At the center of the enchanting rolling meadows, dwelt a boy named Shepherd. His life was mostly pure, simple yet virtuous. His primary duty was mainly to care for his flock of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the gales among the single tree on the mountaintop were his main companions. Day in day, guarding his wards instilled in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. On one such day out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a mischievous plot.
Tales of wild beasts hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the town. So, the boy chose to used this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.
One day he raced into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to help but discovered nothing threatening.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This prank continued for a few days more. However, one day, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the town only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval read more parable to teaching the significance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is difficult to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.