A young shepherd boy grew bored watching sheep on the quiet hillside and shouted, ‘Wolf! Wolf!’ just to see the villagers come running.
They came, out of breath, only to find him laughing. He tried it a second time, and again the villagers rushed up the hill for nothing.
When a real wolf finally appeared, the boy screamed for help — but no one came. The village had learned not to trust his voice.
Moral of the story
Honesty builds trust — even small lies chip away at it.