The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf
by Aesop
There was once a young shepherd boy who watched over his sheep every
day. While the sheep ate grass, he passed the time by seeing how far
he could throw arock, or by looking at the clouds to see how many animal
shapes he could find.
He liked his job well enough, but he longed for a little excitement. So,
one day he decided to play a trick on the people of the village.
“Wolf! Wolf!” he shouted as loud as he could.
Hearing the shepherd boy’s cry, the people in the village picked up
pitchforks and clubs and ran to help the boy save his sheep. When they
arrived, they saw no wolf. They saw only the shepherd boy, doubled up
with laughter.
“I fooled you. I fooled you,” he said.
The people thought this was a very bad joke, indeed. They warned the boy
not to call again, unless he really saw a wolf.
The next week, the boy again played his trick on the villagers.
“Wolf! Wolf!” he cried out.
Once again, the people ran to his aid, and once again, they found no
wolf—only the boy, laughing at them.
The next day, a wolf really did come down from the hills to help itself
to a few fat sheep. “Wolf! Wolf!” yelled the shepherd boy with all the
power in his lungs.
The people of the village heard his shouts for help and smiled. “He’s
trying to trick us again,” they said, “but this time we won’t be
fooled.”
Finally, the boy stopped shouting. He knew the villagers didn’t believe
him. He knew they wouldn’t come. All he could do was stand back and
watch the wolf kill his sheep.
People who tell lies are seldom believed, even when they tell the
truth.
