Deep within the enchanting rolling fields, lived a boy named Shepherd. His being was mostly untarnished, simple, and honest. His only responsibility read more was essentially to look after his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the rustling of the wind across the lone tree on the mountaintop were his main associates. Day after day, looking out for his wards imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. On one such day out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a troublesome plot.
Narratives of wild beasts preying on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One morning he raced into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers ran up the hills for rescue but found no beast.
The boy giggled at the dilemma on their faces. This prank persisted for a few days more. But, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the herd. The shepherd boy dashed for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the results of dishonesty.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is tough to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.