The Clever Thief
Piero, Gianno, and Claude were brothers, the sons of a poor widow. When they grew up, they realized there was nothing for them to do at home and decided to seek their fortune abroad. They set off together and, upon reaching a crossroads, bid each other farewell with the words, “We’ll meet here again in a year.”As he went on his way, Claude came to a village and stopped near a bakery.
“Hey, friend,” the baker said to him, “it seems to me you’d gladly learn my trade.”
“Yes,” replied Claude, “but I have no money to pay for the apprenticeship.”
“That doesn’t matter,” said the baker. “Come work for me, and in a year, you’ll know my craft.”
Gianno, meanwhile, passed by a blacksmith’s workshop and stopped at the door.
“Friend,” the blacksmith said to him, “it seems to me you’d gladly learn my trade.”
“Yes,” replied Gianno, “but I have no money for the apprenticeship.”
“That doesn’t matter,” said the blacksmith. “Come work for me, and in a year, you’ll know my craft.”
Piero, on the other hand, encountered a gang of thieves. They shouted, “Your money or your life!”
“Oh-ho!” said Piero. “That’s exactly what I demand too!”
“If that’s the case,” said the thieves, “would you like to join our company?”
“Gladly!” replied Piero.
The thieves immediately put him to the test.
“Soon,” they told him, “a carriage will pass by with a nobleman inside. You’ll shout, ‘Your money or your life!’”
Piero hid by the roadside, and when the carriage drew near, he jumped out and shouted, “Your money or your life!”
The nobleman hastily threw him a purse. The carriage sped away, and Piero picked up the purse.
“But,” he said to himself, “they didn’t tell me to take the money, just the purse.”
Thinking this, he gave his comrades the empty purse.
“We won’t send you to steal anymore,” they said. “You’ll cook for us instead.”
A year later, after the thieves had amassed enough loot, they divided the spoils among themselves. Piero received a hefty sack of gold. He went to the crossroads where he had agreed to meet his brothers. Gianno and Claude were already waiting there. Together, the three of them returned to their old mother. As soon as they arrived, she asked,
“Well, children? What have you been doing since you left home?”
“I became a baker,” said Claude.
“And I a blacksmith,” said Gianno.
“And I a charcoal burner,” said Piero.
“Is your charcoal any good?” asked the mother.
“Listen, mother,” said Piero, “I’ll tell you something, but make sure you don’t tell anyone. I’m not a charcoal burner—I’m a thief. But remember, don’t breathe a word of this to anyone!”
“No, no, Piero, don’t worry.”
Just then, a neighbor arrived.
“Well, Marion,” she said to the old woman (who was as talkative as I am), “your sons have all come home. What are they doing now?”
“Claude became a baker,” replied the old woman, “Gianno a blacksmith, and Piero, well...”
“You seem to have forgotten, Marion, what your Piero became.”
“He became a thief; but mind you, don’t tell anyone!”
But the neighbor gossiped so eagerly about this strange news that word soon reached the lord. He summoned Marion and said,
“What does your Piero do?”
“Your Grace, he’s a charcoal burner.”
“I’ve heard his charcoal is very good.”
“Oh, Your Grace, it’s no better than anyone else’s.”
The lord then summoned Piero.
“Hello, Piero. What do you do now?”
“I’m a charcoal burner, Your Grace.”
“They say your charcoal is very good.”
“Oh, Your Grace, it’s the same as everyone else’s.”
“Between you and me, Piero, you’re a thief,” said the lord. “I want to test your skill: I order you to steal the horse that’s kept in my stable under the guard of twelve of my servants. If you don’t succeed by nine o’clock tomorrow morning, I’ll have you hanged.”
“Your Grace, there’s no way I can do that!”
“If you don’t, I’ll hang you.”
Piero put on a monk’s robe and went to the stable.
“Hello, good people. I’ve come to spend the evening with you and help you catch the rogue who plans to steal your horse. I’ve brought you some refreshments.”
He gave them a poppy-seed brew, which soon put them all into a deep sleep. Then he wrapped the horse’s hooves in straw to muffle the sound, mounted it, and rode away.
The next morning, the lord came to the stable. Not finding the horse, he grabbed a whip and began lashing his servants.
“Piero,” said the lord, “you’re a clever thief. Now you must steal six oxen that twelve of my servants are taking to the fair.”
“Your Grace, there’s no way I can do that!”
“You managed to steal my horse from the stable; now you’ll steal the oxen, or I’ll have you hanged.”
When the lord’s servants led the oxen along the road to the fair, Piero ran ahead, stood on his head, and began kicking his legs and waving his arms.
“How amusing!” said one of the servants. “Let’s get closer and watch!”
“No,” said another, “the lord told us to keep a close eye on the oxen.”
Piero ran ahead again and repeated his antics.
“Oh,” said one of the servants, “how entertaining! Let’s all go and watch; six of us will go, and six will stay to guard the oxen.”
“Come on,” said the others, “let’s all go together; it’s just a few steps away.”
Seeing that the oxen were left unattended, Piero took a roundabout path, reached them, and led them all away.
“Piero,” said the lord, “you’re a clever thief. Now here’s another task: I have an uncle who’s a priest. He always says midnight mass; you must kill him, and I’ll share the inheritance with you.”
“Your Grace, there’s no way I can do that!”
“You managed to steal my horse and six oxen; do as I command, or I’ll have you hanged.”
Piero bought some crabs, placed them on a plate, set it on the altar, and hid. When the old priest came to say mass, Piero called out from behind the altar,
“First, pay your servant Margarita, then stick your head in the sack by the altar, and you’ll go straight to heaven. Can’t you see the angels reaching out to you?”
The priest stuck his head in the sack. Piero immediately grabbed him and began dragging him up and down the stairs leading to the bell tower.
“Ah,” said the poor priest, “how much suffering one must endure to reach heaven!”
When the old man was barely breathing, Piero carried him to the chicken coop. In the morning, the priest’s servant Margarita came to feed the birds.
“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”
“What’s this, Margarita?” said the poor priest. “So you’re in heaven too?”
“What a fine heaven,” replied Margarita. “This is your chicken coop!”
The priest was put to bed, and within three days, he died. The lord then shared the inheritance with Piero.
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