At the center of the enchanting rolling fields, lived a shepherd boy. His life was unadulterated, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was mainly to care for his herd of rams.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the breezes through the single tree on the mountaintop were his main co-dwellers. Day in day, watching over his wards imbued in him a sense of tranquil contentment.
Yet, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for company. During one such occasion from sheer monotony, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome scheme.
Narratives of predators prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One morning he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills get more info for rescue but found no beast.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This game persisted for a few days more. But, one noon, a real wolf actually charge at the herd. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is tough to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was anciently.