Deep within the captivating rolling fields, resided a young shepherd. His life was untarnished, simple, and honest. His main role was essentially to look after his herd of rams.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the gales across the solo tree on the hilltop were his only co-dwellers. Day upon day, watching over his wards instilled in him a sense of calm satisfaction.
However, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. In one such instance from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome scheme.
Tales of wolves preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One day he dashed into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills to offer assistance but discovered no beast.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This game continued for a few days more. However, one day, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is difficult to regain. It's a story as relevant today as read more it was then.