ALLIANCE, NE—Local residents are expressing their doubts about a young shepherd boy's job competence after his third consecutive report of a wolf's presence in the area went unverified, just as did the first two.
Jonathan "Johnny" Prefontaine, 11, has worked on his family's farm since he was a toddler, helping out wherever able. Since June of this year, he has been put in charge of tending to the family's 6 sheep, who are kept in a fenced area on their property during the warm season.
He reportedly did a reasonable job for an 11-year-old, ensuring that there was plentiful water and food available, and reporting any irregularities in the sheeps' behavior or appearance, as well as inspecting the fence for any potential damage or hazards.
Things took a sudden change of pace in early October, however, when Johnny went out to perform his duties. Within just a few minutes, he could be heard shouting for help. Johnny's parents and several of the hired workers on the farm came to see what was the matter, and Johnny reported having seen a wolf nearby.
"Well, I have to admit, I was pretty confused," shared William Prefontaine, 38, Johnny's father. "I've been working this farm for about 10 years now, and I've never seen a wolf. In fact, as far as I know, there is no wild wolf population in the whole state of Nebraska, so it seemed unusual that Johnny would say he saw a wolf."
Despite suggestions that perhaps he had seen a stray dog or other animal, Johnny insisted that it was, in fact, a large wolf he had seen, and that he had been terrified for the sheeps' safety.
"Poor guy must've been scared out of his mind," said Mr. Prefontaine. "He's a tough kid, though. He kept cracking a smile as he'd tell the story. It must be his way of coping with the trauma."
Naturally, the workers and Mr. Prefontaine investigated further by searching the surrounding area for any sign of a wolf. They spent 2 hours in total, but found nothing that would indicate a wolf's presence. Considering the fright Johnny had had, he was excused for the day and went inside to have milk with cookies, and watch his favorite cartoons. Given the level of laughter that could be heard from the house, that seemed to have lightened his mood.
Things reportedly went back to normal in the following days until approximately one week later, when Johnny again could be heard shouting that a wolf was nearby while tending to the sheep. Mr. Prefontaine was close by that time, but explains that he missed sighting the animal. "I must've scared it off before I saw it," he said. A lengthier search revealed no sign of the animal, but Johnny seemed quite shaken by the incident again, and asked to be excused.
"That kid's a trooper," commented his father.
Johnny recently reported a third sighting of the phantom animal, which has stirred up controversy among the farm personnel. "Frankly, I wonder if the kid isn't actually seeing a wolf," stated one farmhand who wished to remain anonymous. "I think the kid gets a kick out of watching us scramble and waste our time."
Another worker commented, "That kid's playing us like a fiddle. He's bored with his chores, so he stirs up some trouble with his cockamamie story, and then he goes and has himself a big laugh."
Johnny denies such accusations. "No way! I wouldn't make this up, honest! He was a really big wolf, probably taller than me! He had big red eyes—the size of potatoes—and his teeth were like knives! He could've gobbled up one of those sheep in one swallow, seriously!"
As convincing a story as Johnny is able to give, the feeling around the farm is one of annoyance. Mr. Prefontaine has set several traps near the sheep pen, and has asked each of his workers to take shifts watching the sheep around-the-clock.
"The overtime pay is costing me a fortune," said the farmer. "But we can't be too careful if a wolf is out there."
Speaking candidly, one of the workers commented that if it would put a cozier chair out by the sheep pen, he might start seeing a wolf, too.