♪ Tell me a story
♪ Read me a poem ♪
♪ Wrap it in melody ♪
♪ Sing me the song ♪
♪ Then let me hold it ♪
♪ Deep in my heart ♪
♪ Where it can speak to me ♪
♪ All the day long ♪
♪ The adventure of virtue ♪
♪ The adventure of truth ♪
♪ The thrill of knowing ♪
♪ That it's up to you ♪
♪ Building a new day shining in the sun ♪
♪ This is my story ♪
♪ The adventure has ♪
♪ Begun. ♪
Finished! Just in time.
Hi, zach. Did you finish
Your project for the history fair?
Yep! I whipped up the project this morning
And finished the report about five seconds ago.
Pretty good, huh?
You did your entire entry for the history fair
In one morning?
I've been working on mine for three weeks.
Well, I've been busy.
Playing video games.
So, what'd you bring
As your history fair project?
Well, when my dad went to egypt on a photo sh**t last year
He brought me back this replica of an ancient relic.
Cool.
It looks so real.
Yeah. Dad says they make them to look that way.
He actually bought it at a store in downtown cairo.
You'd never guess.
It looks authentic.
So I brought this as my exhibit
And this morning
I wrote a one-page report on hieroglyphics.
What did you do?
Wow!
You made that?
It's shakespeare's globe theater
And I wrote a report about all the plays
They used to perform here.
You did an awesome job, annie.
All I brought was a rock... And not even a real one.
Andrew: hey, zach, annie.
Look what I made for the history fair.
It's columbus's santa maria.
Wow, andrew.
You did this all yourself?
Yup. Sewed the sails, hand-carved the wood
Even built it in the bottle.
That's amazing.
What did you bring, zach?
It's, uh, it's a surprise.
The russian revolution
As illustrated in this detailed diorama
Marked a significant turning point in history.
What am I going to do, annie?
My project is so lame compared to everybody else's.
It's a little late to think about that, zach.
Next up, zach nichols.
Hi, zach.
And what do you have for us?
Uh, my dad was on a photo sh**t
In egypt last year
And he took a tour of the great pyramids.
And he was able to bring a relic back home with him?
Yes, h-he was and he did.
You see
I-it all started when he found this, uh... This little girl
Lost and crying, in the, uh, the... Th-th-the marketplace.
He didn't know that
It was actually the queen's granddaughter.
Zach...
And then when my dad returned
He was rewarded with this relic
From the city of the pyramids.
So this is an authentic egyptian relic?
Hieroglyphics and all!
Then, zach, I'm proud to announce
That your entry will be the most prominent display in the fair.
You're kidding!
A real egyptian relic...
And there was my father
In the middle of the cursed city of the pyramids
Surrounded by snakes.
He knew that the only way out
Was to use the flash on his camera
As a diversion.
Zach, we need to talk.
Uh, now?
How could you do that, zach?
How could you lie about your project?
Uh, well, i-i didn't exactly lie.
I just, uh, told a story.
You lied.
Well, okay, maybe just a little.
But what's the big deal?
I mean, nobody got hurt
And a lot of people in spring valley
Will think my exhibit is really cool.
And a lot of people in spring valley-- including me--
Worked very hard on their history fair projects.
It shows, annie.
Your model is amazing.
But you're the one with the star exhibit
And you're the one getting all the attention.
Oh, annie, I'm not getting that much attention.
Come on, zach, tell us
What happened after your dad
Escaped from the pit of cobras.
Oh, uh, yeah.
Well, the camera flash worked on the snakes
But the scorpions, oh, man, they were a whole another story.
There were thousands of them
Coming out of the... The walls
And the... And the floor
And then he went on this big rope
Which was actually a snake!
And after zach finished that story
He made up another one about the time his dad
Discovered the entrance to an unknown tomb.
Sounds like zach's having some fun in the spotlight.
And if he's not careful
He's going to get burned by that light.
Hey, everyone.
Say hello to the new star
Of the spring valley history fair.
So annie's been telling us.
Well, she's just jealous
Because my entry is more popular than hers.
No, zach, that's not true.
I'm upset because you're not even being honest
About your stupid fake rock.
Hey, like I told you, it's not hurting anybody.
But it is, zach.
It's hurting you.
No way. I've never had this much fun with a school project.
It may not be hurting you now
But later on, when the truth comes out...
Hey, hey, hey! Who said the truth is going to come out?
It always does, zach, and when it does
People won't believe you anymore.
Your integrity will always be questioned.
My "integrity"?
Just try and catch me, ari!
