At the center of the captivating rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His life was mostly untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His main role was essentially to look after his herd of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes across the solo tree on the mountaintop were his main co-dwellers. Day after day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
However, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would click here long for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plot.
Tales of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the village. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One afternoon he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but found nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the flock. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.
The story of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is hard to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.