In the heart of the enchanting rolling fields, resided a shepherd boy. His life was mostly untarnished, simple, and honest. His primary duty was to tend to his herd of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the gales through the solo tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. On one such day from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plan.
Stories of predators prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One morning he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills to offer assistance but saw nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This game persisted for a couple of more days. However, one day, a real wolf did attack the herd. The shepherd boy dashed for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it read more highlights how trust once lost, is hard to regain. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.