At the center of the mesmerizing rolling fields, dwelt a shepherd boy. His being was mostly pure, simple, and honest. His primary duty was mainly to care for his flock of sheep.
Their gentle baas and the whispering of the breezes among the solo tree on the mountaintop were his main co-dwellers. Day in day, looking out for his responsibilities imbued in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.
However, there were occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. On one such day from sheer boredom, the shepherd boy devised a mischievous plan.
Tales of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to leveraged this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.
One day he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is attacking my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills to offer assistance but saw no wolf.
The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This game persisted for a couple of more days. But, one morning, a real wolf did come to prey the herd. The shepherd boy dashed for help, shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.
Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the town only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of false alarms.
The tale of this shepherd boy has been handed down generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the significance of website honesty, the consequences of lying and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is hard to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.