At the center of the captivating rolling hills, resided a shepherd boy. His being was unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was to tend to his flock of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the gales among the single tree on the mountaintop were his only co-dwellers. Day upon day, looking out for his wards instilled in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
But, there were more info occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. During one such occasion from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty scheme.
Narratives of predators preying on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One morning he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but saw nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This prank persisted for a couple of more days. However, one noon, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.