In the heart of the enchanting rolling hills, lived a shepherd boy. His being was unadulterated, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was mainly to look after his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the wind through the single tree on the hilltop were his main companions. Day in day, looking out for his charges inculcated in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
Yet, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. On one such day out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plot.
Tales of predators prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a trick on the villagers.
One day he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The terrified villagers ran up the hills to help but saw no wolf.
The boy laughed at the confusion on their faces. This trick continued for a few days more. But, one morning, a real wolf actually attack the herd. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the consequences of dishonesty.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and click here the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was in the past.