At the center of the captivating rolling meadows, lived a shepherd boy. His being was mostly pure, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was mainly to tend to his flock of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the wind across the single tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, looking out for his charges inculcated in him a sense of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. In one such instance from sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a mischievous scheme.
Stories of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the villagers.
One morning he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but found nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This prank persisted for a few more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf actually attack the flock. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled check here against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is tough to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.