Deep within the enchanting rolling hills, dwelt a shepherd boy. His being was unadulterated, simple, and honest. His only responsibility was mainly to tend to his herd of ewes.

Their soft bleating and the rustling of the breezes across the single tree on the mountaintop were his constant co-dwellers. Day in day, guarding his charges imbued in him a sense of tranquil contentment.

However, there were the occasional moments of loneliness, when the shepherd boy would pine for fellowship. On one such day because of sheer boredom, the shepherd boy conceived a naughty plan.

Tales of wolves hunting on sheep had been around for a while in the village. So, the boy chose to exploit this fear and played a trick on the villagers.

One afternoon he raced into the village shouting “Wolf! There is a wolf preying on my sheep!” The scared villagers rushed up the hills to help but found nothing threatening.

The boy giggled at the puzzle on their faces. This prank laughed for a few days more. Yet, one day, a real wolf actually charge at the grazing sheep. 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. Heartbroken, he went back to the village only to receive a lesson on here honesty and the repercussions of dishonesty.

His tale 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 perils of false alarms. Moreover, it highlights how trust once violated, is difficult to earn back. It's a story as relevant today as it was in the past.