Word was spreading like wildfire through the kingdom – not about a dragon, or a hidden treasure, but about a little shepherd boy! He wasn't famous for his fluffy sheep, oh no. He was famous for his super-duper smart answers.

The King, who loved a good puzzle, heard all these whispers. "Hmm," he thought, stroking his beard. "I must meet this clever lad."

So, a royal messenger galloped off and soon, the little shepherd boy stood before the King. He wasn't scared, just a little curious.

"Tell me, young man," said the King, trying to sound very serious, "how many drops of water are there in the big, wide ocean?"

The shepherd boy scratched his head for a tiny moment. "Your Majesty," he said with a polite bow, "if you could please stop all the rivers in the world from flowing into the ocean, then I would be happy to count every single drop for you!"

The King's eyebrows shot up. What a clever answer!

"Alright, alright," chuckled the King. "Here's another one. How many stars are twinkling in the sky at night?"

The boy smiled. "That's as easy as counting sheep, Your Majesty! There are as many stars in the sky as there are tiny grains of sand on all the beaches in the world." He paused. "If you don't believe me, we can start counting the sand!"

The King laughed out loud. This boy was truly something special!

"One last question, my clever friend," said the King, leaning forward. "How many seconds are there in eternity?"

The shepherd boy thought for a little longer this time. Then he said, "Imagine a mountain, Your Majesty, a giant mountain made of the hardest diamond. It's so big it takes an hour to walk around it. And once every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the mountain, just once. When that whole enormous diamond mountain has been worn away by the little bird, then the very first second of eternity will have passed."

The King was speechless. He had never heard such wise and witty answers, especially from someone so young.

"You are indeed a very clever boy!" the King declared. "From this day on, you shall live in my palace. I will treat you like my own son, and you will always be my wise little friend."

And so, the little shepherd boy, with his quick mind and smart answers, lived happily and helped the King with many tricky problems, always with a smile.

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