Deep within the captivating rolling fields, resided a shepherd boy. His being was unadulterated, simple yet virtuous. His main role was mainly to care for his herd of rams.

Their low murmuring and the whispering of the check here breezes across the solo tree on the hilltop were his only companions. Day in day, watching over his charges inculcated in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.

Yet, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for fellowship. On one such day from sheer monotony, the shepherd boy orchestrated a troublesome plot.

Stories of predators preying on sheep had been heard times and again in the town. So, the boy opted to exploit this fear and played a prank on the villagers.

One afternoon he ran into the village screaming “Wolf! There is a wolf attacking my sheep!” The frightened villagers sprinted up the hills to help but found no wolf.

The boy giggled at the confusion on their faces. This game persisted for a few days more. But, one noon, a real wolf did come to prey the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy dashed for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one responded.

Frustrated and alone, the boy struggled against the wolf but could protect only few of his flock. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to receive a scolding on honesty and the consequences of crying wolf.

His tale of this shepherd boy has been transmitted generations as a mediaeval parable to teaching the value of honesty, the implications of dishonesty and the risks of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once lost, is tough to earn back. It's a story as pertinent today as it was then.