Deep within the mesmerizing rolling meadows, resided a young shepherd. His existence was mostly pure, simple, and honest. His primary duty was essentially to care for his flock of rams.

Their low murmuring and the murmuring of the wind among the lone tree on the peak were his only companions. Day in day, guarding his wards inculcated in him a feeling of quiet fulfillment.

But, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would long for companionship. On one such day out of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy orchestrated a naughty plot.

Narratives of predators prowling on sheep had been heard times and again in the hamlet. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played read more a trick on the inhabitants.

One afternoon he ran into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The terrified villagers sprinted up the hills to offer assistance but discovered no beast.

The boy chuckled at the dilemma on their faces. This trick continued for a couple of more days. Yet, one noon, a real wolf did charge at the grazing sheep. The shepherd boy raced for aid screaming “Wolf, Wolf!” But this time, no one showed up.

Frustrated and alone, the boy battled against the wolf but could rescue only few of his flock. Devastated, he returned to the town only to receive a lesson on honesty and the results of crying wolf.

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