“The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is a classic fable attributed to Aesop. Here’s a short version of the story along with its moral:
Once upon a time in a village, there lived a young shepherd boy. His task was to watch over the flock of sheep grazing on the hills. One day, feeling bored and seeking some attention, he hatched a mischievous plan.
The boy climbed to the top of a hill and shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is attacking the sheep!” The villagers, alarmed by the cry, rushed to his aid, only to find the boy laughing at their gullibility.
The next day, the boy repeated the prank, again shouting, “Wolf! Wolf!” The villagers once more came running, only to discover that there was no wolf. The boy laughed again, finding amusement in their frustration.
Some days later, a real wolf approached the flock. The boy, seeing the actual danger this time, screamed desperately, “Wolf! Wolf! Help!” But the villagers, remembering his previous false alarms, thought it was just another trick and ignored him.
The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy learned a harsh lesson about the consequences of dishonesty. The moral of the story is that if you repeatedly deceive people, they won’t believe you even when you’re telling the truth. It teaches the importance of honesty and the credibility of one’s words.
