—A Grandpa Story! 2/82—Nearly 3 yrs. old DO 1762

—Dora Techi Chapter 64

1. (TO TECHI PLAYING WITH THE FLASHLIGHT:) IT'S OKAY AS LONG AS YOU KEEP IT OFF. Every time you turn it on it wastes batteries, so you should only turn it on when you need it. What do you need it for? Hmm? To do what? (Techi: To look.) To look at what? You don't really need it!

2. DID YOU HEAR THE STORY ABOUT "WOLF, WOLF"? You never heard that story? Would you like me to tell you the story about "Wolf, Wolf"? Well, this story is really about your flashlight! (Techi: Can you tell me, please?) I'm illustrating‚ I'm showing you something by this story. There was a little boy who tended the sheep & he was a little shepherd boy, & he'd be way out on the hills with his sheep, all by himself playing his flute, with nobody else out there but just him & the sheep. Sometimes he got lonesome & he wished he had somebody else out there too. He wished he had somebody out there to talk to besides the sheep.

3. SO ONE DAY HE GOT A BRILLIANT IDEA HOW TO GET SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE TO TALK WITH HIM. See‚ if a wolf came & threatened the sheep, he was supposed to scream real loud at the top of his voice, & yell for the village people to come out & help him rescue the sheep, & drive off the wolf. He was supposed to scream real loud, "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!" So he got a bright idea that this would be one way to get somebody out to the fields there! (Techi: Can you tell me another story?) Alright, but I haven't finished this one yet! So the boy started crying, "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!" & he yelled & yelled it real loud!

4. PRETTY SOON THE VILLAGE PEOPLE CAME RUNNING‚ RUNNING‚ RUNNING & THEY SAID, "WHERE'S THE WOLF, WHERE'S THE WOLF?" They couldn't see the wolf because there was no wolf! He was just saying it to get them to come, & he laughed‚ "I was just lonesome. I just cried 'wolf' so you would come out to see me & talk to me! I was just lonesome out here all by myself." The village people were very mad about it, they didn't like it! "You'd better not do that anymore!" they said, & they all went back to their houses & the boy went back to taking care of the sheep.

5. THEN JUST TWO DAYS LATER HE GOT REAL LONESOME AGAIN. He thought, "Boy, that really did the trick when I cried 'Wolf! Wolf!’ Everybody came out!" So he said, "I think I'll try that again, it's a good idea!" He was tired of lookin' at the sheep & playing his flute & so finally, "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!" he yelled real loud, & here came all the people running fast! "Where's the wolf? Where's the wolf?" They had their staffs & their staves & their pitchforks & their hoes & everything ready to chase the wolf off! You see, he was watching the sheep for all the villagers because they all belonged to the village people! The boy laughed again & said, "There was no wolf! I just did it to get you to come out here so I'd have somebody to talk to & I wouldn't be so lonesome!" I guess he didn't know Jesus, huh?—'Cause if he'd known Jesus he could've talked to Jesus, right? And Jesus would've talked to him & comforted his heart & he wouldn't have been lonesome, right? Instead‚ he was a naughty boy fooling folks! He must've been listening to the Devil instead of Jesus.

6. SO THE PEOPLE WERE REAL ANGRY AGAIN & SAID, "NOW DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN! Don't ever, ever, ever cry 'wolf wolf' when there is no wolf!" And they went back to their houses. But first they warned him, "Don't you ever cry 'wolf wolf' again when there is no wolf!" But a few days later, what do you think happened? The boy got lonesome again, all day watching the sheep & playing his flute. He ate his lunch with nobody to talk to but the dumb sheep, & they couldn't talk back. He talked to them, but all they said was, "Baaah, baaah!" The sheep couldn't talk his language‚ all they could do was talk sheep language, & sheep language goes, "Baaah!" So he thought, "Aha!" (Techi: He was calling 'wolf wolf' again!) Right! That's what he did! He got lonesome & thought he'd call "wolf wolf" again & get the village people to come. Only this time, guess what?

7. ABOUT THAT TIME A REAL WOLF CAME!—A real big strong wolf with big teeth, grrrrrr! And he came & pounced on one of the little lambs & was chewing it up, & so the little boy began to scream! He was terrified & cried out to the villagers, "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!" And guess what happened?—Nobody came! Nobody came! Why didn't anybody come? Yes, the villagers heard him crying "wolf, wolf, wolf" from way out in the fields. "Ah, it's that boy again!" they thought. "He's yelling 'wolf wolf' again because he's lonesome & wants some company. We're not going to bother to go out there any more!" But this time it was the real wolf & it came & it carried away the little lamb! The boy kept yelling "Wolf, wolf, wolf!" but nobody came!

