In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling hills, lived a boy named Shepherd. His existence was essentially untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His main role was mainly to care for his flock of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the rustling of the gales through the lone tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day upon day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a sense website of calm satisfaction.
But, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. In one such instance from sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty scheme.
Tales of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the townsfolk.
One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers rushed up the hills to help but saw nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. But, one noon, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is tough to regain. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.