Elsa Tells the Truth
Elsa scores a goal that no one saw was wrong. What would you do?
It was the last minute of the semi-final. The score was 1-1. The Purple Stars and the Red Rockets had both played brilliantly, and everyone on the sideline was holding their breath.
Pearl sent a long, curling pass high into the air. Elsa jumped as high as she could. The ball bounced off her arm, rolled onto her foot and flew into the net. GOAL!
Half the crowd cheered. The other half groaned. But the referee, Benji the bear, had been looking the other way. Benji pointed to the middle of the pitch. The goal counted!
The Purple Stars ran to Elsa, shouting with joy. But Elsa wasn’t smiling. Her tummy felt like it was full of stones. She knew the ball had touched her arm.
If Elsa stayed quiet, the Purple Stars would reach the final. If she spoke up, the goal would be taken away. Elsa looked at Dylan, who looked so sad. Elsa took a big breath.
‘Referee,’ said Elsa, walking over. ‘It hit my arm. It wasn’t a fair goal.’ The whole pitch went silent. Benji blinked. ‘Thank you for telling me,’ Benji said. ‘No goal.’
The Purple Stars lost that day, 1-1, and then the Red Rockets won the shoot-out. But as Elsa walked off, the crowd rose to clap. Even the Red Rockets cheered. Dylan hugged her.
At the end of the season, Elsa was given the Golden Whistle Award. ‘I didn’t win the match,’ she said, holding it up. ‘But I won something even better. I feel proud of myself.’
The little lesson
Telling the truth when it is hard shows real strength.
Let’s talk about it
- Why was it hard for Elsa to tell the truth?
- How did the others feel about Elsa afterwards?
Finish stories to collect Elsa as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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