In Wolf's Skin

There was a Sheep in the Shepherd's pen. She was sheared late, in the autumn. When the winter set in, the poor sheep started shivering with cold. The Shepherd covered the animal with an old coat made of wolf skin. Dressed in the wolf's coat the Sheep left the pen.

She was difficult to recognized as a sheep. When the Sheep approached the flock, the Shepherd and his sheep fled in terror. The Sheep thought this was great fun. She decided to frighten them again just to amuse herself. She hid behind the rock and waited for the flock to come and graze. When the herd of sheep were close by, the ‘wolf' reached out to them. The flock fled on seeing the ‘wolf'.

The Sheep had forgotten about the Shepherd who, in the meantime, got ready with a stick to pounce on the ‘wolf.' As the ‘wolf' appeared the Shepherd started beating her severely. The Sheep in the wolf's skin began to bleat with pain. Only when the Shepherd realized the bleat of the sheep he stopped beating her. The Shepherd warned the Sheep not to play such stupid tricks any more.

Moral - Beware of the fury of a patient man.

(Once Upon A Time Vol. 1, Dhingra Publishing House, Delhi - India)