Narrate a story to illustrate the warning: Look before you leap.

Answer Details

Model Narrative: "Look Before You Leap"

Uche was my closest friend, a cheerful young man with one great weakness: he acted first and thought afterwards. Time and again our teachers warned him to be careful, but he only laughed and said that caution was for cowards. It was this habit that led him into the trouble I shall never forget.

One afternoon, as we walked home from school, a well-dressed stranger stopped us near the market. He introduced himself as a businessman and told us of a wonderful opportunity. If we could each bring him ten thousand naira, he said, he would double it within a week through a special trade. His words were smooth, his smile broad, and his shoes gleamed in the sun.

I felt uneasy and urged Uche to make enquiries first. But Uche's eyes were already shining with visions of quick wealth. "Opportunity comes but once," he declared, brushing aside my caution. That same evening, without asking a single question, he took the money his mother had saved for his school fees and handed it over to the stranger. The man wrote him a receipt, gave him an address, and promised to meet him in a week.

The week passed slowly, and Uche counted the days with excitement. But when the appointed morning came and we went to the address, we found only an empty, abandoned building. Neighbours told us that no such businessman had ever lived there. The truth fell on Uche like a thunderbolt: he had been swindled. The money, his mother's hard-earned savings, was gone.

The consequences were bitter. Uche's mother wept, and he could not pay his fees that term. For weeks he moved about like a shadow of himself, ashamed and full of regret. Had he only paused to make enquiries, to weigh the stranger's tempting words, he would have escaped the trap.

Uche never forgot that lesson, and neither did I. From that day he became thoughtful and careful, weighing his decisions before acting. His costly experience taught us both a truth that has guided me ever since: always look before you leap.