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The
Taunted Tortoise And The Sheep
-
Oliver O. Mbamara
All
animals knew that the sheep was a weak animal that could hardly protect
himself from other animals, but the sheep was quite sure that he could run
faster than the tortoise, and that he even stood taller than the tortoise.
So, while other animals teased and made fun of the sheep, he consoled
himself by taunting the tortoise in turn. The tortoise and sheep were
neighbors, and they lived like this for generations
One year, there was a great famine in the land of the animals. The leaves
fell, plants withered, and new ones never sprouted. The crops did not have
the proper water or soil to grow. To make matters worse, the neighboring
human beings cleaned the farm of any available crops or leaves, and
because the famine affected human beings too, the humans no longer left
waste food for the animals. It was so bad that even the patient dog waited
in vain for the bones that usually fell from the table of his human
friend. It got to a point that the animals resorted to eating each other
in order to survive.
Weak animals were scared to come out while the wild ones roamed the
streets devouring the weak ones that they could find. The animal kingdom
was fast loosing its population. To stem the tide, the King of the animal
kingdom, the Lion, decreed that no animal should eat the other unless they
first engage in a wrestling match. The winner of the wrestling match will
be allowed to take home the loosing animal as the victory trophy, bounty,
and meal.
Weak animals like the sheep and the tortoise could hardly find anyone they
could defeat in a wrestling match. So, they stayed home, but kept thinking
of a way to survive. The common option was to dig the floor of their
living rooms for worms of the earth. However, the famine also affected the
earth and made it so dry for the worms to survive. To find any worms,
there had to be a very deep digging into the earth where there is still
some dampness conducive for the worms. It happened that the tortoise and
his taunting neighbor, the sheep, continued to dig the earth for worms
until their holes met the other.
At first, the tortoise withdrew in fear thinking that his nemesis, the
sheep had caught up with him, and would request for a wrestling match, but
that did not happen. After waiting in fear for a while, the tortoise did
not get any threats from the sheep. It was unusual, and the tortoise was
curious to find out why the sheep did not taunt him or ask for a wrestling
match at such a time. Cautiously, the tortoise crawled back through the
hole to find out why. Thereafter, the tortoise made up his mind to
challenge the sheep to a wrestling match. “My neighbor sheep, for many
years now, you have always taunted me and claimed that you are both taller
and stronger than I am.” The tortoise said to the sheep. “Well, this
is an opportunity for us to settle our score. I challenge you to a
wrestling match, and as you know, the winner shall take the other for a
meal,” concluded the tortoise.
After the challenge, the tortoise crawled around like a new
self-discovered warrior, as he prepared for the wrestling match with the
sheep. He took to the streets for the first time since King Lion’s
wrestling decree, and told every one who cared to listen, that he had
found himself a wrestling match. Skeptically, other animals agreed to come
and watch the wrestling match but wondered which animal in the land, the
tortoise thought he would be able to beat in a wrestling match.
The other animals kept their fingers crossed until the wrestling match was
about to begin. It was then announced that the tortoise’s opponent was
the sheep. The other animals knew that the sheep was not really a strong
animal, but they also knew how the sheep had always taunted the tortoise
for ages. They simply thought that the tortoise was crazy and may have
signed for his death by challenging the sheep to a wrestling match, since
the sheep had always given the strong impression that he could dispatch
the tortoise at ease in a fighting duel at anytime. So, every animal
remaining in the land assumed that the match would be an easy walkover for
the sheep.
However, when the sheep appeared for the wrestling match, he appeared so
weak and emaciated, that the other animals were able to imagine why the
tortoise chose to challenge him to the match. The sheep had been sick with
a running-stomach and had undergone so much emptiness of the bowel that he
was so dehydrated. It happened that the day before, when the tortoise
crawled back through the hole to find out why the sheep did not taunt him
when their holes met, the tortoise had found out about the sheep’s ill
heath and weakness, but he kept the fact to himself and gave the
challenge. When the match began, the sheep could not put up a fight in his
condition. Therefore, the tortoise easily scored a victory over the sheep.
The sheep was then offered to the victorious tortoise as the victory
trophy, bounty, and meal.
©Oliver
O. Mbamara, 2003
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Oliver Mbamara is an Administrative Law Judge
with the State of New York. He is also a filmmaker and a Published Poet
and playwright. For more on Oliver, please visit www.olivermbamara.com
For
background/research reference on this piece, click on this link
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