THE MASTER WEAVER, Page 2

the eagle chirped.

  “Do you think running and flying are the same! Give us a break!” cried the hare.

  Finally, they came across a vast stretch of land, arid in appearance and full of dry sand. They knew at once that they had reached the desert. But there was no sign of life there. There was no one to talk to.

  “Somebody, say something!” said the hare.

  “It’s almost sunset, let’s wait and see,” the monkey heaved.

  “I feel thirsty,” said the tortoise.

  “Were you not told about deserts, there’s no water here!” said the eagle.

  “But there could be! Only if we could find an oasis!” said the monkey.

  “Give me some time, I’ll be back,” the eagle said, and flew farther up.

  In no time, the eagle returned, with a leaf in his beak.

  “Where did u get that!” the hare yelled.

  “Oasis, idiot! Where else did you think!” the eagle mocked.

  The four hurried to the oasis to find some water.

  “Do you know what I’m thinking,” the monkey asked.

  “We know thinking is all you do, tell us,” the hare chuckled.

  “If we wait here, maybe the weaver will come around. He drinks water, too.”

  “And how do you know that?” said the hare.

  “We call it wisdom, idiot!” said the eagle.

  “Watch your beak, my friend; you’re under the king’s standard,” the tortoise threw some caution at the eagle.

  The four lay quietly by the small pool of water at the oasis, with all hope that the spider would show up. As they fell asleep one after the other, darkness ensued.

  Crack! came a noise from behind the shrubs in the heart of the night. The hare woke up first.

  “Show yourself!’ said the monkey, trembling in fear.

  Right then, out of the shrubs came the hairy old spider.

  “The master weaver!” they all called.

  “Don’t! Who are you!” the spider retorted.

  “The mighty king sent us. He knows that his father wronged you—” the monkey began.

  “The king sent you to make his apologies!” the spider said.

  “The old lion is no more,” said the monkey.

  “—And the new king wants to initiate his daughter!”

  “Yes,” the tortoise nodded, “but how—”

  “—I know more than you think!” said the spider. “I hear so much. What hurts me the most is that the king did not have the patience to ask for my side of the story. I welcomed that cub into my home. Leaving him alone to play with my yarn was the only mistake I made.”

  As Ananse told them every detail, he sobbed, and they felt the pain inside of him.

  “Please, Ananse, we will understand if you ask us to leave without you; but you cannot pay evil with evil. The moon is ageing, and we haven’t had any rains lately; this is a sign from Odomankoma—the supreme god must be angry! We beg of you to accept this gift from the king and return home,” said the monkey.

  “I do not need your gift, but for the sake of the kingdom I’ll make the smock for the young lioness.”

  “That means you’re coming with us, doesn’t it?” asked the eagle.

  “Hurray!” the hare jumped with euphoria.

  The five set off for the jungle very early the next day. Led by the eagle, they moved as fast as the hare could carry them.

  Back in the jungle, the parrot had summoned all the animals in wait for the king’s messengers. Encircled by the other animals, the snake lay idle with his bamboo flute. “There won’t be merrymaking until we have some good news,” the linguist had said. As they waited at the foot of the great sapele tree in hope for the arrival of the wise old monkey and the others, the rest of the animals argued about the possible trend of events.

  “Agooo!” the parrot chanted.

  “Ameee!” the animals chorused.

  “May Odomankoma have mercy on all of us and bring back the old monkey with some good news. Until then, I beg to inform you that the mighty king will be with us soon.”

  As Ako rested his word, out of nowhere appeared the eagle; then the monkey and the tortoise, also, riding on the back of the panting hare.

  “Where is the master weaver!” the animals yelled.

  “Be patient, all of you! It is lack of patience that brought us this misery in the first place! The master weaver is here; surely tomorrow shall be a better day!” said Nyansani.

  The snake rose up to his flute. Noise heightened in the jungle. The young lioness got her smock, and the rains returned. Even beside the restoration of joy in the jungle, the animals had learnt the most important essence to life—patience and forgiveness!

  The End.

  ALSO BY THE AUTHOR...

  Soothe yourself with poetic erections and literary orgasms;

  WHEN NIGHT FELL IN THE DAY

  In the Twifo kingdom, a solar eclipse desecrates the festival of the king’s stool. The sun oracle is furious and demands royal blood as appeasement. Oti knows he is the one. Esi offers herself to be sacrificed after a secret pact with Oti. The human immolation takes place, but the pact is broken. Now, the royal family—even the generations after—is paying the price for this sacrilege.

  SAVE THE SPIDER

  In this satirical masterpiece, Tetteh J. Zutah depicts the impact of westernization on the political fabric of the afro-tropical society. His painting of African leadership as a silhouette of two conflicting views—suits and smocks—is flawlessly stitched in an allegory of Africa as a sartorial hamlet.

  PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION IN NURSING

  This book is the progeny of a thorough research into the most authoritative academic and practical materials that play in the subject area. There is no doubt that if the principles outlined therein are well appreciated, the caregiver should be able to confront creditably the many challenges that parade the healthcare setup---all that one needs and more to become a ‘professional’ nurse.

  POETRY

  Catch a glimpse of the poems:

  A Bottle of Africa, Ivana, I Speak of My Days, ChoiseQuences, The Commons’ Tragedy, Integrity, etc.