At the center of the mesmerizing rolling hills, resided a young shepherd. His life was mostly untarnished, and unsophisticated. His primary duty was mainly to tend to his flock of rams.
Their soft bleating and the rustling of the breezes across the solo tree on the peak were his constant companions. Day in day, watching over his responsibilities imbued in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
However, there were at times moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. During one such occasion from sheer tedium, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome scheme.
Stories of predators preying on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a joke on here the townsfolk.
One morning he dashed into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to help but found no wolf.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This game laughed for a few days more. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did attack the flock. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the town only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the results of dishonesty.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is difficult to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was anciently.