At the center of the mesmerizing rolling meadows, lived a shepherd boy. His being was mostly untarnished, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was mainly to care for his herd of sheep.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes across the solo tree on the peak were his only companions. Day upon day, looking out for his wards instilled in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty plot.
Tales of wild beasts preying on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a joke on the villagers.
One morning he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but saw no beast.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This prank continued for a few days more. But, one day, a real wolf actually come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the town only The shepherd boy story to be met with a reprimand 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 significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.