In the heart of the captivating rolling fields, lived a young shepherd. His life was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His primary duty was essentially to look after his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the gales through the lone tree on the hilltop were his only associates. Day in day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. In one such instance because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plot.
Stories of wild beasts preying on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One day he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills for rescue but found no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a few more days. However, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the flock. The shepherd boy here raced for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought 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 results of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is hard to regain. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.