At the center of the mesmerizing rolling meadows, lived a boy named Shepherd. His existence was essentially untarnished, and unsophisticated. His main role was essentially to care for his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the breezes across the lone tree on the peak were his main companions. Day after day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for companionship. In one such instance out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plan.
Tales check here of wild beasts preying on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.
One afternoon he raced into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but found no wolf.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This prank continued for a few days more. However, one morning, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to receive a lesson on honesty and the results of dishonesty.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once broken, is difficult to regain. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.