Deep within the captivating rolling meadows, lived a boy named Shepherd. His being was mostly untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was to care for his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the murmuring of the breezes through the single tree on the hilltop were his constant associates. Day in day, guarding his wards inculcated in him a sense of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome plot.
Narratives of wolves hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the townsfolk.
One afternoon he raced into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf preying click here on my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but found no wolf.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This game laughed for a couple of more days. However, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is tough to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.