Deep within the enchanting rolling fields, resided a young shepherd. His existence was essentially unadulterated, simple, and honest. His main role was to care for his herd of ewes.
Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the gales among the single tree on the peak were his main co-dwellers. Day after day, guarding his wards instilled in him a notion of quiet fulfillment.
However, there were occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would pine for company. In one such instance because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty plot.
Narratives of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the village. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.
One day he ran into the village screaming “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but found no beast.
The boy chuckled 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 ran for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy fought against the wolf but managed to protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of crying wolf.
His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once lost, is hard to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as website it was in the past.