Did the boy really cry Wolf?

Many people know about a small village located by a forest, because this village is famous for its strong community and delicious lamb. But there is also something else that lingers around this village, making the people talk and panic from time to time.

The rain was coming down hard on a cold winter's night, which was perfect for the taverns, since everybody wanted to gather inside and drink the night away. One tavern in particular was very noisy and busy. It was filled with the hard laborers and farmers, who always loved to tell stories.

There was an old man with a long white beard and wide brown eyes who had everybody's attention. "It exists I tell you! I saw it with my very own eyes when I was a wee boy!" The old man shouted as he held tightly onto his pint of lager.

Another man who was much younger sneered, "Nonsense! There are no such creatures around here. Your father probably told you this as a bedtime story, and his father told him too!" The old man shook his head and waved his hand angrily.

"It had great sharp teeth like fangs, pointy ears and blood stained on its fur." The old man said in a hushed tone. As this commotion was happening, a little boy stood in the corner and overheard the conversation. "A beast?" He said to himself out loud.

A young, tall, thin man approached him. He had very thin hair and small brown eyes. "Jack my boy, what are you doing here? You should be at home with mother." The man said sternly. Jack smiled and held onto the man. "I'm sorry father. I followed you here, I wanted to see what it was like being in a tavern." He said. The man replied, "You will see what it's like when you grow up. Right now your responsibility is to take care of the sheep. Now go home."

Jack frowned angrily and marched out of the tavern and into the pouring rain. The truth is that he was bored and didn't want to stay at home knitting with his mother. His eyes were fixed on the forest, where he saw a tall, dark silhouette in the shadows. Jack approached closer, until he noticed that this silhouette had long, pointy ears. Jack gasped and immediately ran back into the tavern. "THE BEAST! THE BEAST IS HERE!" he shouted loudly. All the men in the tavern stood still and stared at Jack. Then, within that next moment, they were running around frantically, gathering forks and guns.

The old man shouted smugly, "I told you that it was real! Follow me!" They all ran outside and towards the forest. It was still and quiet, with the trees dancing in the wind, and they could only hear the rain pounding on their bodies. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes. The men aimed at the bushes with their guns, but didn't fire. The men waited quietly. A deer jumped out of the bushes, and a man fired his gun into the air. "What kind of joke is this? Are you trying to scare us? Did you set this up with the boy?" One man shouted. The old man shook his head, and was slightly disappointed. They all returned back into the tavern, annoyed and confused.

The next day Jack was sitting at the top of the hill, taking care of his family's sheep. "I know that the beast exists. I need to show them that it's real." He said to himself, as he was deep into his thoughts. Jack didn't want to take care of the sheep, he wanted to explore. "I will go deep into the forest tonight, and show them!" He said as he was proud of his plan.

Later that night, Jack's mom tucked Jack into bed and went into her room. Jack waited for her to fall asleep, and then snuck out of the house. He went straight into the forest alone. It was dark, and he was surrounded by tall, thin trees that would sway with the wind. He heard owls hooting, and rustles in the bushes, but there was no beast in sight. It was a full moon, and it was glowing brightly in the night sky. "Beast! Beast! Where are you?" Jack called into the darkness. Some birds squawked, but nothing had approached him.

"I know you're real." He muttered under his breath. Suddenly, there was a loud howl that startled Jack. Jack suddenly started to feel scared. A tall silhouette came out of the shadows. It had pointy ears, and scruffy fur and long sharp teeth that looked like fangs. But what scared Jack the most is that it stood on its hind legs. It had long sharp claws and beady black eyes. It stared at Jack and howled once more at the moon. "You're a-" Jack said shakily. "WOLF!" Jack yelled loudly and ran. He ran as fast as he could, but the wolf chased him, making Jack run like the speed of light. He finally came out of the forest, but the wolf halted at the very edge of the forest.

Jack turned around to look at him and ran into the tavern. He then shouted "WOLF! IT'S HERE!" the men halted and stared at him. They didn't run around frantically this time, but just ignored him. "Stop lying boy!" His father said angrily. "I am not! Please come outside and see!" Jack begged.

The men slowly stood up from their seats, and slowly walked out of the tavern. They followed Jack towards the forest and halted in front of the edge of the forest. "Wolf! Wolf! Come out!" Jack yelled. It was quiet, and the men seemed uninterested. Then they heard a loud howl from the forest. The men were startled and suddenly aware that they didn't have their weapons with them. Their eyes widened with shock when they saw a tall silhouette come out of the shadows, standing on its hind legs. "That's not a wolf-" one man yelped.

"THAT'S A WEREWOLF!" Jack's father shouted. The men ran back towards the tavern, but this time the werewolf ran out of the forest on its four legs and chased after the men. The men made it into the tavern and gathered their weapons. Jack stayed in the tavern, hiding in a corner. His eyes were closed, as he heard the werewolf howling and attacking the men. He wanted this nightmare to end, and to never cry wolf again.