Sock, you said it would be my turn next
And that was three turns ago!
I just want to do it one more time.
Ari, sock, what's going on here?
Sock and I found this inner tube.
We made a deal that we'd take turns
Riding down the river on it.
Hey, I never shook on that deal, ari.
And now sock won't let me take my turns.
I'll let him take his turns--
After I take mine.
Sock, if you made a deal with ari
You have to have the integrity to live up to that deal.
What?
Huh, they're giving me
The integrity speech, too, soc.
It's just... Well, you're only as good as your word.
If you break a promise or make up a story
People may begin to distrust you.
It's just the history fair
And it's a little too late to change things now.
My entry is already the star exhibit.
You could withdraw it, zach.
You know that rock is just a fake.
Withdraw it?!
And be the laughingstock of the whole school?
No way!
Are you sure, zach?
There's still time to make things right.
Aurora, there's no harm in keeping my exhibit in the fair.
And there's no harm in me
Taking just one more ride down the river!
You may think, zach.... And sock...
That your actions aren't hurting anyone.
Plato: and maybe they're not... Today.
That's right.
But I know the story
Of a young boy who told an innocent lie
And, later on, it created some serious problems for him.
I see you've already begun, plato.
So, this boy, the one who told a lie
That came back to haunt him later on, uh, what was his name?
His name was hans
But in the small german town where he grew up
He was known simply as "the boy who cried wolf."
Plato: this story takes place many years ago
When people in small towns often feared the creatures
Who lived in the nearby woods.
Hans lived in the middle of the town with his mother
His father and his new baby brother, eric.
Hans loved his new baby brother with all his heart.
But, still, ever since the baby's arrival
Hans couldn't help but feel... Neglected.
Hello, frau walzer.
Good morning, hans.
Look at the picture I drew this morning. It's...
( Gasping ): look, dear!
Ah, there's the new arrival.
Frau: oh, isn't he adorable!
Come, dear, let's go see hans's new baby brother.
( Sighs )
All everybody cares about these days is eric.
It's like I don't even exist anymore.
( Grunts )
( Gasps )
Wh-wh-who's there?
Wolf.
Uh-uh, wolf!
There's a wolf!
( Gasping ): wolf!
There's wolf?
Hans, come in! Right away!
Men, to your weapons!
Hans has seen a wolf!
What?! Ah, it was just a lousy...
Where is it, hans?
Where's the wolf?
It, uh... Hopped the fence
And went into the woods.
I scared it away.
You scared it away?
Good for you, hans!
Did you hear that, folks?
Hans scared the wolf away.
( Cheering )
Plato: hans knew that he should never tell a lie
And yet, it felt so good to feel so important.
But by the following day
Things were back to normal in the small village.
What's the big deal with eric anyway?
He's just a baby.
It's not like he scared away a wolf.
What? I would have scared away a wolf-- if there was one.
Aah, go bother someone else. Scram!
Well, go on, get away!
What is it, hans?
What's out there?
It's, uh, it's, uh, it's the wolf!
( Gasping )
The wolf is trying to get back into the village.
The wolf!
He's here again!
Frau: hans!
Come inside right now!
Everybody, hide!
( Grunts )
The wolf is back!
That's right.
Stay in the woods!
Unbelievable, hans.
You did it again!
That's twice in one week.
( Crowd gasping and murmuring )
Hail the hero, hans, the town protector!
( Crowd cheering )
Plato: once again, hans had convinced the village
That he heroically saved them from a ferocious wolf.
Hans became an instant hero.
Suddenly, he was getting more attention than ever.
But as before, hans's heroism was soon forgotten.
Within a week, eric was back in the spotlight.
( Sighs )
Another beautiful day in dullsville.
Hans once again craved attention, excitement
And now he knew just how to get it.
Wolf!
Wolf!
It's a wolf!
( People yelling )
( Shrieking )
Go home, wolf!
( Grunts )
I showed him.
I see no wolf out there, hans.
Oh, it was there-- right at the edge of the woods.
( All muttering )
I scared it away.
I see nothing at all.
I told you, I scared it away.
It ran into the woods.
Hmm.
Interesting.
What?
What is interesting?
There are no tracks...
No disturbed brush.
Oh, he jumped right over the bushes.
There was no wolf here, hans.
Yes, there was.
He moved so quickly, he didn't leave any tracks.
There was no wolf, hans.
Not now and probably not ever.
Come on, men.
It seems that we are all just victims
Of hans' practical joke.
( Men muttering )
The men in the town now realized
That if hans had lied about the wolf today
He'd lied about the wolf the entire time.
