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Five did not like the name they had given her and got upset whenever anyone said the word 'Five'. Today she seemed even more upset than usual. Anansi leaned in closer, ever curious. "Oh!" She grumbled to herself. "Those villagers will learn a thing or two the next time they call me that darn name! From this moment on, whoever says the word 'Five' will drop dead!" And with that, she disappeared. Now, had a normal person said this Anansi would have laughed and walked away. However, Five was a witch of great power and her spells could be deadly serious. Having been the only person to hear this, Anansi started thinking of how he could use this knowledge to his advantage. Before we go on with the story, you should know that Anansi is always hungry. No matter how fat he gets, he always wants to get fatter. So the trickster spider starting thinking and within a few moments, decided upon a trick to get more food. He gathered up five stones and waited alongside the road with them. Sooner or later, Rabbit arrived. "Hello, friend Rabbit." Said Anansi. "Will you help me, please?" "What do you need?" Asked Rabbit, suspicious because Anansi normally wasn't this polite. Anansi sighed. "I am so stupid, I cannot count the number of stones I gathered today. Since you're so smart, will you please help me count them?" This pleased Rabbit and he agreed. "Well," he said, pointing at the stones, "That's one, two, three, four, five." At the word 'five', Rabbit fell down dead and Anansi had rabbit stew for breakfast. A few hours later, along came Badger. Anansi greeted him. "Hello, friend Badger. Will you help me, please?" Badger nodded amiably. He enjoyed helping others. "How can I help you, Anansi?" "I am so stupid, I cannot count the number of stones I gathered today. Since you're so smart, will you please help me count them?" "Of course" answered Badger. "One, two, three, four, five." And at the word 'five', poor, trusting Badger fell down dead and Anansi had Badger stew for lunch. Hours later, Dove flew down to where Anansi was sitting. "H-h-h-hello, Anansi." She cooed. Now, Anansi was still full from lunch, but he never overlooked a potential meal when he saw one. "Hello, friend Dove. Will you help me?" Dove nodded. "I am so stupid, I cannot count the number of stones that I gathered today. Since you're so smart, will you please help me count them?" "C-c-c-certainly." Dove replied. She began counting; "One, two, three, four, and the one I'm sitting on." Anansi looked up, alarmed. "Could you please do that again, friend Dove?" Dove counted again. "One, two, three, four, and the one I'm sitting on." Anansi frowned, annoyed. "I'm sorry, friend Dove, but I still don't quite understand. Could you count again?" So Dove counted again. "One, two, three, four, and the one I'm sitting on." Anansi's anger grew. "Don't you know how to count, you stupid bird?" He shouted. "Why, yes." She cooed. "How do you do it, then, friend Anansi?" "I'll show you how to do it!" He said, angry. "One, two, three, four, FIVE!" And with that, the trickster Anansi fell down dead. |
