La sobre et la sotte (the story)
on Mischa in Cameroon (Cameroon), 11/Aug/2010 11:20, 34 days ago
ReadLa sobre et la sotte (the introduction)This story takes place in a small forest in a small village in West Africa. In this country of stern men there lived a man who had two wives, but one day his second wife poisoned his first wife. The first wife died, leaving a beautiful young daughter with a clear voice, black eyes, and long straight hair. She was called Massaï.Massaï was always treated badly by her cruel stepmother and one day she decided to leave her father’s compound, carrying with her only a litre of honey.At daybreak she left the house and at around midday she encountered a donkey standing in the burning sun of the hot season. This donkey said to her,“Young girl, I am standing in the sun. Please untie me and take me to stand in the shade.”Massaï did this and the donkey said, ‘Beat me if you want, if that is your wish.”Massaï refused and continued on her way.All at once she heard a voice calling her,“Massaï, we’re too ripe but we’re sitting in the sun. Take us into the shade.” It was the mangos.Massaï did what they asked, and they told her to gather and eat what fruit she wanted, if that was her wish.Massaï refused and continued on her way.She saw in front of her a man sitting in the sun, his body ravaged by leprosy and with no arms or legs. The man asked her to take him into the shade and she did so. He blessed her with many grateful words.At the end of the pathMassaï came to a great lake and as she approached the lake split in two, leaving a dry path through the middle. This wondrous girl crossed and the waters of the lake returned to their normal place.Massaï climbed up right to the top of a tamarind tree. Now it just so happened that every day at about one o’clock in the afternoon Manhouli came to sit under this tree. Manhouli was a stunningly beautiful and well-built woman. She was also a cannibal.Massaï had opened her honey, and was about to take her first taste when Manhouli arrived to relax under the tamarind tree. She looked up and sawMassaï.“Oh, hello! You are welcome here,” she exclaimed. “Come down and visit my house, please don’t be anxious,” she said, as if she had knownMassaï for a long time. When they arrived at the house Manhouli went to look for something to eat leavingMassaï with her daughter. It was at this point that the daughter revealed her mother’s secrets toMassaï.“My mother eats humans!” she said. “When she cooks she always prepares two sauces: one is made with vegetables and the other is a stew of human flesh. When she comes back from the bush with her bundle of firewood in the middle of the bundle are hidden severed human heads. You have to approachher and very gently take the bundle and put it on the ground.On the day of your departure when you reach the lake she will come back to the house to look for a sword, which she will use to cut off your head. So while she has gone to look for the sword you must take advantage off her absence to escape across the lake.Do you understand?”Massaï said she did. She followed the advice of Manhouli’s daughter to the letter and eventually the day of her departure arrived. Manhouli drapedMassaï lavishly with gifts of necklaces, bracelets and other jewels, all made from solid gold, and she dressed her in sandals and a spotless white robe that came down to her ankles.Manhouli accompaniedMassaï to the edge of the lake and then asked her to wait, as she’d forgotten to give her another gift that she’d left at the house.Massaï took advantage of Manhouli’s absence to escape across the lake in the same manner that she had crossed it the previous time. When Manhouli got back and discovered thatMassaï had crossed the lake and returned home she was devastated, confused, and embarrassed by her failure.Massaï turned back towards home, and she didn’t meet anyone on her journey. When she reached her leafy village a large crowd sang out in welcome and escorted her to her father’s house, where he threw a great party. He killed two bulls and the King, his Royal Majesty Wang-goino, decided to marryMassaï.The cruel stepmother was consumed by jealousy and full of hatred she decided to send her own daughter Soho to visit Manhouli. So Soho set off on her adventures with a litre of honey. In the forest everything that happened toMassaï happened to her, but she beat the ass, she ate the mangos, and she even beat up the man ravaged by leprosy. She crossed the lake and climbed the tree under which Manhouli was accustomed to sit. Manhouli greeted her and the two of them returned to her house.Manhouli went to the kitchen and her daughter revealed all her mother’s secrets to Soho. Soho, driven by greed, went and told all she had heard to Manhouli and Manhouli beat her daughter until she was half-dead. Soho ate the stew of human flesh, as this was more to her taste than vegetables.She threw down the bundle of wood so that all of the human heads rolled out onto the ground in front of her.When the day of her departure arrived Manhouli dressed her just as she had dressed Massaï and accompanied her to the edge of the lake. There she said to her: “Soho, wait for me here, as I’m just going to fetch another gift for you which I’ve forgotten at the house.”The foolish Soho decided to wait for this gift, as she wanted to be even more beautifully dressed than her older sisterMassaï, even though Manhouli’s daughter had already told her than her mother was actually going to find a sword to cut off her head. Full of greed Soho turned round when Manhouli returned, singing and carrying a sword in her hand, and it was too late for her to cross the lake. Manhouli chopped off herhead and took back all the golden jewels, necklaces and bracelets.Agiant bird carried Soho’s headless body andthrew it down in the house of her parents, and itbecame a devil that haunted the household.Massaï’s cruel stepmother went mad and wondered naked in the market place.This story was written by Goggo Abouhar (Maga Primary School)The pictures were drawn byImogen Foxell