At the center of the enchanting rolling meadows, dwelt a young shepherd. His life was pure, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was mainly to look after his flock of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the gales across the solo tree on the hilltop were his only co-dwellers. Day upon day, looking out for his wards inculcated in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. In one such instance out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome plot.
Narratives of wolves prowling more info on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One morning he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills for rescue but discovered no beast.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. Yet, one day, a real wolf did come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as pertinent today as it was anciently.