Deep within the mesmerizing rolling hills, resided a young shepherd. His life was unadulterated, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to care for his flock of rams.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the gales across the single tree on the peak were his constant co-dwellers. Day upon day, guarding his charges imbued in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for company. In one such instance because of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a troublesome scheme.
Narratives of wolves prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The terrified villagers rushed up the hills to help but discovered no beast.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This prank laughed for a couple of more days. However, one noon, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is tough here to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.