Deep within the enchanting rolling hills, dwelt a boy named Shepherd. His existence was essentially untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His main role was to look after his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the wind through the single tree on the mountaintop were his only co-dwellers. Day upon day, watching over his charges inculcated in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
However, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. During one such occasion because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty scheme.
Stories of wild beasts preying on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a joke on more info the inhabitants.
One morning he dashed into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but saw no beast.
The boy chuckled at the dilemma on their faces. This prank laughed for a couple of more days. But, one noon, a real wolf actually come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Devastated, he returned to the village only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story 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 perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is difficult to regain. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.