Deep within the mesmerizing rolling fields, resided a shepherd boy. His life was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his herd of sheep.
Their soft bleating and the rustling of the breezes through the lone tree on the peak were his main co-dwellers. Day upon day, looking out for his charges instilled in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
But, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. In one such instance out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy orchestrated a mischievous scheme.
Tales of predators hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy decided to read more leveraged this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One morning he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but discovered no beast.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This game continued for a few more days. However, one morning, a real wolf actually come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the town only to receive a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of false alarms.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is hard to earn back. It's a story as relevant today as it was then.