TEARS OF A CROCODILE AND LAUGHTER OF A HYENA- EPISODE I

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THE LONE SOLDIER, HIS CROCODILE AND HYENA ISLAND

animal folktale: the crocodile and hyena — Hyenas can be cute too. Photo by jean wimmerlin on Unsplash

Once upon a time, long, long ago, when animals and humans understood each other’s language, somewhere far, far away lay the beautiful Island of Utanko. The Island was surrounded by the mighty Ghawa river which flowed thousands and thousands of miles through ancient lands, serving varied and important purposes to all. To the inhabitants of these lands, Ghawa was a mother, some even said she was a goddess. Ghawa was adored and beloved by everyone she touched, she was a lot of things to a lot of lives. To the people of Barbag, she was the giver of fish; all kinds of fish. To the inhabitants of Ekoba she was irrigation and the giver of bumper harvests. To the warmongers of Sban, Ghawa was easy transportation and a safe hideout.

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As the Ghawa flowed, she formed binding allegiances with other rivers, big and small. As she journeyed on, Ghawa became bigger, mightier and exceedingly powerful.

Along her journey, she came across a beautiful, vast plateau and as she flowed around it, she nourished this plateau, now an island with her moisture and nutrients, she gave it a little bit of her spirit; to welcome, to love, to nurture and grow everyone who came by. She also left a few crocodiles at the base of the island to guard the land.

One day a gallant soldier from the warmongering tribe of Sban was found guilty of an attempted mutiny and banished from the tribe, his name was Babone. The lone soldier travelled many days and nights on a raft until he came upon the plateau left fertile by Ghawa, there he decided to settle. For many moons he planted trees on the land, Ghawa nourished the land even more; the trees grew big and tall and together formed a formidable forest.

Next, Babone set traps on the banks of the river and caught animals of all kinds who came there to quench their thirst. He caught antelopes, deer, squirrels, buffaloes, hyenas and many more. But try as he did he could never catch a lion or a tiger, so he made do with the crocodiles and hyenas as the top predators, one ruled the land and the other, the waters.

In the absence of any top predators, the hyenas reigned supreme on the island while the crocodiles ruled the waters.

There was hardly ever any confrontation between a crocodile and a hyena. The animals grew and multiplied. Soon the forest teemed with animals of all kinds. Birds of the air needed no invitation, they flew in by themselves. Babone called the island Utanko, one word with varied meanings in the Sban language. Utanko, exceptional. Utanko, unique. Utanko, success. Utanko, hospitable. Utanko, unbeatable.

Utanko, the island of a lone soldier and many animals flourished for many, many years. Ghawa was proud, she gave the island her best. Rain fell in due season, causing Ghawa to swell and sweep bare lands, but she never overflowed her banks where Utanko her beloved Island was. In due season, the sun smiled from its abode, high up in the skies.

The crocodile and hyena did their duty and kept the animal populations in check while filling their bellies to the brim.

Nature balanced out perfectly. Life was ordered, the ants and termites swept the forest floors, squirrels ate nuts and left their seeds on the ground to germinate, grow and bear more fruits. Nature took care of her own. And the hyenas, they ruled; fresh meat was in ever constant supply. When they made a catch, they became crimson red in tooth and claw. And as they ate in groups, they laughed amongst themselves; high pitched rapid series of monosyllabic “hee-heee-heee” sounds. Who wouldn’t laugh in the face of abundance?

The lone soldier, Babone, became old and frail. And when time came for him to join his ancestors, he bid the Island farewell; all the animals on the Island were sad to see him go, to them, he was the grandfather of their beautiful home. Babone got on a boat; he hoped to float on Ghawa and gaze at nature’s wonder and splendor and die peacefully.

But his wish was never to come true, because just as he begun rowing away from the river banks, the crocodiles ganged up and overturned his boat, then they drowned him and tore him into pieces.

It was a feeding frenzy! Everyone wanted in on the action; who knew soldier flesh was so palatable? As they swallowed chunks of Babone’s flesh, tears fell from their eyes. The crocodiles shed tears.

Somewhere near the banks of Ghawa, a mother raven and her chicks perched atop a chestnut oak and watched the crocodiles. The mother raven cawed, she croaked, she screeched and she cried. She knew she had just witnessed an abomination. She was sad and felt trapped; trapped because her chicks were not old enough to fly away with her. She thought to herself, “the fall of Utanko will be the doing of the crocodile and hyena,” and she began to sob, singing a soulful dirge, “Alas, Ghana has cursed Utanko.”

READ NEXT: EPISODE II

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