Timed Reading — Aesop’s Fables

One day, a young shepherd boy was watching his family’s sheep in a field near the village. The work was quiet and boring, and the boy often wished that something exciting would happen. One afternoon, he decided to have some fun with the villagers.

He ran toward the village shouting, “Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!” The villagers heard his cries and quickly came running to help. When they arrived, they found no wolf. The boy laughed and told them that he had only been joking. The villagers were angry, but eventually they returned home.

A few days later, the boy became bored again. Once more, he ran toward the village and shouted, “Wolf! Wolf!” The villagers came running as fast as they could. Again, there was no wolf. The boy laughed at them, and the villagers became even more annoyed. This time, they warned him not to waste their time with another false alarm.

A week later, a real wolf appeared near the sheep. The boy became frightened and ran toward the village. “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me!” he shouted. “There really is a wolf this time!”

The villagers heard him, but they did not believe him. They thought he was playing the same trick again, so nobody came to help. The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy could do nothing to stop it.

The boy learned an important lesson that day.