THE SHIVERING ELEPHANT
FOLKTALES FROM IGBOLAND
FOLKTALES FROM IGBOLAND
Written by
Mazi Michael Ngozi Osuji.
Tell; +2348033865418.
Once upon a time there was a certain elephant that was feeling terribly cold and feverish in the jungle. The cold was so much that the elephant could no longer contain it, and so he needed a shelter and warmth
It was the great season of harmatan, and the season had brought with it some form of unbearable cold, and chilling dews, were falling from the sky with the atmosphere covered in thick black smoke.
The chilling cold, forced people to remain indoors within their houses. The people also made fires in their houses in order to keep warmth and to fight the raging cold weather.
Meanwhile, there was a hunter who lived in the jungle. He built a hut in the jungle where he lived with his family. Like other families, the hunter also made fires in his hut in order to keep the hut warm and to combat the raging cold harmatan weather.
However, the elephant was left in the open wild to suffer the severe cold alone without a house to shelter him and a fire to keep him warm. The elephant then remained in the open jungle feeling very cold and shivering in the severe cold outside.
THE ELEPHANT SEEKS SHELTER FROM THE HUNTER IN THE WILD
The way and manner that the elephant was shivering, it was obvious that he needed shelter and warmth so urgently. But the question then, was who will shelter the elephant and make fires for him?
So one day, the elephant decided to approach the hunter to beg him for shelter in his hut, and to get some warmth from the fires he had made. And so, the elephant knocked on the hunter’s door, to seek his attention.
The hunter had to open his hut after several knocks on his door by the elephant to know who was knocking at the wee hours of the night. As the door of the hut flung open, lo and behold, it was the mighty elephant. The hunter was unpleasantly surprised, seeing the elephant stand in front of his small hut at the very dead of the night.
bbb
“What can I do for you Mr. Elephant?” asked the hunter, alarmed. “Can I come in to get some warmth? I am feeling very cold in the open jungle”, said the elephant.
The hunter was visibly alarmed at the request of the elephant, which came to him as a surprise. Livid with fear, and helplessness, the hunter stood several minutes surveying the huge size and height of the elephant. “How can such a huge and gigantic animal ask to be my guest in this tiny hut”, the hunter thought, while he seemed lost in fear.
The poor hunter continued to examine with awe the heavy weight of the elephant. He compared everything that the elephant is with the small size and height of his hut. He wondered aloud how safe it was to co-habit with such a huge and dangerous beast.
The height of the elephant alone was times three of that of his hut, implying that, for the elephant to stand in that hut, the roof must give way. The elephant size did not help matters either. It was times four of the size of the hunter’s hut, so for the elephant to come in, it then meant that some walls have to give way as well.
“I am sorry, Mr. Elephant, your request cannot be granted”, said the hunter. “Okay, then, can I just poke my nose into your hut just to get some warmth from the fire”, said the elephant. “Well, well, if it is just your nose, you can”, replied the hunter. “My ears are so cold, can I also bring them into the hut to get some warmth as well?” asked the elephant. “If it is just your ears, you can go ahead”, said the hunter.
“Oh, Mr. Hunter, can my head go into the hut to get some warmth, it is very feverish”, said the elephant. “If it is only your head, you can let it get some warmth,” replied the hunter, sighing.
THE ELEPHANT OVERPOWERS THE POOR HUNTER
It happened that after the elephant had successfully inserted his nose, ears, and head, he eventually blocked the entrance of the hunter’s hut with his overwhelmingly huge body frame. He went further to ask the hunter to allow his fore-legs to enter the hut to get warmth as well.
At this juncture, therefore, the hunter had no more choice than to accede to the annoying request of the elephant, feeling defeated. It was now occurring to the hunter that with the fore-legs of the elephant fully entered into the hut, that he has been cleverly overpowered.
Not satisfied with his nose, ears, head, and fore-legs that had been fully inserted into the hunter’s hut, the elephant continued to make further annoying demands from the now defeated hunter.
THE HUNTER IS RENDERED HOMELESS BY THE ELEPHANT
“Please, Mr. hunter, can I have my body inside your hut to get some warmth as well?. It is feeling very cold,” said the elephant, grinning. “Satisfy your -self,” replied the hunter, angrily.
The roof of the hunter’s hut began to give way for the huge tusk of the elephant as he tried to enter his body into the hut with the elephant tusk struggling for space above with the roof of the hut.
“I want to bring my hind-legs into your hut to enjoy the warmth inside. My hind-legs are cold and I can no longer leave them outside the hut,” announced the elephant, rather authoritatively. The hunter kept mute, feeling and looking defeated.
As soon as the elephant had entered into the hut, everything began to scatter. The floor of the hut began to sink under the heavy weight of the elephant, his large size quenched and scattered the fire, while his enormous horns and tusks collapsed the roof and the walls had no choice than carve in due to the huge size of the elephant. The hunter’s family scampered for their safety, and eventually found themselves in the open jungle, shivering and wailing. Chakpii------------Woo!!
The End.
Click the link below to proceed to the next post.
What an inspiring story. Thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteNice story. the hunter would have hunted the elephant
ReplyDelete