In the heart of the captivating rolling meadows, lived a boy named Shepherd. His life was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was to care for his flock of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the murmuring of the wind among the lone tree on the peak were his main co-dwellers. Day in day, guarding his responsibilities imbued in him a notion of calm satisfaction.
But, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. During one such occasion from sheer monotony, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome plot.
Stories of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One read more morning he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered no beast.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This prank laughed for a few more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The tale 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 crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.