Deep within website the captivating rolling hills, lived a young shepherd. His being was unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was to care for his herd of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the rustling of the gales among the lone tree on the peak were his only co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his responsibilities imbued in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
However, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. On one such day out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plot.
Stories of predators hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One morning he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the puzzle on their faces. This game laughed for a couple of more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he returned to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the repercussions of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as relevant today as it was in the past.