Deep within the captivating rolling meadows, resided a young shepherd. His being was essentially unadulterated, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was to look after his herd of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the gales across the lone tree on the mountaintop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a notion of quiet fulfillment.
Yet, there were occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. On one such day from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a naughty scheme.
Stories of wild beasts preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the village. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but saw nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank continued for a couple of more days. But, one noon, a real wolf actually come to prey the herd. The shepherd boy ran for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But check here this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the town only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the consequences 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 consequences of lying and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is difficult to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.