Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Timmy who loved to play with his telephone. One day, while playing with it, he noticed that the telephone was making an awful noise. Timmy tried to answer it, but every time he picked up the phone, the noise stopped.

So Timmy decided to play a game. He would call his telephone and try to answer it before the last ring. The next day, Timmy started playing the game and was doing a great job answering the phone before the last ring. But then, something strange happened. Every time Timmy answered the phone, the same awful noise would start again.

Timmy was getting frustrated and decided to call his best friend for help. When Timmy's friend answered the phone, the awful noise started again. Timmy's friend asked, "What's going on, Timmy?"

Timmy replied, "I don't know, every time I answer the phone, this awful noise starts again!"

His friend asked, "Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?"

So Timmy followed his friend's advice and turned off his telephone. But when he turned it back on, the same awful noise started again!

Timmy was starting to get worried. But then, his friend had a brilliant idea. He said, "Timmy, try talking into the phone instead of listening to it."

So Timmy picked up the phone and said hello into it. And what do you know, the awful noise stopped! Timmy was so relieved and laughed at how silly he had been.

From then on, Timmy learned that sometimes the answer to a problem can be as simple as talking into a telephone. And every time he played with his telephone, he would always remember the lesson he learned and laugh about the time he tried to answer an awful noise.

Reflections

1. What was Timmy trying to do with his telephone?
2. What happened every time Timmy answered the phone?
3. How did Timmy's friend help him solve the problem with the phone?
4. What did Timmy learn about talking on the telephone?
5. How did Timmy feel at the end of the story?
6. Why do you think it was important for Timmy to learn about talking on the telephone?