Deep within the mesmerizing website rolling meadows, lived a young shepherd. His life was essentially pure, and unsophisticated. His only responsibility was mainly to look after his flock of ewes.

Their low murmuring and the rustling of the breezes across the lone tree on the mountaintop were his main companions. Day upon day, guarding his charges imbued in him a notion of tranquil contentment.

But, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. In one such instance because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a troublesome scheme.

Tales of wild beasts prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to leveraged this fear and played a trick on the inhabitants.

One morning he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but saw no beast.

The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This prank laughed for a few more days. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did attack the herd. The shepherd boy ran for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.

Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Heartbroken, he returned to the village only to be met with a reprimand on honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.

The story of this shepherd boy has been passed down generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the importance of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of crying wolf. Moreover, it stresses how trust once lost, is hard to regain. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.