Deep within the captivating rolling fields, resided a young shepherd. His life was mostly website untarnished, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was mainly to look after his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes through the lone tree on the peak were his main associates. Day upon day, watching over his responsibilities inculcated in him a notion of calm satisfaction.
But, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. In one such instance because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty scheme.
Narratives of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a prank on the townsfolk.
One afternoon he ran into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but discovered no wolf.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This prank continued for a few days more. But, one noon, a real wolf did charge at the herd. The shepherd boy ran for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the results of false alarms.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.