In the heart of the enchanting rolling hills, resided a young shepherd. His being was essentially unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his herd of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the wind among the solo tree on the mountaintop were his constant co-dwellers. Day upon day, looking out for his charges inculcated in him a sense of tranquil contentment.
But, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would long for company. On one such day because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous scheme.
Tales of predators prowling on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One morning he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills to offer assistance but found no beast.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This trick laughed for a couple of more days. Yet, one day, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions 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 get more info consequences of lying and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.