At the center of the captivating rolling meadows, lived a shepherd boy. His life was essentially pure, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his herd of sheep.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the wind through the single tree on the mountaintop were his only associates. Day after day, guarding his wards imbued in him a sense of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. In one such instance out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a troublesome scheme.
Narratives of wolves prowling on sheep more info had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One morning he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers ran up the hills to help but saw no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This game persisted for a couple of more days. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did attack the herd. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was anciently.