The Whisper Contest at Wagtail Warren

In the twisty tunnels of Wagtail Warren, a whispering game spirals out of control into wild, silly chaos. Old Owl swoops in to teach that careful listening and thoughtful questions keep stories true. A playful fable about critical thinking, friendship, and the power of pausing before you pass things on.

(By Ross Boulton © 2025)

In the twist of a warren where wagging tails spun,

The wagtails declared, “Let’s have secret fun!”

“We’ll whisper a tale from beak unto ear,

And see if the story stays perfectly clear!”

At first, it was harmless — a hop and a peep —

A rumor of berries stacked ten crabs deep.

But with every small whisper, each wink and each wiggle,

The story grew stranger with every slight giggle.

“A mountain of muffins!” one wagtail now cheeped.

“No — a river of root beer!” another one peeped.

By midday the tale was a towering flood,

Of candy-cane cabbages bobbing in mud.

Soon beaks were a-buzz with a hundred tall tales,

Of pumpkin-sized peanuts and strawberry whales.

The warren was whirling with nonsense and glee—

No one could tell what was truth, what was spree!

Just then from the pinewood, Old Owl gave a glide,

And landed with patience, and wisdom, and pride.

He fluffed out his feathers and gave a deep bow,

While the wagtails all wagged and asked him, “What now?”

“You’re enjoying a marvelous, mischievous game,

But whispers, like rivers, don't stay quite the same.

When words are passed quickly, without checking true,

The meaning can tumble from purple to blue."

“So listen with care before passing things on.

A whisper, once twisted, can travel too long.

Before you go chirping the next silly lore—

Check once, check twice, maybe even once more!"

The wagtails all nodded and flapped in delight,

And voted to end the old whispering fight.

From then on in Wagtail, no matter how sweet,

A whisper was met with a thoughtful repeat:

“Where did you hear it?” “Is it really quite so?”

“Let’s check one more critter before we all crow!”

✨ Moral:

"Listen twice before you whisper once."

💡 Did You Know?

In real life, when stories pass from person to person — like in a game of “telephone” — the facts can get scrambled, too!

That’s why good thinkers listen carefully, ask questions, and double-check before sharing news.

Even grown-ups have special jobs called fact-checkers who help keep stories true!

Next time you hear a wild tale...

Just remember to listen twice before you whisper once!