Deep within the The shepherd boy story enchanting rolling meadows, lived a young shepherd. His being was essentially untarnished, simple, and honest. His main role was essentially to look after his herd of rams.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the breezes through the single tree on the hilltop were his constant co-dwellers. Day upon day, looking out for his wards imbued in him a feeling of calm satisfaction.
But, there were the occasional moments of isolation, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. During one such occasion out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a naughty plot.
Narratives of wolves hunting on sheep had long been circulating in the hamlet. So, the boy opted to used this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.
One morning he ran into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but discovered no wolf.
The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did come to prey the flock. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but managed to rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he went back to the town only to receive a scolding on honesty and the results of false alarms.
The story of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the significance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of crying wolf. Moreover, it emphasizes how trust once broken, is difficult to reclaim. It's a story as relevant today as it was anciently.