In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling meadows, lived a young shepherd. His life was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was essentially to care for his herd of ewes.
Their gentle baas and the rustling of the breezes across the single tree on the mountaintop were his only co-dwellers. Day after day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a sense of tranquil contentment.
But, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. During one such occasion from sheer boredom, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plot.
Tales of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the village. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but found nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. But, one morning, a real wolf actually 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 protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is hard to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as here it was then.