At the center of the enchanting rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His being was mostly unadulterated, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his flock of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the wind through the single tree on the hilltop were his constant associates. Day after day, watching over his responsibilities instilled in him a notion of calm satisfaction.
However, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. In one such instance because of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome plot.
Stories of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the more info village. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One morning he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but found no beast.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank persisted for a few more days. Yet, one day, a real wolf did attack the herd. The shepherd boy dashed for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is difficult to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.