THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF

I am a shepherd boy, nobody knows my name and I fully intend to keep it that way.

Alone. Alone in this field. I'm watching the sheep.

They seem to be my only friends.

It's a simple life, I go to the market each morning and buy some seeds, then I go watch my sheep. I can't do much else on my own without losing it.

As I watch a mother sheep feed her child I wonder; why? Why does the mother sheep care for her young in such a way? The loving looks, the nose nuzzles... The mother sheep loves her child, and I find that bizarre.

The concept of love has always compelled me.

I run a hand through my hair and get back on task, I can't get distracted now, there's too much to do.

Suddenly, the mother sheep leaves her baby. The baby sheep wails for it's mother, but the mother seems too occupied drinking water to care.

I smirk at this.

"Must suck to have a mother that'd rather drink than be with you, huh?" I ask caustically while approaching the young sheep. He turns his head up at me and looks at me with big innocent eyes. Which makes me mad.

This isn't fair in the slightest.

He's supposed to be heartbroken at this.

"Your mother left you? She doesn't want you! Look what you went and did, you ruined an amazing thing, and for what?" I bellowed out, wiping away tears of laughter escaping my eyes. "Your own mother would rather drink with the other female sheep than be with you! How does that feel, huh? She hates you. She doesn't want you, you know that? And guess what! Guess what little sheep," I bend down and pet the frightened little sheep.

"For the rest of your life, you won't be able to do anything without that constant lingering thought that your own mother, your flesh and blood, doesn't want you. You're worthless. A disgrace. Nobody wants-"

The sheep's mother approached, and the little sheep walked off with her, leaving me there dumbfounded.

I fell to my knees. Tears brimming my eyes.

I whispered, "Nobody wants you."

I sat there awhile. I'm going mad, I know it.

I look up to the sky, that's now forming with clouds. I've always loved the sky. I closed my eyes and laid my back on the damp, muddy ground.

"I want to go up there, to the sky," I whispered. "Flying up there. I'd be so free. It'd be great, a dream come true."

I turn to lay on my side when I first see it.

Big red, glowing eyes. Teeth the size of army knives. He was enormous. The biggest thing I had ever seen. His fur was patchy and in spikes along his long bony back. He snarled at me, flashing his sharp pearly whites.

"Wolfie," I whispered, keeping direct eye contact. I was petrified, but I didn't move.

Must've had a death wish.

"Wolfie, wolfie. What are you doin' here?" I laughed.

That's it, I'm insane.

I mean, who sits and has a conversation with a killer.

I laughed out loud and rolled over to see if the sheep agreed with me. "Hey sheep! Y'all think I'm crazy too, yeah? Everybody knows the farm boy's insane right?!"

When I didn't get a response, I was angry.

"Why aren't you all scared? There's a vicious killer standing right there!" I waved my arms around trying to get a reaction. "The wolf! He's there! He kills, he's a murderer-"

I turned to point at the wolf, but what I found there shocked me.

There was simply a puddle of water, with my own reflection in it.

Me. I was the killer.

I stopped moving. What? No. This isn't how this is supposed to go.

I was supposed to be a good boy. Grow up nice and tall, go off to university and travel the world. Then, I'd meet myself a nice young girl and we'd have two kids and live happily ever after.

My head was throbbing.

"You can't live happily ever after when daddy's a psycho! Ain't that right kids?" I laughed and spun around and around.

Spinning. Spinning.

Spinning.

"DADDY'S A PSYCHO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Tears were running down my face at this point. This was just too funny.

I laughed and ran to an awkwardly placed rock, sitting near the fence used to keep the sheep together.

I stood on the rock, big and tall. I had complete control of everything.

I hated the feeling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," I screamed to my nonexistent audience.

I cleared my throat. "I said, 'LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS,'!".

Still, nobody came to me. Why weren't they coming? Did they take me for a liar?

"You're gonna miss it!" I laughed and laughed, turning to face the other side of the field. "You're gonna miss it and you'll regret it!"

I sighed and straightened myself out.

"Those who take me for a liar are fools. BLOODY FOOLS," I screamed. "There really is a murderer in our midst! A cold blooded killer! He has a heart of glass, he wears a cold hard expression, he's a lost soul!" I bellowed.

I chuckled to myself.

Now for the real fun.

I slid the swiss army knife out of my coat pocket.

"Time to prove yourself," I whispered, as if anyone could actually overhear me.

The tears fogged up my vision as I took a step forward, raising the knife into the air.

"This murderer, he used to be a normal guy. But that changed ya see. He had his heart broken, ripped out. He's unwanted. Nobody likes him, hell, he even hates himself," My eyes raised up to meet the shine of the knife.

Shiny, beautiful.

"He sees things that aren't there, hears voices," I barked. "Everyone knows he's daffy!"

The next tears weren't from laughter.

My entire body was trembling. You could barely understand me over the sobs.

"HE JUST WANTED LOVE YA KNOW?" I sobbed, "I- He just wanted a little love."

"But I lied to you," I brought the knife down, so I could look at it dead on.

I was speaking to the knife when I said, "He hasn't killed anyone yet... But he will. Soon. Real soon."

Before I even knew what I was doing, I cried out. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS, THIS IS WHAT NO LOVE CAN DO."

I brought the knife down quick and aggressive...

...it broke the skin.

...hitting a very sensitive spot

...puntructing my heart.

I fell to my knees.

and.

time.

stood.

still.