In the heart of the captivating rolling hills, lived a boy named Shepherd. His being was essentially untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His main role was mainly to tend to his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the gales across the single tree on the mountaintop were his main companions. Day after day, watching over his wards inculcated in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
However, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. In one such instance because of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a mischievous plot.
Narratives of wolves preying on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One day he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to offer assistance but discovered no wolf.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This prank laughed for a couple of more days. Yet, one day, a real wolf actually charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust here once violated, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was anciently.