Tortoise, Bird And Rope

Once upon a time in the forest of Krachi in Volta Ghana, there lived an old tortoise. The tortoise had made his home underneath a great tree and with him was the rope plant who used the tree to climb up into the skies. They lived in the part of the forest which was often quiet and that’s one thing tortoise loved about his home.

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One day, a hunter came to the forest to hunt for food. The hunter passed by the tortoise and the rope plant without seeing the tortoise. The vegetation had given the tortoise enough cover and he was safe in his surroundings. The forest had been his home for the well over a hundred years before humans started coming into it.

When the hunter went past them, a weaver bird came to perch on the tree and began to sing. It was a bright day and the weaver bird is a colorful bird who appreciated life. She was happy to be alive and was proud of who she was. The weaver bird sung a beautiful song.

I’m a bird, bird, bird; I am tall, tall, tall; I travel far, far, far;
I have a beautiful house; I have beautiful feathers; beautiful feet.
Blue...green...red...gold.

She flapped her wings as though she was clapping whiles she sang. Tortoise heard her sing and shouted at her to stop singing, but she was so high up, she couldn’t hear him. Tortoise then asked rope to tell bird to stop singing. Allow her to enjoy herself, rope said.

Tortoise pleaded with rope, “please tell her to stop singing or the hunter will return to shoot her. I can’t be bothered, said rope. Tortoise still continued, “if he shoots her, she might fall right where I am and the hunter will take us both. Well, that’s between the two of you, rope retorted.

Tortoise was angry this time and said, “you fool, don’t you know that if the hunter gets both of us, he would need something to tie us with, and you would be in danger. Rope saw the sense in what tortoise said, but he couldn’t accept being called a fool. Leave me alone and don’t bother me again, if you want her to stop, climb up and tell her yourself, rope retorted. All this while, bird continued to sing.

“Boom”, a loud noise was heard not far away and just then, the singing had stopped. Rope saw something fall from the tree like the bird and just then, he saw the hunter. The hunter had returned just as tortoise had said. Bird fell just a few inches away from tortoise and he tried running when he saw bird fall so close.

Before he could take three steps, the hunter was there and he saw him. “I shoot a bird, and the gods gave me a tortoise too, this must be my lucky day” said the hunter. He picked both animals and cut the rope plant to tie them with it. All what the tortoise had said had come to pass but, it was too late now.