Deep within the captivating rolling fields, lived a boy named Shepherd. His life was mostly untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His only responsibility was to look after his flock of rams.
Their gentle baas and the rustling of the wind through the lone tree on the peak were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, guarding his responsibilities instilled in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. In one such instance because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a troublesome plan.
Tales of wild beasts preying on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, check here the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One morning he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to help but found no beast.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This prank persisted for a few days more. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the repercussions of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is tough to regain. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.