In a village where animals and humans lived harmoniously, Anansi the Spider was well-known for his cunning and trickery. One day, he decided he wanted to taste every single fruit in the village without actually working for any of them. He came up with a plan.
Anansi crafted a small bell and tied it around his leg. He then declared to the entire village, “This bell is magical! When it rings, it means the fruit is the juiciest and ripest it can be!” The animals, intrigued and trusting Anansi, wanted the best fruits too.
Anansi went to the fields and orchards every morning. Each time he was near a tree or a bush with fruits he wanted to taste, he rang the bell, and the animals would flee in excitement, leaving behind their own picked fruits. Anansi would quickly gather these left behind fruits and feast on them.
This went on for days, and Anansi grew rounder and more satisfied with each passing day. However, the other animals began to notice they never tasted the fruits when the bell rang and started to grow suspicious.
Turtle, known for his patience and wisdom, decided to watch Anansi from a distance. He observed Anansi’s trick and devised a plan to teach him a lesson.
The next day, when Anansi rang his bell and the animals left their fruits to search for the “riper” ones, Turtle quietly moved all the fruits and hid them. Anansi, expecting to find a plethora of fruits left behind, found none.
Confused and hungry, Anansi rang his bell again and again, but each time, Turtle had cleared away the fruits before Anansi could get to them.
After hours of ringing and finding nothing, Anansi, tired and defeated, realized he had been found out. He returned to the village center where all the animals, led by Turtle, were waiting.
Turtle, holding the bell, said, “Dear Anansi, tricks and deceit might feed you for a day, but honesty feeds the soul for a lifetime.”
Ashamed and humbled, Anansi apologized to the animals and promised to use his cleverness for the benefit of all rather than selfish gains. The animals forgave Anansi, but from that day on, every time a bell rang in the village, it reminded him of the lesson he had learned.
Moral: Deceit might offer temporary gains, but honesty and integrity yield lasting rewards.