At the center of the enchanting rolling hills, lived a boy named Shepherd. His life was pure, simple yet virtuous. His main role was essentially to look after his flock of sheep.
Their soft bleating and the whispering of the gales across the solo tree on the hilltop were his only associates. Day upon day, guarding his wards inculcated in him a notion of tranquil contentment.
But, there were at times moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. On one such day because of sheer monotony, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous scheme.
Stories of predators hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the village. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One day he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but saw nothing threatening.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank continued for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did charge at the herd. The shepherd boy raced for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one here came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the town only to be met with a scolding on honesty and the consequences of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once violated, is hard to regain. It's a story as pertinent today as it was anciently.