Deep within the mesmerizing rolling meadows, dwelt a young shepherd. His being was essentially pure, and unsophisticated. His main role was essentially to tend to his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the gales through the single tree on the peak were his constant co-dwellers. Day upon day, guarding his charges inculcated in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. During one such occasion from sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous scheme.
Tales of wolves hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a joke on the townsfolk.
One afternoon he raced into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is The shepherd boy story preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills for rescue but found no beast.
The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a couple of more days. But, one noon, a real wolf actually come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the results of dishonesty.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is difficult to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.