Deep within the enchanting rolling fields, resided a shepherd boy. His being was unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was to care for his flock of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the wind through the lone tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, guarding his wards imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. In one such instance because of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plot.
Stories of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played get more info a prank on the villagers.
One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to help but saw no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank continued for a few more days. However, 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 struggled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.