At the center of the mesmerizing rolling hills, dwelt a shepherd boy. His existence was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his flock of sheep.
Their soft bleating and the rustling of the wind across the lone tree on the peak were his main associates. Day after day, looking out for his responsibilities inculcated in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
Yet, there were the occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome scheme.
Stories of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy chose to used this fear and played a prank on the townsfolk.
One afternoon he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills for rescue but found no wolf.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. However, one morning, a real wolf actually charge at the herd. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of dishonesty.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in get more info the past.