The Whispered Rumor: A Puppy Kisses Story
The Beginning
Cora loved knowing what was happening at Pine Grove Elementary. As a social butterfly, she was always chatting with friends, sharing news, and organizing games. She thought of it as keeping the whole class connected.
The Problem
One Tuesday during lunch, a pup from another class leaned over to her. “Did you hear about Freddy?” he whispered. “I heard he got in trouble for drawing all over the library books.”
Cora’s ears perked up. That sounded like big news. Freddy was usually very quiet. She hadn’t heard anything about it.
The Build-Up
Cora now had a piece of juicy gossip. Her first instinct was to tell the rest of the Puppy Pack. It was exciting to have a story to share. She looked across the cafeteria and saw Tess and Scarlett. She was about to go over when she saw Freddy walk by. He was alone, and he was walking with his head down, his ears drooping. He didn’t look like a troublemaker. He just looked sad.
The Big Moment (The Turning Point)
What if the rumor wasn’t true? Even if it was, sharing it probably wouldn’t make Freddy feel any better. She remembered how Jacob had felt when his newspaper article had accidentally embarrassed someone. Words had power. She decided to keep the rumor to herself.
Winding Down
Later, during art class, Mr. Flock made an announcement. “I want to commend Freddy,” he said, holding up a library book. “He found some scribbles in this book and, instead of ignoring it, he spent his recess helping me carefully clean the pages.”
Cora’s jaw dropped. The rumor had been the exact opposite of the truth! The whole class clapped for him, and a small, proud smile appeared on Freddy’s face. Cora felt a huge wave of relief.
The End (The Lesson Learned)
After class, she walked over to Freddy. “That was a really cool thing you did,” she said.
Freddy looked up, surprised. “Thanks, Cora.”
From that day on, Cora was still the social butterfly who loved to share news. But she learned a critical lesson: to always think before she spoke. She realized it was more important to be a source of kindness than a source of gossip.
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