At the center of the enchanting rolling hills, resided a shepherd boy. His life was untarnished, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was mainly to look after his herd of rams.
Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the wind through the lone tree on the hilltop were his constant associates. Day after day, guarding his responsibilities instilled in him a notion of quiet fulfillment.
But, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. In one such instance because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plot.
Narratives of wild beasts preying on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a trick on the townsfolk.
One day he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers rushed up the hills to help but found no beast.
The boy chuckled at the dilemma on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. Yet, one day, a real wolf actually attack the flock. 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 managed to rescue only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to be The shepherd boy story met with a scolding on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is hard to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.