Deep within the mesmerizing rolling meadows, dwelt a young shepherd. His being was mostly pure, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was mainly to care for his herd of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the gales among the solo tree on the mountaintop were his constant companions. Day in day, looking out for his wards inculcated in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. During one such occasion because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plot.
Stories of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but found no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This game persisted for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson 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 read more implications of dishonesty and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is difficult to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.