Aesopfs famous story has worked itfs way into the English Language. The dictionary says that to cry wolf is to h ask for help when you do not need it, with the result that no one believes you when help is necessary.h
 
 In this Storynory version the boy is now an old man, and he looks back on the joke that went badly wrong and landed him with a reputation for silly pranks. Itfs a real shorty - but we hope you will enjoy it - and we think itfs quite moving. 
 
 Read by Natasha. Duration 6.07
 
 
 When I was a lad, my father used to send me out to the fields each day to watch over his sheep. Hey-how, there are worse jobs than sitting out in the fresh air all day, but it was boring work for a lad. I longed to be running around with my friends, playing ball, or making boyish mischief. 
 
 gCanft the sheep look after themselves?h I asked my father. gAfter all, they know how to bleat and much grass, and there isnft much else that they do.h
 
 But father said it was important work. And most of importantly of all, I must keep my eyes pealed for the wolf, in case he came sneaking into the fields and grabbed on of the spring lambs. 
 
 And so I couldnft even go to sleep. I had to sit and keep a sharp look-out. And a few weeks of this, I got so bored that began to wish that the wolf would show up and give me something to do. 
 
 And then I got thinking to myself. Letfs liven things up a bit, I thought. Letfs play a trick on the villagers. And so I got up an ran as fast as I could into the village shouting at the top of my voice:
 
 gWolf ! Wolf WOOOOOOOOLF !h
 
 And the villagers grabbed sticks, rolling pins, and pitch-folks and came running up to the field to case away the world.
 
 But when they got there, all was peaceful. The lambs were frolicking as usual, quite unmolested. 
 
 And I laughed 
 
 gHa ha Fooled you all ! h
 
 But none of the villagers laughed with me. Some of them grumbled and and the blacksmith became quite angry and shouted at me. But he was just a bad sport who couldnft see the funny side of my joke.
 
 And so a week later I did the same thing again, only this time I put on an even better act. I daubed red paint on my arm, and pretended that the wolf had bitten me. This fooled even the blacksmith, who was on his guard after the last trick I had played. 
 
 And when they all arrived breathless in the field I again called out
 
 gHa Ha ! Fooled YOU! h
 
 And this time quite a few of the villagers were angry with me, and I got quite an ear wigging from the blacksmith, the teacher, and the iron-monger. When I got home, my father was furious and told me that I had a stupid sense of humour. But I thought it was funny. And so did my friends. 
 
 About a week after that, I was sitting up on the hill watching my fatherfs sheep as usual. It was getting on for evening, and the sun was setting behind the forrest. I would have to spend the night out there, and oh, how lonely and bored was I. Then all of a sudden the sheep dogs started to bark and the flock was running around and bleating like they had all gone made. Only they hadnft. There was a wolf among the sheep and he had seized a lamb. 
 
 gWolf ! Wolf ! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLF !h I called out and I ran into the village to get help.
 
 But nobody came. Not one villager. They carried on doing whatever they were doing. Eating supper, drinking ale, or finishing off their work for the day. 
 
 eBut please,h I said to the blacksmith, gThis time itfs true. There really is a wolf.h
 
 And he just shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 You see nobody believes a liar, even when hefs speaking the truth. 
 
 And thatfs why you should never cry wolf unless you really mean it.
 
 The Boy Who Cried Wolf
 
 Hello this is Natahsa, and Ifm dropping by with a famous fable by Aesop. 
 
 Have you ever heard the expression, To Cry Wolf? Do you know what it means? Well even if you do, you should listen to this tale, because it will tell you how it came about. 
 
 Itfs told by an old man, who remembers the biggest lesson of his life, the one that got him branded for ever more as The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
 
 When I was a lad, my father used to send me out to the fields each day to watch over his sheep. Hey-how, there are worse jobs than sitting out in the fresh air all day, but it was boring work for a lad. I longed to be running around with my friends, playing ball, or making boyish mischief. 
 
 gCanft the sheep look after themselves?h I asked my father. gAfter all, they know how to bleat and much grass, and there isnft much else that they do.h
 
 But father said it was important work. And most of importantly of all, I must keep my eyes pealed for the wolf, in case he came sneaking into the fields and grabbed on of the spring lambs. 
 
 And so I couldnft even go to sleep. I had to sit and keep a sharp look-out. And a few weeks of this, I got so bored that began to wish that the wolf would show up and give me something to do. 
 
 And then I got thinking to myself. Letfs liven things up a bit, I thought. Letfs play a trick on the villagers. And so I got up an ran as fast as I could into the village shouting at the top of my voice:
 
 gWolf ! Wolf WOOOOOOOOLF !h
 
 And the villagers grabbed sticks, rolling pins, and pitch-folks and came running up to the field to case away the world.
 
 But when they got there, all was peaceful. The lambs were frolicking as usual, quite unmolested. 
 
 And I laughed 
 
 gHa ha Fooled you all ! h
 
 But none of the villagers laughed with me. Some of them grumbled and and the blacksmith became quite angry and shouted at me. But he was just a bad sport who couldnft see the funny side of my joke.
 
 And so a week later I did the same thing again, only this time I put on an even better act. I daubed red paint on my arm, and pretended that the wolf had bitten me. This fooled even the blacksmith, who was on his guard after the last trick I had played. 
 
 And when they all arrived breathless in the field I again called out
 
 gHa Ha ! Fooled YOU! h
 
 And this time quite a few of the villagers were angry with me, and I got quite an ear wigging from the blacksmith, the teacher, and the iron-monger. When I got home, my father was furious and told me that I had a stupid sense of humour. But I thought it was funny. And so did my friends. 
 
 About a week after that, I was sitting up on the hill watching my fatherfs sheep as usual. It was getting on for evening, and the sun was setting behind the forrest. I would have to spend the night out there, and oh, how lonely and bored was I. Then all of a sudden the sheep dogs started to bark and the flock was running around and bleating like they had all gone made. Only they hadnft. There was a wolf among the sheep and he had seized a lamb. 
 
 gWolf ! Wolf ! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLF !h I called out and I ran into the village to get help.
 
 But nobody came. Not one villager. They carried on doing whatever they were doing. Eating supper, drinking ale, or finishing off their work for the day. 
 
 eBut please,h I said to the blacksmith, gThis time itfs true. There really is a wolf.h
 
 And he just shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 You see nobody believes a liar, even when hefs speaking the truth. 
 
 And thatfs why you should never cry wolf unless you really mean it.