Little Shepherd Boy

Once, there was a little shepherd boy who was supposed to be careful and responsible. One day, he was sitting idly on the hillside, bored as he watched his flock graze. Suddenly, he had an idea to amuse himself. He shouted out, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is attacking my sheep!”

Hearing his cries, the farmers working at the foot of the hill ran up to help. But when they arrived, they found no wolf. They were annoyed and left in anger.

The next day, the boy was on the hillside again and decided to repeat the prank. He screamed, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is raiding my sheep!” This time, the boy made his cries sound very convincing. The farmers, fearing the worst, ran up quickly to help. Again, they found no wolf. As the boy laughed at them, the farmers became furious. They warned him, “If you do this again, we will not come to help you.”

Then, a few days later, a real wolf appeared. It began attacking the sheep. Terrified, the boy climbed a tree to save himself and screamed, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is killing my sheep!”

But this time, the farmers thought the boy was playing the same prank, so they did not come. The boy watched helplessly as the wolf destroyed his flock. He finally realized the consequences of his actions. From that day on, he never told a lie again.

لا يصلح كذب في جدّ ولا هزل (Lying is not proper, neither in seriousness nor in jest.)

Moral of the story: No one believes a liar, even when he speaks the truth.