The Great Lies

Some people lie in order to teach a certain person a lesson. Some people lie because they don't want to hurt someone's feeling. Some people lie just for the sake of having fun. But, however good or bad the reason they produce along those procedures of lying, it is still portrayed as an act of trying to achieve a specific interest or goal by telling something that is not true.

I have lied hundreds of times and I'm sure you have too. But on the other side of the story, I too, have been fooled by a few lies told by those people around me. But today I'm not going to preach and demand all of you to stop lying and be honest from now on. I'm just going to share with you people some lies which I was told about, as well as the ones I myself had come up with, and the consequences I had experienced from them. Have fun reading.

The ones used to fool me:

1. I was once told that...

The orange-coloured sky that appeared during sunset was very dangerous and could make me sick and die. Because of that, every evening I would rush home as fast as I could before dusk and got panicked if any part of my body was exposed to the orange light. I thought I was going to die. Obviously, the person who told me that (my late father) just wanted me home before dark.

2. I was once told that...

If a freezer or refrigerator was not closed properly, it would explode. So I had a day of guilty and discomfort when I forgot to close an ice-cream freezer at a shop and just realized about it after I got home. I thought lots of people were going to die in the explosion and wanted to turn back in order to close it, but was too afraid that it might explode the moment I reached there. My brother told me that just to make sure I'd use the refrigerator in the right way.

3. I was once told that...

Clipping my nails at night would bring in ghosts to the house. So there was once I had my nails clipped at somewhere before eight o' clock ( I always assumed that it was not yet considered 'night' until eight, but later was told that 'night' started at seven). Well, I don't have to tell you how I felt after I learned that, do I? Only then I knew that my mom just didn't want me to accidentally cut my fingers because of the dark.

The ones I used to fool someone else:

1. I once told...

A six-year old boy who was showing off his ability to spell words and read a book fluently. So one time I came up with a high-level word (to him), 'PROFESIONAL' (English spelling - 'PROFESSIONAL') and he couldn't spell the 'PRO' part. So I told him, "'PRO' is pronounced as 'NYA'" and he believed me. So he pronounced 'PROFESIONAL' as 'NYAFESIONAL' and he was proud of it. I'm sure he'd be a laughing stock when he bragged about the new 'word' he learned at class. Heh.

2. I once told...

My nephew that eating spicy food would make him stronger. So everyday he would call me and as what a normal boy would usual do, show off. He'd say "Look, I'm stronger now!" (and pose like a body builder) after he swallowed a super tiny bite of chilly paste, with teary eyes. The only reason why I told him that lie was...well, I just wanted him to suffer a lil' bit. Heh.

3. I once told...

My students (during practicum) that I had a twin who worked as an actor at Istana Budaya. The purpose was to get my revenge after they fooled me using the same lie. Of course I was so good a liar that they believed me (they were impressed to be exact!). But after I told them the truth and had a laugh, they never wanted to believe me again, especially when I said the female student who just smiled at me was my niece (I was telling the truth). They claimed she was a scandal. Huh.