In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling meadows, lived a young shepherd. His being was essentially untarnished, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was mainly to care for his flock of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the wind through the lone tree on the mountaintop were his constant associates. Day upon day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
However, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. On one such day from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome plot.
Stories of wolves prowling on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One day he ran into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered no wolf.
The boy laughed at the puzzle on their faces. This trick laughed for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf actually come to prey the herd. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for read more teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is tough to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.