At the center of the captivating rolling hills, lived a young shepherd. His life was essentially untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was to look after his flock of ewes.
Their gentle baas and website the murmuring of the gales across the lone tree on the peak were his main associates. Day in day, guarding his responsibilities instilled in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were the occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. On one such day because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a mischievous plot.
Stories of wolves preying on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the townsfolk.
One morning he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to help but found no beast.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This game laughed for a few days more. Yet, one morning, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “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 sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the consequences of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is tough to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was anciently.