Deep within the mesmerizing rolling hills, resided a shepherd boy. His existence was untarnished, simple, and honest. His main role was mainly to tend to his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the wind through the single tree on the hilltop were his only associates. Day in day, looking out for his charges imbued in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. On one such day out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plan.
Narratives of wild beasts hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the website hamlet. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but found no beast.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This game laughed for a couple of more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did attack the herd. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the consequences of dishonesty.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was anciently.