WL's Prompts- Short Stories - 5. Prompt # 76-What Happened to the Boy Who Cried…

What Happened to the Boy Who Cried…

I bet you have all heard a version of my story, the one where a stupid lonely boy kept crying to the village that a wolf was trying to eat our sheep, but it was all a lie to gain attention and fame. Until one day, people ignored me and a real wolf showed up that ate all the sheep. Some stories even say the wolf ate me, too, which isn’t too far from the truth depending on your perspective. However, most of that story is just a fairy tale told to kids to hide the reality of what happened and why I lied so many times.

The truth is I only became a shepherd because no one wanted to be near me in our village since they knew about my sexual interests. My parents didn’t want to see their disgrace as a son, so I couldn’t live at home. I couldn’t attend school, because the teachers didn’t want me to spread my perversion or indoctrinate the other kids into my lifestyle. Like seriously, no boy who wasn’t into dick would want to do that stuff, you can’t force the willing. So, I was out on the street and looked for work that offered lodgings. Our village was famous for making wool clothing for the big cities, so traders from far and wide would come to buy wool. I went to the local sheep farm, where the entire stock of sheep was kept, and asked the herdsman if they needed help. I was given the worst most isolated job, sheep watcher, and I slept with the sheep at night.

They were friendly, except the ram would sometimes get a little too friendly by gnawing on my clothes. To be fair, it was also too warm being surrounded by sheep to be dressed, so I started sleeping naked as a result.

Someone must have noticed and started making lewd jokes about me. I was already a pariah for being gay, but now I was getting ridiculed for claims of bestiality. I was likely going to get fired soon at this rate and be begging on the streets, or worse selling my body to some toothless old bastard who offered a meal and a warm bed for a night.

As my fears for the future plagued me one sleepless night, a boy, maybe a year or two older than me, dressed in rich leather approached the barn where I slept with the sheep. He was tanned with lean muscles and a gorgeous face. I'd classify him as between Prince Charming and Prince Adonis’s level of hot, which was out of my league even if he were into boys. Sadly, I doubt someone looking like that would be gay.

Considering his appearance, I spoke, “Hi, are you here to buy sheep? Sorry, the herdsman won’t be back until morning, but he can show you the stock tomorrow.”

The dashing boy stares at me with a mischievous grin “You’re naked.”

At that point, I realized that I was completely nude, but the warmth of the sheep’s wool had made me forget about things like clothing.

I quickly apologized, “Sorry, I am so sorry for this…”

I was about to stammer out more, but he stops me with a question “Why are you sleeping out here naked with sheep instead of at home like the rest of the village.”

I didn’t want to tell him the whole truth about my sorry life and the fact that I was homeless and soon to be jobless.

I lied “My father is the herdsman and we have a big family, so I must sleep here with the sheep. He’s not mean, he always comes in the morning to give me breakfast and treats me right.”

He nods and walks away, leaving me without uttering another word. I slept soundly after that encounter.

In the morning, I awoke to hear the sound of the herdsman coming into the barn. I usually woke up earlier, so he wouldn’t see me naked with the sheep. He looked at me and frowned. I was frantically getting up and putting my clothes on, expecting to hear about my termination from this lowly job.

“Son, relax, I hate seeing you sleep in this place, but our family is too large for you to stay in the house. I brought you some bacon, eggs, and toast made by your mama.”

My world re-aligned at that moment, I had memories of being his son, being loved, but ignored due to our large family. It was surreal to have my life change overnight. I put on my overalls and began eating the breakfast my “father” brought me, enjoying the bacon grease. My usual breakfast in the past was a day-old roll from the baker with my meager wages.

During the next night, I stayed awake fully dressed this time in my new outfit of overalls waiting for the boy in leather to come back. When he did come back, I quickly approached him.

He looks at me, “I see you are no longer naked anymore, what a pity?”

Was he flirting with me? No, he can’t be gay, he’s magic. They’ve got higher moral standards. If he finds out that I am into him, he might take it all back.

I tried to play coy with him, “Thanks for everything, you did for me.”

“You never told me why you were sleeping in the barn with sheep, though.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the full truth, so I answered him “I’m the sheep’s watchman, but I am so good at my job that I’ve stopped a dozen wolf attacks. The village appreciates my skills and lauds me daily for my heroism when I go there for errands.”

After I said those words, he left again. I knew I would wake up to another world changed by my lies the next day. As the world re-aligned again, I was still the herdsman’s son, but new memories of appreciation and love from the village I grew up in came flooding into my mind. The herdsman, my father, sent me into town for errands as usual per my new memories. For my wool drop-offs, I visited the tailor shop for shirts, I visited the furniture shop for soft upholstery, and I went to the toy shop for stuffed animals. When I met people from my old school, my former teachers rushed me inside to praise my skills at thwarting so many wolves, while many boys were flocking around me asking if I could teach them how to be a sheep-watcher. Several even asked if they could be my boyfriend.

All of this praise and fame should have made me happy, but all of it was fake. I knew what these people truly felt about me before these magical changes, I couldn’t forget the memories of being kicked out of my home, starving, or being alone with nasty rumors swirling about my relationship with sheep. While this was all nice and made my life comfortable, I couldn’t live life knowing how cruel and nasty these people truly were.

That night as I waited again in front of the barn with my clothes taken off as I was the first night, the same leather-dressed boy came.

He smiled at me, “You are naked again, I am glad.”

I exhaled hoping I dare to ask him this, “I want you to change it all back to normal. I want you to make them assholes to me again.”

He frowned, “Are you going to tell me the truth now about why you were sleeping here naked instead of at home?”

I sighed, “I’m gay, my school wouldn’t let me attend, my parents kicked me out of my home, and I had to work the lowliest job in our village as a sheep watcher to earn barely enough to buy a stale day-old roll from the baker.”

I was expecting him to walk away from me, but he stood there with a big grin on his face, “Now was it so hard to admit the truth about yourself? I needed to be sure if you could be true to yourself and reality before I asked…” he pauses and walks closer to me sliding his silky leather gloved hands on my bare chest, “Will you be my lover and become a Fey?”

In response to his sexual overtures and offer, I jumped to kiss him to show my acceptance. We spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms. He had laid his seed in me several times, I could feel the magic coursing through me.

In the morning, I awoke surrounded by sheep again, but I was no longer in the barn and I was not alone as the form of a naked boy cuddled against me.

He answered my unspoken question “I made them think a wolf had eaten you and their prized sheep. I thought it would be only fair for you to keep these fine animals as compensation for how badly they treated you. Your story will go down in legend and myth.”