Nigerian folk tale. A hunter in search of food for his family walked and walked but found no prey. The plains stretched on and the sun beat and even he was weary. There was one tree that stretched its branches and he sat beneath it. Propped his feet on a white rock and drank. When he was rested, he noticed the rock had two eye-holes and teeth. Alone in the vast expanse except for the sky, he addressed the rock in a casual fashion: “What brought you here, my friend?” Then he laughed, grateful no one could hear him. So perhaps it is to be forgiven if the hunter jumped when the skull fixed him in its empty gaze and said, “Talking brought me here!” Food and family forgotten, he ran to the king to tell him of this wonder and the king and all his attendants went in stately fashion to see the talking skull. The plains stretched on and the sun beat so it is perhaps to be forgiven if the king was weary and rather hot and bothered when at last they reached the one tree that stretched its branches. The king ordered the hunter to show him the wonder and the hunter found the skull and addressed it in a friendly fashion: “Greetings again! Please tell my king— what brought you here!” But the skull was silent. For a long time the hunter pleaded and implored questioned and queried but the skull might well have been a white rock to prop his feet on for all the good it did. The king was angry. He had come a long way and had expected wisdom from beyond the grave or at least a miracle that befit his station. He had his champion lop off the hunter’s head and began the long trip home. Beyond the one tree the plains stretched on. Beneath the tree the skull rolled grinning over to the hunter’s head and asked, “What brought you here, my friend?” And the hunter’s head said sadly, “Talking brought me here!” And underneath the shaded earth the other skulls set up a clattering.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 23:12:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015