8. SO WHEN ANOTHER SHEPHERD CAME OUT LATER ON TO SEE HIM, HE WAS CRYING, "Why didn't you come when I called 'wolf wolf'?" "Ah, what do you mean?" the shepherd said. "You're always saying 'wolf wolf', so we decided not to come this time, 'cause we know you don't mean it & there is no wolf." He said, "But this time there was a wolf & he got one of the lambs!" The fella said, "He did?—There really was a wolf?" "Yes! And I cried 'wolf wolf wolf' & you didn't come!" The other shepherd said, "How are we supposed to know? How are we supposed to know if there's a wolf or not when you're always crying 'wolf wolf', even when there's no wolf? So we don't know when there is a wolf, see?"

9. SO THE LITTLE BOY WAS VERY SAD & VERY SORRY & THE VILLAGERS WERE VERY ANGRY WITH HIM, & do you know what they said? What would you say to a bad little boy like that? (Techi: I don't know.) They probably told him, "If you ever cry 'wolf wolf' again & there is no wolf, you're fired! If there's no wolf, there'll be no job for you & you won't be shepherd any more!" He was a naughty boy, crying 'wolf wolf' when there was no wolf, see? (Techi: And there was a wolf?) There was a wolf! But see, they didn't know it because he was always yelling 'wolf wolf', so how were they supposed to know? Poor little boy! I bet he never cried 'wolf wolf' again unless there was a wolf, huh?

10. AND THAT IS A STORY ABOUT YOUR FLASHLIGHT. If you keep turning your flashlight on when you don't need it‚ just to see it & just to keep you company & just to watch it & play with it, then some dark night when you really need a flashlight & the lights are out, you'll reach over for your flashlight when you really need a light & it won't turn on because you burned up all the batteries!—Because you played with it & turned it on when you didn't need to turn it on, just like the little boy who called 'wolf wolf' when he needed no help & there really was no wolf! (Techi: Once there was a wolf!) Yes, & then some night it'll be dark when the light is out & you'll need your flashlight & you'll reach over for it & try to turn it on & it won't go on, because you played around with it so much & turned it on so many times you wore out the battery. So when it really is dark or when there really is a wolf, you won't have any flashlight & it won't turn on! You'll stumble around in the dark & poor Dora won't be able to see‚ & John won't be able to see when it's so dark because you played with your flashlight & turned it off & on just to play with it.

11. SO THAT'S LIKE THE STORY ABOUT THE LITTLE BOY WHO CALLED 'WOLF WOLF'. When he really needed help he didn't have it‚ because he'd worn out his help. They were tired of running out there to help him when he didn't need help. (Techi: Did they spank him?) Well‚ they told him if he ever did it again they were going to fire him! So when he finally needed a flashlight & he yelled for help, there was no help, no flashlight & helpers. (Techi: Did they spank him?) I don't know if he ever tried it again, but I'll bet they did if he tried it again‚ I'll bet they did! (Techi: Remember, Joe was working on a machine & the boss was workin' & Joe crashed their new machine & he said, "Joe, you're fired!") Right! That's true! PTL! (Techi: You know, Daddy‚ look, I turned it off.) Good girl‚ you're keepin' it off, that's a good girl.

12. NOW DON'T TURN IT ON UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT! (Techi: Look, when I turned it on, it doesn't turn on.) Oh! That would be bad, huh? When you needed it in the middle of the dark, dark night & you reach for a light & there is no light, then you'll wish you hadn't played with your flashlight! (Techi: Daddy, look‚ it didn't come on.) See, too many 'wolf wolfs'! You turned it on too many times when you didn't need it, & now if you need it, it won't turn on! Now see, when you need a story next time, I'm not going to tell you a story, because you didn't learn anything from Daddy's story! That meant you're not supposed to turn on your flashlight when you don't need it. Don't cry 'wolf wolf' when you don't need help, understand? So don't turn on your flashlight now when you don't need it! Let's turn it off, Honey, turn it off! That's a good girl. Well, PTL!

13. (TECHI KNOCKS A GLASS OF WATER OVER ON DAD:) (Techi: You know, I didn't rinse.) That was why it happened, you didn't rinse your mouth! That was why! You should've rinsed & then there wouldn't have been so much water to baptise Daddy with. It was an accident, you didn't do it on purpose, Honey. See, but you were playing around, that's why!

14. WHEN MY FIRST CHILDREN WERE SMALL, I'D TEACH THEM THEY SHOULD NEVER SCREAM, never ever unless they were hurt & needed help. Then if I heard them scream I knew they really needed help! Our little neighbourhood children would scream just for fun & you could never tell when they were really hurt! So it's good never to cry 'wolf wolf', or scream at all unless you really need help, right?

15. (TECHI: DADDY, IS THE WOLF DEAD?) Yes, that wolf is long gone, that wolf died a long time ago because that was many many years ago. But there're lots of little new little boys & new shepherds & new wolves‚ they're still out there & there are still little boys that might be tempted to cry 'wolf wolf', but they always tell'm that story so they won't, see? So that's a good story to remember. Don't ever yell for help when you don't need it!—Amen? GBAKY from the Wolves!—And from yelling for help when you don't need it so we'll know when you do!—In Jesus' name, amen!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family