The African Story Teller
After creation , the sheep had horns. The horns of the sheep were the most beautiful horns on any animals on earth. The beautiful horns of the sheep had branches and flowers, and little bells that ring when the sheep walks. The sheep was very proud of her horns, and she was always at the ponds and stream sides admiring her beautiful horns. Her horn made her quite vain and foolish.
In the village of the human being there lived a widow and her two children Ababeina and Durugbo.
Ababi as he is called for short. is the older of the two children of the poor widow. Ababi is a rascal. He neither obeys no respect their mother. He is ever restless and adventurous. He is always doing what their mother told them not to do, and also always leaving the house when the sun is in the middle of the sky. This is the time the spirits are about . Human beings stay indoors at this hour.
Ugbo, as the younger brother is fondly called, is the opposite of his brother. He is quiet, respectful and obedient. He does what ever their mother tells them to do and is always at home.
One day, their mother was about to go to the big market many, many hours journey from their village. She will came back late at night. Before she left she gave them instructions on what to do when she is away. She told them not to make fire in the afternoon so that the smoke does not drift out of the house. She told them also not to pound anything on the wooden mortar, so that the sound is not heard outside by bad spirits about at the time. Thirdly, she told them not to roast the snail in the fire, as the liquid from it might put out the fire. Because only in the land of the spirit can fire be got at that time.
Most seriously, the widow told her two children not to leave the house for any reason. When she left she told them to shut and lock the doors of the house securely. However immediately their mother left, Ababi started fretting. He announced that he wanted to eat snail meat pepper soup. His brother reminded him of what their mother had said before she left. Ababi however was adamant. He wanted to kindle the fire embers and roast the snail. He also wanted to pound pepper on the wooden mortar. Ugbo reminded his brother that the time, when their mother told them to cook had not reached. Ababi got angry and replied that Ugbo could wait it he wanted to but that he Ababi was going on to cook and eat his own share of the meal now, not in the evening when the sun has set, spirits or no spirits. Due to his constant bullying attitude and continuous belly aching, his younger brother left the kitchen and went into the bedroom to rest.
Immediately Ugbo left, Ababi gathered some dry leaves and dry palm fronds. He rekindled the live coals in the fire place. This however caused a lot of smoke which drifted out of the chimney. Without hesitation, he tossed the snails into the fire and started pounding the pepper for his sauce. Before Ugbo could come out of the bed room to find out what was happening the water from the snail had put out the fire. Desperately they tried to put the fire back, but the coal and leaves were unfortunately too wet, the fire had gone out completely. They did not know what to do, except to wait until their mother comes back. Ugbo went back into the room. But the irresponsible Ababi opened the back door and sneaked out to go and fetch fire from the land of the spirits.
Soon he met a spirit with two heads, which asked the foolish little boy where he was going. Ababi replied that he was going to the land of the spirit to fetch fire. The spirit urged him to go on down the road. Soon he met another spirit, which has three heads. This also directed him down the road. Ababi was so foolish he did not know he was talking to spirits. Soon he met the spirit with many heads. This one invited him into the house, and asked him to sit down. The wicked spirit offered him some water. “Drink my boy, I know you are very thirsty after your long journey in search of fire. The little lizard in the rafter made a little noise. Ababi looked at it and it shook its head for Ababi not to drink the water. But Ababi ignored him. Ababi drank.
Again the spirit offered him food.’ Eat these yam and cocoyam. They are deliciously roasted. They will make you strong and healthy” the spirit smiled evilly. The little lizard again tried to stop Ababi from eating, but Ababi who is greedy ate the food. Immediately he fell down and died. The spirit rubbed his hands gleefully and laughed happily. He has killed a little boy. They will eat him in the morning . Because in the land of the spirits everything is in reverse. As it is night in the land of the spirits, it is still noon in the land of the human beings.
When Uabo discovered that his brother has gone out of the house, he was unhappy. He was afraid for him. Ugbo knows that his brother Ababi is so foolish that he will eat food in the land of the spirit. Immediately he set off to the land of the spirit to look for his brother. Soon he met the spirit with two heads. “Where are you going little boy?” the evil spirit asked him. “I am going to the land of the spirit to fetch my brother. who went there to fetch fire but has not come back. Did you see him?” Ugbo inquired of him. The spirit directed him down the road. Also he met with the spirit that has three heads. This one also directed him down the road. Then he met the spirit with numerous heads. As the spirit did to Alabi it also invited Ugbo into its house. The evil spirit offered Ugbo water. ” Have some water little boy. I know you must be very thirsty after your long journey”. Before Ugbo could touch the water, the little lizard in the rafter made a little noise, like it did when the spirit offered Ababi water earlier in the day. Ugbo looked at the little lizard which shook its head frantically, thereby telling Ugbo not to drink the water but to poured it away when the spirit was not looking.
The spirit next offered Uabo yam and cocoyam. Again the little lizard warned him out to eat. Again he pretended to have eaten it, but threw them away. Soon he pretended to have died. The spirit was very happy. Two fat little boys to eat in the morning. What a sumptuous feast this will be. The evil spirit carried Ugbo to where he had kept the dead body of his brother Ababi.
The lizard came over when the spirit was not around and showed Ugbo the horn on the wall the spirits use to wake up dead people. He also told Ugbo that when the spirit are snoring that they are not sleeping, but when they are whistling through their noses, then they are in deep sleep. That he could wake his brother up then with the hom, and they could run away to their home. Therefore in the mid night, when the spirits have gone to bed, and were snoring loudly Ugbo kept quiet until they started whistling silently. Then Ugbo got up and taking the magic horn from the wall he started blowing.
Magic horn, magic horn Wake up my dead brother for me.
He did not drink spirit water
He did not eat spirit yam
He did not eat spirit cocoyam
Immediately Ababi woke up and the two brothers started running home with the magic horn. Not long after they ran off, the elf woke up and seeing that the two brothers have escaped. He immediately fetched the opposite of the other horn and started blowing.
Magic horn, magic horn
Blow the children to death
They drank spirit water
They ate spirit yam
They ate spirit cocoyam
Immediately Ababu fell down dead.
Again, Ugbo his brother blew his own, and he got up again, and they continued running home. This continued between the two children and the spirit until they got to the land of human being where the sun was still shining. Here they could no longer hear the horn of the spirit, therefore Ababi did not fall and die, when the spirit blows his horn The children ran into their house and locked the door. There thev staved until their mother came home from the market. and thev told her what happened. Their mother took the magic horn and hung it on the fence where the children could not get at it again. But the sheep was passing, without looking where it was going. It’s horn caught in the rope of the magic horn and it fell. The careless sheep stepped on it, and the magic horn that can wake a dead person broke to pieces. That is why dead people cannot wake up again. The gods were very angry with the sheep, and knowing that its because of it’s horn that it is verv foolish. They removed the horns of the sheep. That is why till today the sheep does not have horns, but it is still a very foolish animal