They would never trust hans again
And so it was that his integrity was destroyed.
Zach: uh, plato...
Yes, zach?
I understand that hans told a lie
And I know that's not cool
But he really didn't hurt anyone.
Zach, words can be very dangerous.
Hans caused panic in the town square.
Yeah, I guess so
But now that hans learned his lesson
He won't yell "wolf" again
So no harm done.
Not exactly.
From now on, hans' integrity is in doubt
And when that happens, you can't just move on.
It takes a long time to earn back trust
Once you've lost it.
And it hurts when you lose trust.
Ow!
Okay
So hans decided not to tell
Any more stories about fake wolves.
He knew he made a mistake, and he moved on.
Then what happened?
Well, another week passed
And hans did seem to learn his lesson.
He didn't make up any more stories
About seeing a wolf in the village.
However, the day came when hans
Didn't have to make up stories
About a wolf coming to the village.
Hans...
Will you watch eric for me?
Yes, mother.
Thank you, dear.
I'll be back soon.
Mmm, I guess you are kind of a cute kid.
W... W... It's a... It's a wo...
It's a... It's a-a wolf!
Help! Wolf!
There's a wolf in the town square!
( Grunting )
Go! Get away!
Help! Somebody, help!
There's a wolf in the village!
Hey, frau walzer, you've got to help!
There's a wolf!
Help! Quick, there's a wolf
In the town square!
Ha-ha. You've cried "wolf" before, son.
We won't be fooled again.
Before, I wasn't telling the truth.
I said that just to get attention
But this time it is real!
There really is a wolf in the town square!
( Laughing ): and elephants at the water well, I suppose.
Hey!
Eric.
Oh, no.
Eric!
Hans realized at that moment that it was his own fault
The town didn't believe him.
If hans hadn't sounded false alarms in the past
The town would believe the real alarm now
And since it was hans' lack of integrity
Which led to this predicament
He knew he must be the one to make things right.
Eric! I'm coming for you, eric!
( Whistles )
( Grunts )
( Panting ): eric... You're okay.
You did it, hans!
You really did save the village from the wolf.
( Cheering )
Well, I wasn't trying to save the whole village...
Just one small part of it.
( Men cheering )
This time, hans really had saved the village
And he did it with honesty, bravery and integrity.
To hans, a small boy with a large amount of courage.
( Cheering )
Hans had learned that if you have integrity
And tell the truth
You'll be rewarded with all the attention you desire.
Yeah, I guess we did have a deal
And I guess I really didn't hold up to it.
Take all the rides you want, pal, ol' buddy of mine.
Only if you'll take turns riding with me.
It's... It's no fun riding alone.
Hey, I'll race you to the river.
You know, annie, you're right--
If I keep that phony rock in the history fair
I'll have absolutely no integrity.
Well, maybe we can tell them
That you thought it was real
And your dad just told you...
No. That's not good enough.
I've got to own up to my mistake and tell the truth.
This exhibit is the most impressive--
An authentic relic
From the sands of ancient egypt.
So it's agreed, then--
The blue ribbon for best history fair exhibit...
Goes to zach...
Hold it!
Stop, mr. Petersen.
Don't give out that award yet.
I'm withdrawing my exhibit.
( People gasping )
What? But, zach, you've just won.
No, I haven't won anything.
This isn't a real egyptian relic.
Not real?
I'm sorry, mr. Petersen.
I waited until the last minute
To work on my exhibit.
That's just a replica.
A replica?
I thought I could get away with saying it was real, but...
That wouldn't be right.
There are other people here who deserve that.
The judges and I need to have a moment alone, zach.
Zach, I'm really proud of you.
Thanks, annie
And thanks for making me realize I had to have
Some integrity about all this.
I think I learned a lesson.
About integrity?
Yeah, but I also learned
That it's a lot easier
To do a real project in the first place
Than to admit that you did a fake one later on.
I'm sure of that.
Zach, although what you did was wrong
You haven't been disqualified
From the history fair altogether.
I haven't?
No, that would be too easy.
Your project won't be eligible for a prize, however
And you will, of course, submit a new project by monday.
Yeah, I figured-- but that's it?
No... No punishment?
Having the integrity
To come forward and tell the truth
And refuse the blue ribbon is very mature.
I can't punish you for telling the truth.
This means, of course
That the blue ribbon will be awarded to...
Shakespeare's globe theater.
( Cheering )
That's my project!
I won!
Congratulations, annie.
You deserve to win.
Okay, maybe I didn't have the integrity
To make a good exhibit this year
But next year
Look out.
( Both laughing )