At the center of the captivating rolling hills, lived a shepherd boy. His existence was mostly untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was mainly to look after his flock of sheep.
Their soft bleating and the rustling of the gales across the single tree on the mountaintop were his only companions. Day after day, guarding his wards imbued in him a notion of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were the occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. In one such instance because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plan.
Narratives of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One day he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but saw no beast.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This trick persisted for a few more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy ran for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to receive a lesson on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to reclaim. It's a story as pertinent today as it get more info was anciently.