Liars always get caught, often by themselves

Once I stole a Hershey candy bar at the drug store. The cover up left me in an entangled snare of deceit.

On that day, we were at the Katz Drug Store in Kansas City. Following my mother to the pharmacy area, I spotted the Hershey on the candy aisle. I justified in my mind that Mr. Strong, the owner, wouldn’t miss just one, so I slipped it into my coat pocket. As Mother talked to Mr. Strong, I kept my hand on the Hershey in my pocket. I knew I would have to implement a plan to secretly eat it when I got home.

During supper, I devised a scheme. The plan was to put the Hershey inside my wadded-up pajamas, head to the bathroom and tell my folks that I was changing for the night. Then I would eat my Hershey in seclusion. I did just that and I sat down on the bathroom floor and began to eat that wonderful Hershey candy bar.

My plan was going well until Susie barged into the bathroom.

“Where did you get the candy bar?” she questioned me.

“Mr. Strong at the Katz gave it to me,” I said.

Susie complained, “Why didn’t he give me one?” Then Susie ran and told Mother. How I dreaded facing Mother. She came into the bathroom, and asked me where I got the candy bar. I told another lie and said that I had found the candy bar.

Mother remarked, “Well, even finding something does not make it yours. Tomorrow you can take the rest of the candy bar back to Mr. Strong. Tell him you found it and you are returning it.”

I was in real trouble. Mr. Strong wouldn’t buy the story.

Then Daddy appeared. “What’s all the talk?” he asked.

Mother told him the story.

Susie said, “But you told me that Mr. Strong gave it to you.”

Then I said, “No, I found it on aisle by the brooms and mops.”

Mother remarked suspiciously, “Wonder what a candy bar was doing by the brooms and mops?”

By that time, I knew I was in a mess from lying. I was ashamed and it was too much trouble. I admitted my guilt. Suddenly I never wanted to see another Hershey in my life.

Lying is such a severe offense that the Bible has tough warnings against it. Not only does “Thou shalt not bear false witness” stand as one of the Ten Commandants (Exodus 20), but it is addressed in other scriptures. Further lying has disastrous repercussions. The puzzle is that some of us are way past childhood, yet still lie and believe that we can get away with it.

Judy Brandon is an instructor at Clovis Community College. Contact her at:

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