Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy who was bored watching his flock of sheep on the
hill. To amuse himself, he shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! The sheep are being chased by the wolf!” The
villagers came running to help the boy and save the sheep. They found nothing and the boy just
laughed looking at their angry faces.
“Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there’s no wolf boy!”, they said angrily and left. The boy just laughed at
them.
After a while, he got bored and cried ‘wolf!’ again, fooling the villagers a second time. The
angry villagers warned the boy a second time and left. The boy continued watching the flock.
After a while, he saw a real wolf and cried loudly, “Wolf! Please help! The wolf is chasing the
sheep. Help!”
But this time, no one turned up to help. By evening, when the boy didn’t return home, the
villagers wondered what happened to him and went up the hill. The boy sat on the hill weeping.
“Why didn’t you come when I called out that there was a wolf?” he asked angrily. “The flock is
scattered now”, he said.
An old villager approached him and said, “People won’t believe liars even when they tell the
truth. We’ll look for your sheep tomorrow morning. Let’s go home now”.
Moral
Lying breaks trust. Nobody trusts a liar, even when he is telling the truth.
2. The Midas Touch
Image: iStock
In ancient Greek, there was a king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and everything he needed.
He also had a beautiful daughter. Midas loved his gold very much, but he loved his daughter
more than his riches.
One day, a satyr named Silenus got drunk and passed out in Midas’ rose garden. Believing that
Satyrs always bring good luck, Midas lets Silenus rest in his palace until he is sober, against the
wishes of his wife and daughter. Silenus is a friend of Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration.
Upon learning Midas’ kindness towards his friend, Dionysus decides to reward the keg.
When asked to wish for something, Midas says “I wish everything I touch turns to gold”.
Although Dionysus knew it was not a great idea, he granted Midas his wish.
Happy that his wish was granted, Midas went around touching random things in the garden and
his palace and turned them all into gold. He touched an apple, and it turned into a shiny gold
apple. His subjects were astonished but happy to see so much gold in the palace.
In his happiness, Midas went and hugged his daughter, and before he realized, he turned her into
a lifeless, golden statue! Aghast, Midas ran back to the garden and called for Dionysus. He
begged the god to take away his power and save his daughter. Dionysus gives Midas a solution
to change everything back to how it was before the wish. Midas learned his lesson and lived the
rest of his life contended with what he had.
Moral
Do not get greedy. Be happy and content with what you have.
[ Read: Inspirational Stories For Kids ]
3. The Golden Egg
Image: Shutterstock
Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid a golden egg every day. The egg provided
enough money for the farmer and his wife for their day-to-day needs. The farmer and his wife
were happy for a long time. But one day, the farmer got an idea and thought, “Why should I take
just one egg a day? Why can’t I take all of them at once and make a lot of money?”
The foolish farmer’s wife also agreed and decided to cut the goose’s stomach for the eggs. As
soon as they killed the bird and opened the goose’s stomach, to find nothing but guts and blood.
The farmer, realizing his foolish mistake, cries over the lost resource!
The English idiom “kill not the goose that lays the golden egg” was also derived from this classic
story.
Moral
Think before you act.
