Liam lived in a big, close-knit family in a small town together with his mom, dad, and grandmother. The boy was very active, so all day long he would spend his time outside with his friends—playing soccer, riding his bike, running to the river to swim and play.
Every time it came to lunch or dinner, Mom had to spend hours calling the little boy to come eat, especially if Mom had made soup or stew—there was just no way Liam could learn to love this healthy and filling food. But there were exceptions, when the boy would drop his games and race home. This happened when Grandma came back from the city and brought her grandson treats—chocolate bars, lollipops, and hard candies.
One day, on a beautiful afternoon when Liam was out with his friends, Grandma returned from another trip. The little boy knew that every Saturday, Grandma always brought him something sweet.
Without finishing his game and seeing Grandma getting off the bus, Liam rushed to meet her, shouting:
Grandma, my favourite, did you bring me something yummy and sweet?
Grandma answered with a smile on her face:
Of course, my dear grandson, I brought you chocolate bars and candies, I stocked up for a whole week. But you can't eat too many of them, otherwise your tummy will hurt and your teeth will get cavities quickly.
But that wasn't going to stop him. That very evening, Liam snuck into the kitchen behind his parents' backs and secretly stuffed a whole pile of candies into his shirt. He settled comfortably in his soft, warm bed and started gobbling them up one after another. He ate all the candies and fell asleep.
And the boy had a very strange but interesting and colourful dream. He was running across a green field with his friends and suddenly, turning around, he saw a beautiful palace with bright signs. His friends ran past and disappeared without noticing, but Liam lingered, becoming very curious about what was inside this palace.
Slowly approaching the palace, he saw colourful gates decorated with the boy's favourite candies, and he felt drawn there. Collecting all the sweets and immediately swallowing them, Liam decided to go further—maybe he could find something else tasty.
Suddenly he saw a clown standing in the centre of the palace. On his back he carried a huge sack, and he gave each child who approached a big candy. Without thinking long, Liam decided to approach—after all, he was a child too, and they would surely give him some treat.
Seeing the boy, the clown laughed and said in a cheerful voice:
And who's this little one coming up to us? What's your name?
Liam.
The boy answered.
And who do you live with, Liam? Where are your parents?
At home—Mom, Dad, and Grandma.
Liam, do you like sweets?
Of course I do, all kids love candies and chocolate bars.
We play a very interesting game here with all the children. Don't you want to play with us?
Of course I do, it's so much fun here.
Liam answered.
If you want to get a candy as a gift, you have to tell us a poem, sing a song, or dance. Are you ready?
The clown enthusiastically explained the rules of the game.
I agree, we learned lots of songs and poems at daycare.
Liam answered eagerly.
After reciting his favourite poem, the boy received a big lollipop as a gift, which he loved most of all, and decided to look around a bit—maybe he'd see something else interesting. Everything around sparkled, bright signs of candy shops beckoned the little boy, but he had his lollipop and decided just to walk around. Suddenly he saw a little boy sitting by a door.
Liam approached him and asked:
Hi, I'm Liam. What are you doing here? Did something happen? Why are you so sad?
Hi. I'm so sad because my tooth hurts really badly. Mom's going to take me to the doctor now, and I'm really scared.
The little boy answered.
What happened?
Liam asked.
I ate way too many candies, I thought it was healthy and tasty. Turns out candies are bad for you, and they can ruin our teeth.
Don't talk nonsense. Candies aren't bad at all, they're the healthiest and tastiest food. We don't need stews, soups, and cutlets!
Liam protested.
Liam got angry and walked on. Gradually his big lollipop got smaller, and finally he finished it.
What should I do?
Liam thought and set off in search of candies. Suddenly he saw the clown he had met just recently.
Delighted, the boy ran up to him and said:
I finished my big lollipop, can I have another one? I'll sing you a really beautiful song.
Of course you can.
The clown answered.
Liam sang the song and got a huge chocolate bar.
Unwrapping it right away, the boy walked on.
And suddenly he saw a boy and a girl sitting by the swings, crying.
What are you doing here? Why are you crying? Did something happen?
Yes, our teeth hurt, and our moms are going to take us to the doctor now, so we're scared.
Oh, don't tell me it's from candies!
Liam protested.
Yes, yes, exactly from candies and chocolate bars.
The children shouted in unison.
Oh, you're all getting on my nerves. Everyone keeps saying the same thing—you can't eat candies, your teeth will hurt. It's all lies!
Liam shouted even louder, turned around, and ran away from them.
And then, after finishing his candy, Liam felt that his tooth was starting to hurt too, more and more.
Could those children have been telling the truth? Could candies really be that bad?—Liam wondered.
The boy decided to head home so the pain wouldn't get worse. But with each minute, his tooth began to hurt more and more. And then on his way, he met that same clown again.
Liam rushed to him and said:
Clown, help me, tell me why do little children's teeth hurt?
Don't you know? Little boys and girls can't eat lots of candies and chocolate bars.
The clown said, surprised.
Then why do you give them to me if you're so smart?
Because until children understand for themselves, they'll never believe their parents, grandmas, and grandpas. But when your tooth hurts, you immediately understand that eating lots of sweets is bad for you. That's how I help little children understand this.
And then Liam woke up. Fortunately, his teeth were completely healthy, but the boy was so scared that they would hurt that he immediately ran to the kitchen, gathered all the candies, and gave them to the adults.
