The Boy Who Cried "Checkride"

There once was a pilot boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village airplanes. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Checkride! Checkride! The checkride is happening!"

The villagers came running up the hill to wish the pilot boy good luck on his check ride. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no checkride. The pilot boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

"Don't cry 'checkride', pilot boy," said the villagers, "when there's no checkride!" They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the pilot boy sang out again, "Checkride! Checkride! The checkride is happening now!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to wish him good luck.
When the villagers saw that there was no checkride they sternly said, "Save your excited song for when there is really a checkride! Don't cry 'checkride' when there is NO checkride!"

But the pilot boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL checkride scheduled in ink and a working plane about his ramp. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Checkride! Checkride!"

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the pilot boy hadn't returned to the village. They went up the hill to find the pilot boy. They found him weeping. "There really was a checkride scheduled! My mind has scattered! I cried out, 'Checkride!' Why didn't you come?"

An old man tried to comfort the pilot boy as they walked back to the village.
"We'll wish you good luck again in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!"

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New day and time: Friday 9 a.m.