There is a short story that I grew up with that I imagine isn’t being passed along among today’s millennials. Therefore, I’ve decided to share it so that its message isn’t lost among a generation that needs it.

This is the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

There was a boy whose job it was to tend the sheep. His job was pretty simple: he was to keep an eye on the sheep, and if a wolf were to come along, he was to run into town making as much noise as he could, so the townsfolk would rush in and protect the sheep.

The boy had only one job to do, and as long as he didn’t screw it up, things would go just fine.

One day, the boy was bored, so he hatched a plan to cause a little excitement. He ran into town crying “Wolf! Wolf!” As he did so, the townsfolk ran to the fields as fast as they could, intent on protecting the sheep.

However, when they came, they didn’t find any wolf. They only found the boy, laughing hysterically at the commotion that he caused. The townsfolk returned home.

The boy had such fun, that he decided to try the same thing the next day. He ran into town crying “Wolf! Wolf!” Just as the day before, the villagers rushed in, but only found the boy laughing it up about having caused a ruckus. As before, the townsfolk returned home.

The next day, a wolf actually did appear, and prowled around the sheep. Immediately, the boy leaped into action. He ran into town and cried “Wolf! Wolf!” as was his job to do.

However, the townsfolk didn’t respond.

So the boy ran around, screaming louder, “WOLF! WOLF!” However, the townsfolk ignored him. They remembered him as the boy who lied to them before, and they were determined not to fall for his schemes again.

The boy ran around screaming “Wolf! Wolf!” until he was exhausted. When it was nearly evening, he gave up and returned to his field. By the time he did, the wolf had already taken away all of the sheep. Because the boy lied and failed in his duty, he was left without a single sheep.

Remind you of anyone?