THE BLIND BEGGAR AND THE GREEDY RICH MAN.

 

Ebere, the blind beggar 

Story! Story!!

Once upon a time, there lived a poor blind beggar called Ebere, residing on the outskirts of a place called Mbese. Ebere was born blind. He struggled each day to fend for himself even in his condition. Everyone in Mbese knew him and anytime he went out to beg, he would be given enough to feed for days. 

One weirdest thing about Ebere was that whenever he was given anything he would say," what a man sow, he shall reap," instead of a thank you. To him it was a way of praying for his givers to reap according to what they had given him and also let them know the inevitable rule of life. He was indeed a weird blind man.

Due to Ebere's kind and cheerful nature, a lot of children flocked around him every evening. He listened to them talk about their strength, fears, uncertainty, and laughed at their funny and non- funny jokes. In return, he offered advice, told them stories, played them songs from his old flute and most times shared his meals with them. To Ebere, the children were his close companions and to them he was a close friend.

On a fateful day, Ebere went out for his usual begging as happy as he ever was. It happened that that day from morning to evening, he did not get anything tangible to go home with. "Some days are like that," he said to himself and started making his way home. 

As he whistled along the path that led to his home, he met Priye, the village's famous orator; a fourth man of authority in Mbese. 

"Ebere, the cheerful one" he called out. 

"Who has the gods brought my way?"Ebere asked.

"This is Priye, the great orator." Priye replied. 

"Ahh, Priye the great orator, Am glad our paths crossed. How are you and your family?" 

"We bless the gods, they are all fine. Your bag looks empty today" Priye observed.

"Yes the great orator, today did not work out as planned, still I bless the gods who had found me worthy to partake in the breath of the living," Ebere replied. 

"Some days are like that my friend. Come with me to the house, let me give you something which will sustain you this evening for tomorrow's hustle" Priye said.On hearing this, Ebere's joy knew no bounds, he thanked Priye for his kindness and followed him.

 When they both got to Priye's famous hut, Priye went inside and came out with a heavy bag. He handed the bag with its content to Ebere. 

"Hold the bag tight and do not open til you get home, " he instructed.

"What a man sow, he shall reap" Ebere said as his usual way was,took the bag happily and left. 

On his way home, he met Obim, the only son of Priye, returning from the farm. 

"Ebere, the cheerful one!" He called out excitedly. 

"Who has the gods brought my way? Ebere inquired.

" It is I , Obim, the great orator's son and your little friend," he replied.

"Ahh, Obim, how are you?" 

"I am fine, Cheerful one, you seem very happy today, did the gods smile largely at you?" Obim asked out of curiosity as Ebere was with a big bag and smiling generously.

" Yes my son, I am so happy, the gods had passed through your father to bless me today with a large gift," Ebere narrated.

"Is that so? Can I see what he gave you?" Obim asked, moving towards the bag.

"No my little friend you can't , your father expressly asked me to open the gift when I get home" Ebere informed the disappointed Obim.

"Too bad,I am so hungry, I thought I could eat from what you were given," he said sadly. 

Ebere was touched by his words. 

"Okay, you can open the bag and take some of its content. " he said, giving in.

Obim, who was so excited, took the bag, opened it and without looking at its content dipped his hands inside. Without warning a large snake sprung out of the bag and stung him to death.

Before the people around knew what was happening and gathered round the scene,  the large snake had found its way into the nearby bush. Ebere could not recover from the shock when he was told what had happened, he kept repeating to himself, "what a man sows, he shall reap."

News about Obim's death spread across Mbese with the speed of light. The news soon got to Priye. He could not believe his ears, he ran helplessly to the scene, crying. His only strength was gone because of his evil action.``O had I known" he regretted. When the king and elders of Mbese heard what had happened, they summoned Priye to appear before the royal throne. When he did, he was stripped of his title and privileges and sent out of the village of Mbese to return no more. 

Rumors later had it that Priye kept roaming the earth in regret till his death. 

MORAL LESSONS

• Life is in a circle. What goes around always comes around. Your actions might not hurt you directly, someone close to you might be the one to get hurt. Be careful.

• Sow the seed of love and kindness to everyone no matter who they are.

• Know that every action and reaction has a payday.

• Your actions are like seeds scattered in the face of the earth. Whether good or bad, every seed sown grows with time. Some grow immediately, some take a longer period. Be assured your seeds are growing somewhere.