At the center of the enchanting rolling meadows, lived a shepherd boy. His being was pure, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility here was mainly to care for his flock of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the breezes among the solo tree on the mountaintop were his constant companions. Day in day, looking out for his charges inculcated in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. During one such occasion out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plan.
Narratives of wolves prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to help but discovered no beast.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This prank continued for a couple of more days. Yet, one noon, a real wolf actually charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is difficult to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was in the past.