Story The Boy Who Chopped

Wording of this Handout:

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Once there was a boy who wanted to chop a tree down.

So he got an axe and started to walk towards the tree, but his mother called out to him.

"You'd better not chop that tree today. The weather forecast is for wind, and you might have problems!"

"Don't worry!" said the boy.

"But a wind could make things dangerous!" said his mother.

"I don't give a fig about danger!" laughed the boy.

He went to the tree and started to chop it.

"I don't care about stupid weather forecasts!" he said.

Just as the tree began to sway, a wind sprang up. The tree began to fall the wrong way, and the boy realised that if it kept going, it would hit the power lines.

"Gh no!" He said, dropping the axe and pushing against the tree.

He braced himself with his back against the fence and heaved. But the wind blew harder. He knew that if the tree hit the power lines it would break them, and then he would have to pay hundreds of dollars to get them repaired!

The boy looked desperately around but there was nobody nearby to help, and he was ashamed to call his mother, because he knew he had gone against her advice.

With all his strength he fought the wind, until, finally, he made the tree topple away from the wires.

The boy was so shaken by his efforts he could hardly stand. If only, he thought, he had listened to his mother's advice!

The Bible says "People who make fun of wisdom will be punished" Proverbs 19:29.