One of the rare things for which I was solely in charge, beside preparing milk and cookies breakfast was a bedtime Story. For a whole year I did a Hercules; Disney version – rip off, every single night, until I had enough it. For the sake of the life, I cannot remember; maybe I read about it somewhere or invented it on a spot, but it saved me, so I’ll tell you as if it was my own.

When the kid is all tucked in, turn the light off, and leave only a small bedside lamp. The story goes like this:

On the mountain far away, high up close to the mountain top there is a small village. There lives an old woman with her only son. He is a shepherd boy, and every day he leads his flock of sheep up the mountain to the meadows where the greenest and most tasteful grass is. He is just a poor boy, tall but thin, and has a pair of pants that are too short for him, with lots of patches, old hat and a long staff that keep his fears away. 

Every morning he takes a flock out, and every evening he brings them home. The whole village waits for his safely return home. Long before the first sheep could be seen on the curvy path that leads to the village, they can hear a bell his ram carries tied around the neck and knows everything is all right and he will be home soon. His mother hurries up, and opens the gate to let the flock in. 

Through the gates first passes the ram, leading sheep behind, He walks proudly, and his bell ring ding ding with every step.

Then there goes a second.

Then there goes third sheep.

Then there goes fourth sheep.

All the while you watch if his/her eyes are closed and breathing deep. Once you suspect that the child has fallen asleep, you change the story a bit.

Then there goes fourteenth sheep, and she got a mud on her fleece. Can you see it honey?

If he/she respond to the question, you have to carry on and count a ten or more Sheep before trying again. There are many variations you can add to the story.

There goes a sheep with a little lamb. Can you see it?

There goes a sheep with a two lambs, or black lamb, or young ram with small horns, or sheep with black ears, or black tail or whatever.

Usually it took me thirty or so sheep before she would be fast asleep, but it varies depending on many factors, like what the kid ate, whether his/hers bedtime passed, is there some noise to be heard, are you nervous and doing a lousy job with the story.  I think that the longest streak for me was one hundred and thirty seven sheep. I even told the very same story over the phone, when she was staying at grandma’s place, and wanted to hear a shepherd  boy.