At the center of the enchanting rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His life was mostly untarnished, simple, and honest. His main role was to tend to his flock of sheep.
Their low murmuring and the whispering of the wind through the lone tree here on the peak were his only companions. Day after day, guarding his responsibilities inculcated in him a sense of calm satisfaction.
But, there were at times moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. During one such occasion out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous plan.
Tales of wolves hunting on sheep had been heard times and again in the village. So, the boy chose to used this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One morning he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf that has taken my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but saw no wolf.
The boy giggled at the dilemma on their faces. This game continued for a couple of more days. However, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was anciently.