Deep within the mesmerizing rolling meadows, resided a shepherd boy. His existence was essentially unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was to tend to his flock of ewes.
Their gentle baas and the murmuring of the wind through the solo tree on the mountaintop were his main co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
Yet, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. In one such instance because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous scheme.
Tales of wolves prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the townsfolk.
One day he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills to help but found nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This game laughed for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the flock. 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 managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he returned to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is hard to reclaim. It's read more a story as relevant today as it was anciently.