At the center of the enchanting rolling hills, dwelt a young shepherd. His being was mostly unadulterated, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was to look after his flock of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the breezes among the solo tree on the hilltop were his main co-dwellers. Day after day, looking out for his responsibilities instilled in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. On one such day from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plan.
Narratives of wild beasts hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy opted to leveraged this fear and played a prank on the townsfolk.
One day he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered nothing threatening.
The boy chuckled at the dilemma on their faces. This prank laughed for a few more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is here tough to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.