Deep within the captivating rolling fields, lived a boy named Shepherd. His life was essentially untarnished, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was to look after his herd of rams.
Their low murmuring and the rustling of the breezes among the single tree on the hilltop were his constant associates. Day in day, guarding his charges inculcated in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
Yet, there were at get more info times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would yearn for fellowship. On one such day out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a mischievous scheme.
Stories of wild beasts hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One day he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The terrified villagers rushed up the hills to help but discovered no wolf.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. However, one noon, a real wolf did charge at the herd. The shepherd boy dashed for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he returned to the village only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is hard to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.