El Niño que Gritó Lobo

Había un joven pastor que cuidaba ovejas.

Dearest Gentle Reader,

El muchacho estaba aburrido.

In the quaint village of Meadowgrove, where the whispers of the wind carry tales as swiftly as any society paper, there resided a young boy named Timothy.

Quería divertirse.

Now, Timothy was not your ordinary lad; he possessed a spirit as lively as the ton's most scandalous gossip and an imagination that rivaled the most fanciful of debutantes.

¡Lobo!

Timothy, you see, was entrusted with the rather mundane task of tending to the village's sheep.

¡Lobo!" gritó con fuerza.

A duty, one might say, that did not quite match his flair for the dramatic.

"¡Un lobo viene a comerse las ovejas!" La gente del pueblo lo escuchó.

And so, our dear Timothy found himself in a predicament—how to entertain oneself whilst watching over a flock of rather uninteresting sheep?

Pero no había ningún lobo.

One sunny afternoon, as the villagers went about their daily affairs, a most alarming cry echoed through the meadows.

¡Lobo!

"Wolf!

—Solo estaba jugando —dijo.

Wolf!" Timothy shouted, his voice filled with a terror that would make even the sturdiest of hearts flutter.

No hay lobo.

The villagers, ever the dutiful neighbors, dropped their tasks and rushed to his aid, armed with pitchforks and brooms.

Regresaron al pueblo caminando.

Alas, upon arriving at the scene, they found no wolf, but rather a grinning Timothy, quite pleased with his little ruse.

Forgive me," he said with a chuckle, "I merely sought to liven up the day.

"Forgive me," he said with a chuckle, "I merely sought to liven up the day."

Gritó: "¡Lobo!"

The villagers, though slightly miffed, returned to their duties, shaking their heads at the boy's antics.

¡Ayúdame!

Days turned into weeks, and Timothy, finding the thrill of his first deception too tempting to resist, cried "Wolf!" once more.

¡El lobo está aquí!" Una vez más, la gente corrió colina arriba para ayudar.

Again, the villagers hurried to his side, only to find the mischievous lad laughing at their expense.

De nuevo, no había ningún lobo.

This time, their annoyance was palpable, and they warned him sternly against such foolishness.

—No tienes gracia —dijo la gente.

But Timothy, it seems, was not one to heed warnings.

Ahora estaban muy enojados.

For a third time, he shouted, "Wolf!

Una semana después, llegó un lobo de verdad.

Wolf!" Yet, this time, the villagers, weary of his tricks, paid him no mind.

El lobo era grande y hambriento.

They continued with their chores, dismissing his cries as yet another attempt to stir excitement.

¡Lobo!

Little did they know, this time, Timothy's cries were genuine.

¡Lobo!" gritó el muchacho.

A wolf, fierce and hungry, had indeed appeared, its eyes fixed on the helpless sheep.

¡Por favor, ayúdenme!

Timothy, now truly frightened, called out in earnest, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"¡El lobo está realmente aquí!" Pero nadie vino.

The villagers, having been fooled twice before, saw no reason to believe him now.

"Está mintiendo otra vez", dijeron.

And so, dear reader, the wolf feasted on the poor sheep, leaving Timothy to face the consequences of his deceit.

"No iremos." El lobo se comió muchas ovejas.

The villagers, upon realizing their mistake, were filled with regret, but it was too late.

El niño lloró, pero ya era demasiado tarde.

The damage had been done, and Timothy's credibility lay in tatters, much like the remnants of the sheep's wool.

El pastorcito aprendió una lección importante.

Thus, we are reminded, dear gentle reader, that honesty is the cornerstone of trust.

Nadie cree a un mentiroso.

For once lost, it is a treasure most difficult to regain.

Incluso cuando dice la verdad.

Let Timothy's tale serve as a cautionary reminder that crying "Wolf!" when there is none may leave you quite alone when the real danger strikes.