In the heart of the mesmerizing rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His life was essentially pure, and unsophisticated. His main role was mainly to care for his flock of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the breezes among the solo tree on the hilltop were his only co-dwellers. Day in day, looking out for his charges instilled in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for company. On one such day out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a naughty plan.
Stories of wolves hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the town. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the villagers.
One day he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but saw no wolf.
The boy chuckled at the confusion on their faces. This trick continued for a few days more. Yet, one day, a real wolf actually attack the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for help, 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 returned to the village only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the consequences of crying wolf.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is difficult to earn back. It's a story The shepherd boy story as appropriate today as it was anciently.