Honesty Is the Best Policy

Jim, a regular kid, accidently broke his neighbor's window playing an innocent game of baseball with his friends. Unfortunately, his friends all ran out on him, and he was left with his creepy, old, and messed up neighbor to deal with.

The old man limped his way out of the house and poor Jim was shaking like crazy in fright. Why hadn't he ran out with the others? Why did he stay there? Maybe it was his mother's voice echoing in his head that kept him feet frozen in one place.

"Honesty's the best policy!" his mother had told him several times. He remembered it now, and really wished he hadn't, as the old scraggely man walked closer and closer.

When the old goat finally came three feet away from Jim, Jim decided to speak up.

"He made me do it!" Jim screamed, pointing at one of his better friends who had come back to rescue him. His friend, George, standing blank faced in the bushes, gulped as the old man walked slowly toward him.

"Are you telling the truth?" the old man asked Jim, but was facing George. Jim nodded, and nervously backed away from the old man.

"What's that you say? I can't hear you!" the crazy old weirdo sputtered out, spitting all over George. George wiped his face off as the old man turned towards Jim.

"Y-yes, sir." Jim choked out in fear.

"He's lying! He broke the window! He did!" George blurted out, frightened and bewildered his friend would stab him in the back when he came back to rescue him. The old hack scratched his head in confusion.

"Well, we seem to have a problem here. You can both come with me. I have certain jobs for you." the goat summoned for the boys to follow him into his garage.


The old man had finally made the decision since both boys blamed each other, they would both have a punishment. But, he knew that Jim, the one with the bat, broke his window anyway. He let Jim pick out the punishment he wanted.

"You can either go take my place and fill in for me at the comic book store, or you can stay here and help around the house." the old goat (but a clever old goat) told Jim. Jim had a reflex to the words "comic books" and immediately said yes to filling in for him at the comic book store. George sighed and took the punishment of working around the house.

The next day, Jim met the old man at his comic book store. He told Jim he had to go to the back room.

"See these comic books? The Biology Frogman has three warts on his head," he started, and picked up a Biology Frogman comic book, "but all these comic books only have two warts on his head. Here's a pencil. I want you to draw a wart for each Biology Frogman on these comic books. Okay?" the old man shoved a pencil in his hand, and Jim looked in horror at the full boxes of Biology Frogman issues. He sighed and sat on the floor and pulled the first comic book out. It was going to be a long day...

The old man came back and met George at his house.

"I have some things I would like you to do. Pick up that piece of paper and throw it in the trash." he told George. George bent over and picked up the paper, walked over to the trash can and threw it in.

"Now, follow me to my laboratory." George nevously followed him to his lab, and closed his eyes tightly as he opened the door. He slowly opened them again, and could not beleive his eyes. In front of him was a bright and colorful minuture candy and pastry factory.

"I have some new products I would like you to try. I sell these at my other store, and I want to know the opinion of someone who has sharper taste buds than mine."


As you might have guessed already, Jim had an awful time. He expected he was going to read comic books all afternoon, and that George would be mowing the old man's yard and doing back-breaking work. But George ended up having a wonderful time, and grew a fondness of the old man. He was warm and friendly, and I mean, he DID let George eat a bunch of his candy and gave him a ticket for free candy any time he wanted at his shop. And before George gleefully left his house, his pockets full of assorted candies, the old man, (who's name, by the way, was Otis) said one last thing.

"Honesty is the best policy, my dear boy!" and waved goodbye to George. Jim happened to hear this as he walked past George and back to his house. He shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged up the steps to his front door.

"'Honesty's the best policy' I'll remember that next time."