This is an odd tale, I rather hope that you can follow it! For Honors English I had to create a story. Not just any story, but a completely made up African Fable that had a moral to it. It was rather easy for me to come up with, although it is incredibly strange. The whole story was based off of the phrase, "Look before you leap." Which seems to be a fairly good moral for all cases and situations.
On one of the hottest days not far from the Nile River, an accident befell the pharaoh’s servant, Chakide; a servant who was not exactly the sharpest stone. For as the servant walked to draw water from a fresh well near the palace, he tripped over a rock, and fell headfirst into the well with a loud splash. Despite the fact that Chakide was rather foolish, he was wise enough to find a way to hold on to the stones of the well to keep himself from drowning. Not conserving the strength he would need to hang on for dear life, he hollered at the top of his lungs for help out of the well. From across the Nile, a young man named Gwala heard the man’s loud pleas of distress.
“Surely this man is in trouble and needs my help!” The young man exclaimed. Rushing to help the poor man in fear, Gwala dived into the Nile to swim across, not looking at the crocodile who licked his lips at the approaching man that he thought looked more like a tasty snack. Luckily Gwala's friend Ngozi the merchant was passing by in small reed boat, and was able to lift Gwala out before it was too late.
“Careful brother, you almost lost a limb!” Laughed Ngozi.
“Well hopefully that man who is calling for help will find some, I’m too shaken to be of any assistance now!”
A sly man known to many as "Abrafo" had been spying on Gwala and his attempt to help the man across the river. He had watched as Ngozi quickly saved his foolish friend from the ravenous crocodile. Hoping to outwit Gwala for his failure, Abrafo leaped farther downstream to swim across. He hoped to get whatever he could out of the poor man in need of help, for exchange of his services. Leaping casually into the water, Abrafo began his swim. Only to be hit by a fast moving boat, that so happened to be the same small reed boat that was oared by Ngozi.
“Careful brother, or else you will be drowned by these boats that cross the waters of the Nile!” Ngozi called down, hoisting Abrafo into his boat.
“That poor man, I wonder who will save him.” Wondered Gwala outloud.
“Hmph!” spat Abrafo, disappointed at his own unclever scheming.
It was then that the lovely Funyanya called out to her father, the boatman, Ngozi.
“Father, can you take me across the river?” asked the bright eyed young woman.
“Anything for you daughter!” Ngozi called back lovingly. Funyanya made it safely across the river, and leaped carefully out of the boat and onto the shore. Quickly she raced to the noisy well, and found the pharaoh’s servant clinging desperately to the side. Without hesitation, she lowered the well’s bucket to the panicked Chakide. Chakide carefully wrapped the rope around himself and held on as Funyanya used the crank to bring him out of the well. When at last he was freed Chakide cried,
“Thank you!”
“It was nothing sir!” replied Funyanya humbly, and wanting to be of further assistance, she advised him,
“I have learned some valuable lessons today, kind sir. Watch your step, and look where you leap! You would be well to remember those words!”
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