One sunny day, Anansi, the clever spider, was strolling by a river. He paused to listen to the soothing hum of the water flowing over the rocks. To Anansi, it sounded like a beautiful song.
“I wish I could keep this song for myself,” he mused, always looking for something to add to his collection of wonders.
With his usual cunning, Anansi devised a plan. He decided to build a dam, blocking the river’s flow, hoping to capture its song. As the water built up behind his dam, the river’s melody slowly faded away. Pleased with himself, Anansi sat beside the still water, waiting for the song to belong only to him.
However, without the river’s flow, the fish couldn’t swim upstream, the crops further down began to wilt without water, and the animals couldn’t drink.
Giraffe, who had traveled from afar, approached the dam. “Anansi, what have you done? The land is thirsty, and the animals are suffering!”
“I wanted the river’s song for myself,” Anansi replied, feeling a bit unsure now.
Giraffe, with her long neck bent down to Anansi’s level, spoke gently, “Some things, like songs and rivers, are meant to flow freely. By trying to keep the river’s song for yourself, you’ve silenced it and caused harm to many.”
Realizing the error of his ways, Anansi, with the help of the other animals, dismantled the dam. As the waters began to flow again, the river’s song returned, more beautiful than before, as it sang of unity and the collective efforts of the community.
And so, Anansi learned a crucial lesson: that selfish desires can sometimes harm others, and the true beauty of nature is best enjoyed when it remains undisturbed.
Moral of the story: “Nature’s wonders are to be appreciated, not possessed.”