In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling hills, lived a young shepherd. His being was essentially untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His main role was mainly to tend to his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the gales among the single tree on the mountaintop were his main companions. Day upon day, guarding his charges imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. In one such here instance out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty scheme.
Narratives of wolves prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One day he raced into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered no wolf.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. But, one noon, a real wolf did come to prey the herd. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “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. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is hard to regain. It's a story as relevant today as it was in the past.