At the center of the captivating rolling hills, resided a shepherd boy. His existence was unadulterated, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was essentially to tend to his flock of sheep.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes among the lone tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. On one such day out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty plot.
Narratives of predators hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One morning he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The terrified villagers ran up the hills to help but found no beast.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their here faces. This prank laughed for a few more days. However, one day, a real wolf actually come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran 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 of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the results of dishonesty.
The story of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was anciently.