Fables of Faerûn V: The Boy and the Beholder
A shepherd's son tended to his father's flocks on the banks of the Chionthar. The days grew long and the boy grew bored. To amuse himself, he called out 'Beholder! Beholder!' The shepherd came running, but there was no beholder. The boy pointed and giggled, but the shepherd scolded him. 'Do not cry "beholder" when there is no beholder. Promise?' 'I promise', said the boy. But the next day was as boring as the last. 'Beholder!' the boy cried, and his father rushed to his side. The boy laughed and laughed, but the shepherd only frowned and shook his head. Three days later, the boy spotted a round figure floating in the distance. It had one giant eye in the middle of its face, a mouth full of pointed teeth, and thin stalks growing from it, each with an eye peeking from the tip. 'Beholder! Beholder!' he shouted, but no one came. The beholder began to float toward him, and the boy turned and sprinted along the river. He ran and ran until he reached a high bank and could run no more. The boy cried and cowered, bracing for the beholder's deadly ray. Instead, a familiar voice said 'Turn around!' The boy turned. There was no beholder, only the shepherd clad in a woolen cloak. A giant eye was painted on the front, and a toothy mouth below. Vines were sewn to the cloak's edges. 'You scared me!' sobbed the boy. 'That makes us even', said his father, as he dried the boy's tears. The boy never cried 'beholder' again.