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| Emenike and the magic bird |
Story! Story!!
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A long time ago, there lived a hardworking hunter called Emenike. Emenike had a nagging and lazy wife who was not pleased with anything he did and would not do anything to help out in the house. Everyone in the village loved Emenike but they detested his wife because of her bad attitude. "We do not like her,she complains about everything and everyone." They say. "We all know her bad attitude had made the gods to withhold children from her."
Emenike despite his wife's bad attitude and childlessness loved her still and did all he could to make her happy.
He would go out every morning into the deep forest to hunt for animals to sell and bring home food. Some days he got lucky and made a huge catch, other days he went home empty and sad and his wife would tell him how irresponsible and inconsiderate he was to keep her hungry.
One faithful day, Emenike went into the forest as usual to see if luck would shine on him. After searching for a long time, he found no single animal to shoot.
"Today is one of those days, animals had all gone to an urgent meeting, what will I do to calm my angered wife," he contemplated feeling so down. After thinking for a long time, he decided to route the forest for a second time, checking on his traps and praying luck shines on him this time.
As he was on his search, he found a beautiful bird caught in one of his traps, he became so excited, and attempted to pick it home. But to his utmost surprise, the bird spoke up, " Please do not kill me, take my feathers instead. Put them in a boiling pot and it will provide you with all the food you desire." Emenike looked at the pleading bird for sometimes, " Why would I believe you?" he asked the bird.
"I have magical feathers, and I promise to let you have them as long as you want, if you don't kill me or take me away from my home." Emenike thought for some time, he needed to take home some food to his wife and he also wanted to believe the bird was trapped in his trap.
"Ok I will let you go, but you must promise to keep to your words" he told the bird who was too excited to be freed.
Emenike took the bird's feather and set it home.
When he got home, his wife became so angry that he would come home so early without any catch. Emenike ignored her and set up a pot on the fire to boil some water and carried out the instructions of the bird. As the water boiled, he dropped the feathers he got into it and just like magic, the pot was filled with a delicious meal. Emenike's wife asked to know what had happened but Emenike decided to keep it a secret for he knew what she could do if she found out about the bird.
On and on the bird kept giving out his feathers and food were provided in Emenike's house without stress. This alone gave the kind hunter so much joy, but as his happiness about the new increased, his wife's curiosity about the origin of the magic feather increased with it. Finally, she decided cook up a plan to find out where all the magic feathers came from.
One morning, as Emenike prepared to go for his usual hunt, he was surprised to see that his wife had prepared his breakfast and cleaned up his gun. He demanded to know what happened to her, "I just want you to have a good day at the forest today my dear husband." She answered. Hearing this, Emenike's heart was gladdened because he had long been praying for the day his wife would appreciate and adore him. He ate his breakfast with joy and set out for the forest with happiness. When he got to where the bird was, he told him everything. The magic bird said he had a bad feeling about his wife's sudden change of heart but Emenike was too overjoyed to listen. He got the feathers as usual and whistled home to meet his dear wife. When Emenike left, his wife who had followed him to know the origin of the magic feathers came out of her hiddings and thought to herself, " If the feathers of this strange bird could produce a pot of delicious meal, what could the whole bird produce?"
She caught the bird and took her home, muttering that her husband was foolish enough to hide such treasure that could make them rich from her.
Reaching home, she hid the bird from Emenike and waited for him to sleep before she set up a pot to boil the whole bird. When she boiled it, instead of producing a more delicious meal or gold as she thought it would, the bird floated lifeless on the boiled water.
"What have I done," she wept, " see what my greed had caused, Emenike would never forgive me." She fell down and wept bitterly. When Emenike found out about what his wife had done, he became so angry that he sent her away. She left in deep regret. Emenike lived the rest of his life sad that he had lost a special gift and a great friend; the magic bird.
MORAL LESSON.
1.We should always be content with what we have.
2.Avoid greed and selfishness.
3. In all you do be trustworthy. Though the farmer loved his wife, he could never trusted her because of her attitude.
4. Be satisfied with what you have, never take a short route to achieve greatness.
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