Deep within the captivating rolling fields, resided a young shepherd. His existence was pure, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was to look after his herd of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the gales among the single tree on the peak were his main associates. Day upon day, looking out for his charges imbued in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.
Yet, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. In one such instance out of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome scheme.
Narratives of wolves hunting on sheep had here long been circulating in the town. So, the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the townsfolk.
One morning he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to offer assistance but found no beast.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “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 town only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is tough to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.