for the second time. So they scolded the mischief-maker a bit more sternly.
A week passed. It so happened that a wolf actually came. The boy sounded the alarm as before. He cried and cried but all in vain. The villagers heard his cries but nobody came out. No villager wanted to be befooled for the third time. The wolf pounced upon the boy. The foolish lad lost his life.
Moral: Once a liar, always a liar.
