Once upon a time, there was a king who had a goat, a ram, and a lamb. The king loved his animals, but his castle was getting too crowded and they needed more space to roam. He decided they should be moved to the mountainside to graze.
Deep down, he wanted to tend to them himself — he felt so attached to the creatures — but he had a kingdom to run. It would not be the best use of his time to roam the hills all day.
So the king decided to try to find someone he could trust as much as he’d trust himself to do the job.
In the kingdom, there was a farmer who’d never told a lie. He was called Massaro Verità. The king brought his beloved animals to Massaro and asked him to care for them.
Every Saturday, Massaro Verità was called into the city to report on their health.
“Buongiorno, Massaro. How is the goat?”
“The goat is well.”
“How is the ram?”
“The ram is strong.”
“How is the lamb?”
“The lamb is healthy.”
And with that, Massaro Verità returned to his post on the mountain.
With envy, one of the king’s ministers saw how the king trusted the simple man so blindly. One night the jealous minister was emboldened by wine.
“Are you sure old Massaro is incapable of telling a lie?” he grumbled.
“I’m sure of it,” replied the king.
“Bah! Next Saturday he will lie to you,” said the minister. “I’ll bet my head.”
“You’re on!” said the king, seeing an opportunity to rid his advisory council of dead weight.
But the more the minister thought about it, the more difficult it became to imagine something that could make Massaro Verità tell a lie.
He went home in a bad mood. The minister thought and thought, and thought and thought, until finally, he had a plan.
The next morning, the minister donned ragged clothes, muddied his face, and mussed his hair. He walked up the mountain to the pasture where Massaro was grazing the king’s animals.
When he was sure Massaro Verità had seen him, he collapsed to the ground and worked up some tears. Massaro dashed to the minister’s side and asked, “Poor man! What’s happened? How can I help?”
“Oh, kind sir!” the disguised minister replied. “Would you do me a small favor?”
“Tell me what you want, and I will do it!” answered Massaro.
“My children and wife are sick,” he lied, “and we are so very poor. We have had no food in weeks. Would you let me take the liver of your lamb back to my family so they may live?”
“These animals belong to the king. He has entrusted me with them,” said Massaro with sadness in his heart.
“Oh please, oh please!” pleaded the cunning minister. “The king will never know. You can tell him the lamb fell from the mountain!”
As Massaro Verità pondered the request, the man wailed and wept. He put on quite a show. He was so pitiful, the heart of the humble farmer softened completely.
Massaro killed the lamb, roasted the liver, and served it to the minister. The minister thanked Massaro profusely, and with a trace of smugness in his eye ran back down the mountain.
Poor Massaro Verità wasn’t sure if he did the right thing. He suddenly had suspicions about the strange man’s story. Plus, the next day was Saturday and he didn’t want to give bad news to the king.
He ran through some options for how he could account for the lamb: “It got sick… It was stolen…” he said aloud to himself. “The clumsy thing fell off the mountain…” But the lies always stuck in his throat.
Massaro could not sleep that night. In the morning, an adequate story finally popped into his head. With renewed resolve he set out on his way.
At the palace, Massaro Verità found the king on his throne with the whole court surrounding him. Everyone had heard about the bet and wanted to see what would happen.
“Buongiorno, Massaro. How is the goat?”
“The goat is well.”
“How is the ram?”
“The ram is strong.”
“How is the lamb?”
“Your majesty, I must tell you the truth. A poor man came to the mountain. He told me he needed to feed his sick family. For him, I killed the lamb.”
To Massaro’s surprise, the room erupted in applause! The jealous minister went white with fear, fainted, and fell to the floor. Massaro Verità recognized the man and started to put the pieces together.
The king stood, and the room quieted. He explained the wager the minister had made, and the punishment the minister had earned: beheading.
“I want to reward you for being honest, Massaro, even when it could have made you look bad. Make a wish, and I will grant it if it is within my power!”
After a pause, Massaro Verità replied, “I wish for the minister’s life to be spared.” It was the king’s turn to be surprised.
Massaro explained, “Now that the minister has learned his lesson, your majesty will have more use for his head if it remains on his shoulders.”
It was a win-win outcome for the king’s court.
And the legend of Massaro lives on to this day, now in the form of a dedicated team of humble consultants, speaking the truth as we shepherd our client’s IT initiatives.
