In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling meadows, lived a boy named Shepherd. His life was essentially unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was essentially to care for his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the gales across the single tree on the mountaintop were his only associates. Day upon day, guarding his charges imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
Yet, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous scheme.
Narratives of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but discovered nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This prank continued for a few more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could protect only few website of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is tough to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.