Deep within the captivating rolling fields, resided a shepherd boy. His life was mostly pure, simple, and honest. His main role was to look website after his flock of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes across the single tree on the hilltop were his only associates. Day upon day, looking out for his wards imbued in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. In one such instance because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous scheme.
Narratives of wild beasts hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy chose to used this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.
One morning he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but saw nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This trick continued for a few more days. However, one noon, a real wolf actually charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is tough to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.