A shepherd boy had the job of taking the sheep to their grassy pasture each day and guarding them from wolves who might eat them. It was an easy job. The boy sat among the rocks and played his flute as he watched the sheep. One day the shepherd boy became bored. To liven things up,
he decided to play a trick on the farmers who were his neighbors. "Wolf! Wolf!" cried the boy in a scared voice. "We must save the sheep! We must help the shepherd boy!" the farmers shouted as they ran to the pasture. 2002 Session 3 "I fooled you! I fooled you!" laughed the shepherd boy. Grumbling, the farmers went home. The next day, the shepherd boy played the same trick. He cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" and laughed to see his neighbors leaving their work behind and running up the hill to help. "Fooled you again!" laughed the boy. Grumbling, the farmers went home. But the very next day, a wolf really did come to the pasture and began to chase and eat the sheep. "Wolf! Wolf!" hollered the frightened boy, for he couldn't fight the wolf off alone. His neighbors heard him shouting, but said to one another, "Let's not pay any attention. It's only the silly shepherd boy trying to trick us again." And they went on with their plowing. So the wolf ate well that day.
From MULTICULTURAL FABLES AND FAIRY TALES by Tara McCarthy. Copyright © 1992 by Scholastic Inc. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.
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