Harvey Tells the Truth
Harvey 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 Midnight Owls and the Lime Leopards had both played brilliantly, and everyone on the sideline was holding their breath.
Dexter sent a long, curling pass high into the air. Harvey jumped as high as he could. The ball bounced off his arm, rolled onto his foot and flew into the net. GOAL!
Half the crowd cheered. The other half groaned. But the referee, Cosmo the elephant, had been looking the other way. Cosmo pointed to the middle of the pitch. The goal counted!
The Midnight Owls ran to Harvey, shouting with joy. But Harvey wasn’t smiling. His tummy felt like it was full of stones. He knew the ball had touched his arm.
If Harvey stayed quiet, the Midnight Owls would reach the final. If he spoke up, the goal would be taken away. Harvey looked at Freddie, who looked so sad. Harvey took a big breath.
‘Referee,’ said Harvey, walking over. ‘It hit my arm. It wasn’t a fair goal.’ The whole pitch went silent. Cosmo blinked. ‘Thank you for telling me,’ Cosmo said. ‘No goal.’
The Midnight Owls lost that day, 1-1, and then the Lime Leopards won the shoot-out. But as Harvey walked off, the crowd rose to clap. Even the Lime Leopards cheered. Freddie hugged him.
At the end of the season, Harvey was given the Golden Whistle Award. ‘I didn’t win the match,’ he 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 Harvey to tell the truth?
- How did the others feel about Harvey afterwards?
Finish stories to collect Harvey as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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