Deep within the captivating rolling hills, dwelt a boy named Shepherd. His being was untarnished, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his herd of sheep.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the breezes across the lone tree on the peak were his only associates. Day upon day, watching over his charges imbued in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. During one such occasion from sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plot.
Stories of wolves hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy chose to used this fear and played a joke on the townsfolk.
One morning he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills for rescue but saw no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf actually charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against here the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the consequences of dishonesty.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is tough to regain. It's a story as relevant today as it was in the past.