By Fatima Yusuf Gabari
Once in a village, there lived a shepherd who had a son, and his son was good for nothing. The shepherd’s son was always roaming the village or playing tricks on people. One day, the shepherd fell ill, and he told his son to take care of his sheep and beware of the wolf. Obeying his father, the shepherd boy took the sheep for grazing on the grassy hill just outside the village.
The boy soon got bored of watching the sheep and said oh father has assigned me such a boring task, there is no fun in it. How should I make it more exciting? These thoughts were racing in his mind when he remembered his father’s word beware of the wolf with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he climbed a tree and started shouting wolf, wolf, on hearing the boys loud cries the villagers rushed up the hill to help him but when they arrived, the boy laughed at the sight of their worried faces.
The villagers asked where is the wolf? “I didn’t say the wolf was here,” replied the boy who laughed aloud. Angry with the boy, the villagers went back.
The next day, the boy again played the same prank on the innocent villagers shouting at the top of his voice wolf, wolf, the wolf is chasing the sheep please help me. The villagers again ran up the hill to help the boy, the shepherd boy had a good laugh, when the villagers saw this, they shook their heads sadly and said one day your trick will land you in trouble.
The boy just ignored them and continued to laugh. The third day just as the shepherd boy sat thinking of a new track to trouble the villagers, he saw that the sheep had started running.
As he looked, he saw a ferocious looking wolf chasing the sheep, its eyes grew wide with terror. He quickly climbed the tree nearby and started shouting loudly, wolf, it is killing the sheep help me. The villagers heard his cry but thought the boy must be up to his trick again and this time they will not be fooled. The shepherd boy was helpless and the wolf, having nothing to fear, killed the whole flock.
Fatima is of Lady Bird School, Kano
