A Second Trick

A few days later, feeling bored again, the boy played the same trick.

“Wolf! Wolf!” he cried out, as loudly as before.

Once again, the villagers dropped everything and hurried up the hill to help.

And once again, they found nothing but the boy, laughing even harder than the first time.

“Do not cry wolf when there is no wolf,” one villager warned sternly. “One day, you may need our help for real — and we will not believe you.”

The boy just shrugged and went back to watching his sheep.