In the heart of the enchanting rolling meadows, resided a young shepherd. His life was mostly pure, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was to tend to his flock of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the breezes among the single tree on the mountaintop were his constant associates. Day after day, looking out for his charges instilled in him a notion of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were the occasional read more moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. On one such day out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty scheme.
Tales of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a prank on the villagers.
One morning he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers rushed up the hills to help but found nothing threatening.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This game continued for a couple of more days. However, one day, a real wolf did come to prey the herd. 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 rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the results of crying wolf.
The story of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.