Deep within the mesmerizing rolling fields, dwelt a young shepherd. His being was unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His main role was essentially to care for his flock of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes among the single tree on the peak were his only associates. Day upon day, watching over his charges instilled in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were the occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would long for company. On one such day because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plan.
Tales of wolves prowling on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One morning he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers ran up the hills to help but found nothing threatening.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This prank laughed for a few days more. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did come to prey get more info the flock. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the significance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.