At the center of the captivating rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His being was mostly pure, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was mainly to care for his herd of ewes.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the gales through the lone tree on the mountaintop were his only associates. Day upon day, watching over his responsibilities imbued in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. During one such occasion out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty plot.
Tales of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a joke on the townsfolk.
One morning he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! There check here is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but discovered nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the dilemma on their faces. This game persisted for a few more days. But, one noon, a real wolf did come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is difficult to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.