African Moonlight Night Folk Tales
In the beginning, all the animals lived in the forest. The sheep, goat, cattle, dog, birds, antelope, and others all lived in the great forest. In a homestead many months journey from the great arid sea of sand, in the region before the beautiful blue river nile lived Rikku. Rikku, the son of Sule, the grandson of Haruna was a farmer. He was a great millet farmer. Rikku was so renowned, that people from far and near come to buy his millet.
Rikku was a good man. He does not cheat his customers who came to buy his cereals. He talks to them, and provides them with carriers and donkeys and asses to carry their purchases to their respective destinations.
When people ask him the secret of his riches and success, Rikku simply replies “Hard work and sincerity.” Rikku has a great farm land for his millet. He plants only millet. No corn, maize, cotton, nor groundnuts only millet. He has acres and acres of millet fields. He understands the seasons and the heavenly signs and weather like any great scholar understands his books. He knows when to plant or when not to. He also knows if the weather is good for harvesting or not.
Rikku loves his millet field very much, and treats it like his child. He is always in the fields, weeding or putting more manure to a malnourished plant or removing dead leaves from the other. He knows every inch of the millet farm land.
He knows all the animals and birds that visit his farm. They are all his friends. He knows them all by name. He talks to them as he talks to his plants. They all like him too. The birds pick on the insects that spoil his millet, and sometimes he allows them to have some millet too. Infact after harvest he reserves some in his feild for his bird friends. The animals eat the weed and the dry leaves of the millet, thereby allowing the millet to grow freelv and well.
Rikku is a great flutist. When he is in his farm alone, he plays the flute. Sometimes he spends the night in his farm. During this time he plays his flute in the night. He plays wonderfully. The birds when he plays, stop chirping and listen, the beast of the forest also keep silent, they stop chasing each other or foraging for food and listen with rapt attention. At times like this, most of them come closer and crouch or lie all around him. The birds perch on millet leaves or on tree branches, or on the ground and Rikku plays his flute until they have all slept off. In the morning before the sun rises, he will plays again to herald the morning, and to wake up all the dwellers of the farmland, and surrounding forest.
But Rikku has one regret. He is not married. He has not found a life companion who would love him for himself and not for his wealth. He has been looking for a young maisen who is interested in his farm products the way he is. But alast, all the young girls he has met are all after his wealth and success . They don’t even know the difference between millet and corn. So Rikku inside his heart is not very happy.
One day while Rikku was playing his flute alone in the midnight, and the animals and birds were all sleeping around him. Rikku imagined that he heard his name in the night. He looked up , but could not see anything. Yet agaìn, he heard Rikkuuuuuu in the night air. He stopped playing and listened attentively. He thought, maybe it was the wind blowing through the leaves that was sounding like his name. When he did not hear it again and was about to start playing his flute again , he heard it this time distinctly -Rikkuuuuu. Rikku got up to look around and search for who was calling his name in the dead of night like this. Then he heard a little noise from the forest path that leads to his farm. Turning, he beheld a very beautiful antelope. It’s brown skin and white stripes reflecting beautiful in the moonlight.
Rikku was enchanted, he has never seen this particular antelope in his farm before, or any as beautiful as this. He continued watching the antelope, as it came closer. It got to where Rikku was standing, and stood looking at Rikku.
Rikku stretched out his hand and touched the beautiful antelope, and instantly it changed to a very beautiful maiden. She has deep blue eyes like the colour of the sky on a clear day or the great lake many days journey from Rikku’s homestead. Her mouth is small and almost round, her nose, straight and perfect and her hair is long and silky, like the mane of a young horse. She is tall, elegant and very beautiful. She is dressed in a long over flowing, gaily coloured silk caftan with a wrap of different shade covering her head and a pair of skin sandals on her feet. She has carved bone bangles on her wrists.
Rikku was astounded. He stood looking at this enigma, not knowing what to do. Then she said with a voice as sweet as Rikku’s flute “Rikku please play your flute for me”. Rikku did not need a second bidding. He sat down cross legged and bade the pretty visitor to sit too. Rikku started playing. He played his flute that night more than he has ever played it before. He played such a soul stirring melody that even the wind stopped to listen. The moon stopped it’s flight across the sky and the stars dimmed in respect to such a sweet music. That was the start of a long and sweet relationship between Rikku the son of Sule, the grandson of Haruna, the millet farmer and the beautiful antelope girl.
She took Rikku and showed him the enchanted brook, where the fishes can talk. She also showed him the magical tree in the forest which its leave can cure any known sickness. She showed Rikku the wonders of the forest. Rikku on his part taught her how to play the flute. They were very happy lovers. Halima with the wonderful voice and Rikku with the melodious flute. When both of them play music, even the heavens listen. She told Rikku that her name is Halima. She is the daughter of the forest fairy. She told Rikku that no other human eyes can see her except he’s.
One day Halima asked Rikku, “Dearest Rikku, will you marry me?” Oh, Rikku did not know what to answer. He was so dumb founded. He was so enthralled. That night, they were married. All the fairies and animals attended Halima and Rikku’s wedding. The guests gave to them many wonderful gifts. That night, Halima transformed Rikku’s little farmland hut into a mansion for them. She waved her magic wand and Rikku’s millet farm was filled with millet stalks, each bowing down due to the weight of the rich millet seeds it is carrying. Rikku’s happiness knew no bounds. One month later, Halima announced that she was pregnant. Rikku decided to stay with her every minute. He was so excited and happy. Here he is, with a wife he loves so much, now a baby is coming. What else can a man desire from life. Rikku’s joy was complete.
It came about one day, while Halima was outside the house enjoying the evening fresh air, Rikku went into the house to prepare a meal of roasted corn for both of them. When he came out however, he could not find Halima. He found her beautiful robe and her colored headscarf. He found her carved bone bangles and her elegant sandals, but no Halima. Rikku searched up and down, everywhere. He called her name and played her favourite songs on the flute. But Halima didn’t come. Rikku was heartbroken. He wept bitterly. The animals and birds who were Rikku’s friends were heartbroken too. Only they knew what happened. Halima is a fairy. Her time as a human being has expired. She has gone back to the spirit world where she belongs.
Every day Rikku will stay in front of his house playing sorrowful dirges and woeful tunes. Weeping for the loss of his loved one. The animals decided to do something about it. They called a meeting of all the animals. On the day of the meeting, all the animals gathered, except the cattle, who had gone out to feed in the fields. He had told the animals that whatever they decide is agreeable with him. So in the meeting the animals decided that they will give one of their kind to Rikku in replacement to his lost wife. Every animal present defended itself on why it will not be it that will go with Rikku. Then the cattle was called, but he was absent. The elephant then decided that the cattle should go with Rikku, and all the animals agreed with this. That is why it is good for one to be around when decisions concerning him are being made
This is therefore how the cattle came to be the property of man. Rikku abandoned his millet farms and taking his cattle, he wanders from field to towns to hills and valleys, everywhere, searching for his lost love.
