One day, when old Jacob and little Jacoble were walking home, the sun began to go down. Old Jacob was thinking of his house and little Jacoble didn't know what to think. Then he thought of a wonderful idea, and he cried, "Jacob! Do you know what I saw yesterday? I saw a green rabbit. It was flying in the air and it was so big, even bigger than an elephant!" "You saw that with your own eyes?" asked old Jacob. "Of course I did," said Jacoble proudly. "It's a good thing that you really saw that big, flying, green rabbit," said old Jacob, "because that old bridge we are going to walk over is a very strange one. As soon as anyone who hasn't told the truth comes on it, the bridge breaks in two." They continued walking. "Jacob," said Jacoble a little later, "you know that big, green, flying rabbit I saw yesterday ... Well, it wasn't really flying, and ... it wasn't quite as big as an elephant ... but it was very big, about the size of a horse!" "Big as a horse?" asked Jacob as they got closer to the bridge and little Jacoble began not to feel so well. "Jacob," said Jacoble. "That big, green rabbit I saw yesterday, well, I had something in my eye and so I couldn't see that well. It wasn't a very big rabbit but it was green. Yes, that's what it was -- all green!" Old Jacob didn't say a word. He just walked over the bridge. But Jacoble didn't go after him because he was afraid and he knew why he was afraid. He stood at the bridge and said, "Oh, Jacob! You know that rabbit I saw yesterday. It wasn't green. No. It was just a little, brown rabbit." Then he was not afraid of anything any more and he ran happily over the bridge. Why did little Jacoble change his story again and again?
Because he was afraid of falling into the river. Because he tried to persuade Jacob to believe it. Because he wanted to frighten Jacob. Because he didn't remember the story clearly.