🪰 The Fly Shepherd: A Childhood Tale from Simpler Times
📼 Back when phones had cords and flies had strings…
Once upon a time—long before smartphones, tablets, or even home computers—kids like me spent their days outside. We didn't have screens to keep us entertained, so we invented our own games in the streets. And somehow, someway… I ended up becoming a fly shepherd.
🐜 My Early Days in Ant Observation
It started innocently enough. I was fascinated by ants.
I’d sit near their nests and watch as they carried pebbles, searched for crumbs, and ran in busy little patterns. But just watching wasn’t enough—I ran experiments too. I’d place injured flies at the mouth of the ant hill just to see how the ants would react. Sometimes I clipped a wing. Sometimes all their legs. I’d try large flies, small flies. A miniature gladiator arena unfolded in the dust, and I was the spectator.
🧵 Taming the Flies
Eventually, I got bored with ants and turned my attention to the flies buzzing around the house. They were everywhere, annoying everyone. I figured—why not give them a purpose?
So I began capturing them carefully, without harming them. Then came my genius plan: I tied sewing thread around their legs so I could control them like kites. The only problem? Regular houseflies weren’t strong enough to lift the thread. They buzzed, wobbled, hovered—but never soared.
That’s when I discovered horseflies.
🪰 Enter the Horsefly
Larger, stronger, and far more aerodynamic—horseflies were the ultimate flying pet. I caught one, tied a string to its leg, and voilà! It flew. Not too fast (thanks to the string), but just enough for me to “walk” it like a tiny, winged dog.
I was delighted. I fed it grapes. I watched it hover at the end of its leash. And I realized—I was no longer just a kid. I was a fly shepherd.
👯♂️ Two Flies, One String
As any ambitious shepherd does, I expanded my flock. I caught another horsefly, tied it up, and then a mischievous idea struck me: What if I tied the two flies together?
I did exactly that. The result? A hilarious, chaotic scene. The two flies spun around one another like a homemade helicopter, orbiting each other while barely making forward progress. But they flew. And I laughed.
🏃♀️ The Great Fly Chase
One sunny afternoon, I sat on the curb with my twin-fly contraption. The neighborhood was quiet, the sky was clear, and I was enjoying the calm—until two girls walked by, licking ice cream and chatting away.
When they got closer, the flies suddenly took off—spinning, buzzing, and heading straight toward the girls.
From their perspective? A mysterious, whirring object flying at them. They froze. Squinted. Tried to make sense of it. Then: screams. They bolted in opposite directions, ice cream forgotten, fleeing from the tiny beast I had unleashed.
And me? I just sat there, watching the whole thing unfold. Didn’t even move. What was I supposed to say?
“Don’t worry! It’s okay! Those are just my horseflies. I tied them together with string!”
Yeah… I stayed quiet.
🧒 The End of an Era (But Not the Imagination)
Looking back, that summer was one of my favorites. No technology, no filters—just imagination, thread, and a couple of confused insects. We created our fun. We made memories. And in my case, I became a shepherd of creatures no one thought needed shepherding.
Have a weird childhood story too? Share it in the comments! Or maybe... you’ve secretly raised flying pets before? 🪰
