The Story of the Shepherd Boy

At the center of the enchanting rolling meadows, lived a young shepherd. His life was essentially pure, simple, and honest. His primary duty was to look after his herd of sheep.

Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the wind through the solo tree on the mountaintop were his only associates. Day after day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a notion of tranquil contentment.

However, 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 conceived a naughty plan.

Stories of predators hunting on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and read more played a joke on the villagers.

One afternoon he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! A wolf is preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but saw no wolf.

The boy giggled at the dilemma on their faces. This trick continued for a couple of more days. However, one morning, a real wolf did attack the flock. The shepherd boy ran for help, screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.

Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled 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 consequences of dishonesty.

His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the importance of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the dangers of false alarms. Moreover, it stresses how trust once violated, is difficult to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was in the past.