At the center of the captivating rolling hills, dwelt a young shepherd. His existence was pure, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was to care for his herd of sheep.

Their gentle baas and the whispering of the wind among the single tree on the mountaintop were his main associates. Day upon day, looking out for his wards imbued in him a sense of quiet fulfillment.

However, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would pine for companionship. During one such occasion because of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy devised a troublesome plot.

Stories of predators prowling on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to used this fear and played a prank on the inhabitants.

One afternoon he dashed into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up click here the hills to offer assistance but found nothing threatening.

The boy laughed at the dilemma on their faces. This trick continued for a couple of more days. Yet, one morning, a real wolf did attack the flock. The shepherd boy raced for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.

Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could protect only few of his sheep. Devastated, he returned to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the results of crying wolf.

His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable for teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once broken, is hard to earn back. It's a story as appropriate today as it was then.