At the center of the mesmerizing rolling fields, resided a boy named Shepherd. His life was mostly untarnished, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was essentially to tend to his flock of rams.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the breezes among the solo tree on the hilltop were his main co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his charges imbued in him a sense of tranquil contentment.
However, there were at times moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. During one such occasion because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a naughty scheme.
Stories of wolves hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the read more boy opted to exploit this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One day he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but discovered no wolf.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank laughed for a few more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey 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 could rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the town only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was anciently.