In the heart of the enchanting rolling hills, lived a young shepherd. His being was essentially unadulterated, and unsophisticated. His main role was to care for his flock of ewes.

Their soft bleating and the murmuring of the wind among the lone tree on the peak were his constant associates. Day after day, guarding his wards instilled in him a feeling of tranquil contentment.

But, there were the occasional moments of solitude, when the shepherd boy would long for company. In one such instance out of sheer tedium, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty scheme.

Stories of wild beasts preying on sheep had been around for a while in the hamlet. So, the boy decided to exploit this fear and played a joke on the inhabitants.

One afternoon he ran into the village yelling “Wolf! A wolf is that has taken my sheep!” The scared villagers ran up the hills for rescue but found no wolf.

The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This trick persisted for a few days more. But, one noon, a real wolf did charge at the flock. The shepherd boy ran for aid shouting “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one came.

Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his sheep. Devastated, he went back to the village only to be met with a lesson on honesty and the consequences of dishonesty.

The story of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the consequences of lying and the click here risks of crying wolf. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to reclaim. It's a story as appropriate today as it was anciently.