Learn English Through Stories Level 3 🔥 | Moral Story| Learn English Through Story | Graded Reader

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf: The Tale of a Shepherd's Lesson
Once upon a time, in a small, peaceful village nestled between rolling green hills, there lived a young shepherd boy. Every day, the boy’s job was to watch over the village’s flock of sheep, guiding them to the lush pastures near the edge of a dark, dense forest. It was a simple but important task, for the forest was home to many wild animals, including wolves.
The boy, however, was not content with his duties. Day after day, he sat on a rock, watching the sheep graze and feeling terribly bored. He longed for excitement, for something to break the monotony of his quiet life.
One afternoon, as he sat under a tree, an idea sparked in his mischievous mind. "What if I pretended that a wolf was attacking the sheep?" he thought. "The villagers would come running, and it would be fun to see their worried faces!"
Without thinking twice, the boy jumped to his feet, ran to the top of the hill, and shouted with all his might, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!"
The villagers, hearing his cries, dropped everything they were doing and rushed up the hill, armed with sticks and tools, ready to chase away the predator. But when they arrived, they found no wolf-only the boy, rolling on the ground with laughter.
"You tricked us!" the villagers exclaimed, angry and out of breath.
"It was just a joke," the boy said, still chuckling. "There’s no harm in a little fun, is there?"
The villagers grumbled but returned to their work, leaving the boy to his sheep. The next day, the boy grew bored again, and the memory of his prank made him laugh. "Why not do it again?" he thought. And so, he climbed the hill once more and shouted, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!"
Once again, the villagers dropped everything and ran to the hill, only to find the boy laughing at them. This time, they were not amused.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me," an old villager muttered as they all walked back to the village, shaking their heads.
The boy, still laughing, didn’t notice the shadow lurking at the edge of the forest.
On the third day, as the boy was watching the sheep, a real wolf emerged from the forest, its eyes gleaming with hunger. The boy's heart pounded in his chest as he saw the wolf creeping closer to the flock. Terrified, he leapt to his feet and screamed, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep! Please, help!"
But this time, the villagers, remembering the boy’s tricks, ignored his cries. "He’s just playing another prank," they said. "There’s no wolf."
The boy shouted louder, his voice cracking with fear, but no one came. The wolf attacked the flock, scattering the sheep in all directions. Helpless and scared, the boy could do nothing but watch as the wolf chased away the sheep.
When the wolf finally disappeared into the forest, the boy sat on the hill, trembling and filled with regret. That evening, he returned to the village with only a few sheep, his face pale and his heart heavy.
"What happened to our sheep?" the villagers asked, seeing the boy’s sorrowful expression.
"The wolf came, and I cried for help, but no one believed me," the boy admitted. "I lied before, and now, when it really mattered, no one came."
The villagers looked at the boy, their faces softening with understanding. "This is the lesson you must learn," said the old villager. "When you lie, even for fun, people will stop trusting you. And when you finally tell the truth, they may not believe you."
The boy nodded, tears in his eyes. He had learned a valuable lesson, but at a great cost. From that day on, he vowed never to lie again, and he became known in the village as the most honest and trustworthy shepherd. The villagers forgave him, and over time, trust was rebuilt. But the boy never forgot the day the wolf came, and he learned that honesty is not just a virtue-it is the foundation of trust.
Moral: If you lie repeatedly, even when telling the truth, no one will believe you. Trust, once lost, is hard to regain.