|| An African folktale ||
In a Faraway land, there was a boy called Anansi who lived with his mother and his many brothers and sisters.
Famine struck the land and Anansi’s family did not have anything to eat. He was always hungry and constantly thought about food.
Day after day, he went out in search for fish, berries and nuts to fill his stomach.
One day at the seashore he saw a green island afar. He got into a red little boat and went to the island hoping for more nuts and berries.
The island had a tree with big whole nuts. He climbed the tree, picked some nuts and threw them into his boat.
Plunk! Plunk! Plunk! They fell into the water instead. He tried again and again and again. But Alas! He missed.
Anansi was very upset. He started crying loudly.
An old man passing by heard him and asked him what’s the matter. Anansi told about the nuts and the famine back home.
The old man took pity on the sad frail boy and said, “Don’t cry, my boy. I have something that can help you”. He took Anansi to his little hut and gave him an old pot.
He told, “Take it to your mother.
Whenever you want food, just say: ‘Pot, pot, help me like you helped the old man!'”.
Anansi thanked the old man and went to his boat. He repeated the words and the pot gave him good meal. Anansi never saw so much food.
He was overjoyed. He would never be hungry again!
He went home but hid the pot from his mother. He thought, “It is my pot, I will eat whenever I want to”.
Every day he complained he was ill and stayed home while his family went outside and looked for food.
Soon Anansi was growing stronger while his brothers and sisters were becoming weaker and weaker.
One day one of the brothers decided to stay back and find out Anansi’s secret.
He saw Anansi take out the pot from its hiding place and speak to it. He saw the pot’s magic and told their mother when she came back.
Mother became angry with Anansi and immediately used the pot to feed all her children
After that, she took the pot to the street and started talking to the pot to feed more families.
After the 50th time, the pot melted.
Anansi was very angry with his mother about the pot. He went to the seashore, took his little red boat and went back to the old man to ask for another pot.
The old man listened to the whole story and gave Anansi a stick this time.
He told the boy to speak to the stick like he spoke to the pot.
Anansi happily took the stick and went to the boat. After he talked to the stick, the stick started beating him.
Anansi cried out in pain and fled home, leaving the stick behind.
The old man called out from far, “This is what happens if you become greedy and care only about yourself”
Like (0)