At the center of the captivating rolling meadows, dwelt a shepherd boy. His being was essentially unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was mainly to look after his herd of rams.
Their soft bleating and the rustling of the gales through the lone tree on the mountaintop were his only associates. Day after day, guarding his wards instilled in him a notion of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. In one such instance out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty scheme.
Narratives of predators prowling on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the villagers.
One morning he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills for rescue but read more discovered no beast.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank continued for a couple of more days. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a scolding 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 dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.