Tale of the Mirror of Truth by Yulia Volynets

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Stephen.

He was ten years old and in the fourth grade. Stephen was a smart and kind boy, but like all children, he sometimes had failures. 

One day, there was an independent maths work at school. Stephen tried very hard, but he made many mistakes and got F. He was so upset that on the way home he kept thinking of one thing: "What will mum say?". Mum had always said that it was okay to make mistakes if you tried and learned. But this time Stephen thought she would be upset and angry. So when mum asked with a smile:

- So, how was the independent work?

Stephen lowered his eyes and lied:

- I got A...

Mum hugged the son, praised him and went to the shop. Meanwhile, Stephen took out the unfortunate paper, tore it into small pieces and threw it in the rubbish bin. But Stephen didn't know one thing: there was a magic Mirror of Truth in their house. It was old and old, hanging on the wall in the hallway, and seemed ordinary. But it had a gift: it always saw the truth, and if someone told a lie, the mirror began to shine with a blue light. When Stephen told a lie, the mirror quietly glowed. No one noticed - except for one little magical spirit that lived inside the mirror. He looked like a firefly with silver wings and intelligent eyes. His name was Laurent. 

Laurent flew out of the mirror and flew over the bin. He whispered softly:

- Lies always come to light...

When mum came back from the shop, she put the bags on the table and decided to peel the potatoes. As she opened the bin, she happened to notice white scraps of paper. She looked closely and saw the familiar corner of a school sheet, and next to it in red ink: "F" and the teacher's signature. Mum's heart clenched. She called out to Stephen.

- Stephen, come here, please. What's this? - and showed him a piece of paper. 

The boy turned pale, lowered his head and said nothing.

- Tell me the truth. What grade did you get? - mum was insistent on the son's response.

Stephen whispered faintly:

- F... 

Mum sighed.

- I'm not angry about the grade. I'm upset because you lied. Remember, son, even if you're wrong, tell the truth. Lies are like dust under the carpet: you can't see them at first, but then they're bound to show up sooner or later. And then it's not the mistake itself that makes it worse, but the deception.

At that moment the mirror in the hallway glowed with a golden light. Stephen saw it out of the corner of his eye and froze in surprise. Laurent flew by his side again and whispered: 

- Well done for telling the truth. You're getting back on track... 

From then on Stephen never lied again. He realised that the bitter truth was better than a sweet lie. And the mirror never glowed blue in his presence again.

Years passed. Stephen grew up, became an adult man, but he would always remember that evening and his mum's words. And in his house, the old mirror now hung on the wall too. Only he knew that Laurent, the guardian of truth, lived in it.