The continent of Africa in a shape of parrot, points
with its beak to the country of Liberia. The country of mostly flat plains full
of mangroves and swamps by the coast, with each step away from the water it
rises to rolling land with low mountains. In the northeastern part of this
land, Dan people live, who are known for community farming. Every Dan village
treasures a community farm as it feeds people and helps those who get sick and
provides food for important celebrations. Everyone pitches in with work and
everyone reaps at the harvests. If you don’t, then you will end up like a
spider in this story.
Elephant was stumping the ground, he was on his way
to the community farm, when he saw his friend spider, “Are you coming to work
at the farm?”
“No! I am tired,” shouted Spider. “Besides I have
rice to eat.”
“You need more than rice for your diet. There are
plenty of vegetables at the farm.”
“I don’t need your vegetables!”
Everybody gathered at the farm to do day’s work
except Spider. They cut down bushes, tore out vines, dug out roots. They raked
beds and built a waterway.
The following day, Tiger on his way to the farm
spotted Spider and asked, “Are you coming to plant seeds?”
“No! Stop bothering me! Go away!” responded Spider.
All the villagers gathered at the farm except
Spider. They planted the seeds of cassava, tomato, squash, pumpkin, cabbage,
beans and more.
A month later, Monkey jumping its way to the farm
noticed Spider and asked, “Are you coming to weed the farm?”
“I didn’t plant and I won’t weed! Go away!” Spider
could not be convinced.
The whole day, the villagers pulled weeds. Their
backs ached and their arms were sore.
Shortly after, the ripen vegetables were ready to be
picked up.
One day, the fresh scent of the vegetables reached
the nose of Spider, who got tired of eating rice day after day. So he said to
himself, “I’m going to pick some fresh vegetables to go with my rice.”
At the farm, Spider was about to pick up a juicy
tomato, when he heard, “What are you doing?”
“What? A talking tomato?”
“The tomato responded, “You didn’t do any farm work.
Do not dare to pick me.”
Spider backed away. He turned around and saw fat
cucumber. “I’ll just pick one.”
The cucumber twisted and moved away on the vine, “Do
not dare to pick me or any other cucumber. You didn’t plant any seeds.”
Spider ran to the other side of the farm, where he
noticed an orange pumpkin sitting on the warm ground. He tugged and pulled, but
the pumpkin wouldn’t move. “You can’t pick me. You didn’t pull any weeds.”
Tired Spider ran back to the village, where he
continued eating plain rice day after day.
Source: The Talking Vegetables by Won-Ldy Paye &
Margaret H. Lippert
No comments:
Post a Comment