Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock

ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK NARRATOR: Once upon a time, Anansi the Spider was walking along through the forest when he spotted something. It was a strange moss-covered rock. ANANSI: That’s odd. What a strange moss-covered rock! NARRATOR: And BOOM! Everything went black, and Anansi fell over, fast asleep. An hour later, he woke up, and he felt dizzy. ANANSI: Huh? What happened? I was walking along until I spotted something. Then I stopped and said, “What a strange moss-covered rock!” NARRATOR: BOOM! Anansi fell over again and fell asleep. But this time when he woke up an hour later, he realized what happened. ANANSI: AHA! This is a MAGIC rock. And whenever someone comes along and says the magic words, “what a strange hm-hmmhmm-hmm,” they fall asleep. Good to know…I think I know exactly how to use this. ~~~~~ NARRATOR: So Anansi went on through the forest and walked for a while, until he arrived at Lion’s house. Lion was relaxing on his porch, and next to him was a pile of yams. ANANSI: *seeing the yams and talking to the audience* Look at those yams! So delicious. But it takes SO much work to dig them up myself. *to Lion* Good morning, Lion! Whew, it’s hot today, isn’t it? LION: Yes, Anansi, it is incredibly hot out. ANANSI: Well, I’m going for a walk in the forest to cool down. Did you want to go with me? LION: Cool down in the forest? I sure would! ~~~~~~ NARRATOR: Anansi and Lion took off and walked a long way into the forest, until Anansi stopped at a clearing. ANANSI: Lion, do you see that? LION: Yes, Anansi! What a strange moss-covered rock! NARRATOR: BOOM! Down went Lion with a thud, fast asleep. Anansi ran as fast as he could to Lion’s house, and took all of his yams. Then, an hour later, Lion woke up. He felt dizzy, and Anansi had vanished, so he went back to his house. LION: *gasping* My yams! They’re gone! I’m so sad. *sniffling* ~~~~ NARRATOR: Anansi, on the other hand, was very happy. He wanted to play the trick again, so he once again went walking through the forest. This time, he came across Elephant sitting on his front porch. Elephant had a whole bunch of bananas. ANANSI: Ooh, I LOVE bananas! But picking them takes so much work. *turning to Elephant* Ahem, hello Elephant! Isn’t it so hot today? ELEPHANT: *sighing* It is, and I can’t cool down no matter WHAT I do. ANANSI: I’m going for a walk in the forest, where it’s much cooler. Would you like to go too? ELEPHANT: That sounds wonderful, Anansi. Thanks for the invitation. ~~~~~ NARRATOR: So Anansi and Elephant took off and walked a long way into the forest, until Anansi stopped at a familiar clearing. ANANSI: Wow! Elephant, would you look at that! ELEPHANT: Hmm, what a strange moss-covered rock! NARRATOR: BOOM! Down went Elephant with an even bigger thud, fast asleep. Anansi ran as fast as he could to Elephant’s house, and took all of his bananas. Then, an hour later, Elephant woke up. He felt dizzy, and Anansi had vanished, so he went back to his house. ELEPHANT: *trumpeting* Someone has taken all of my bananas! I am very, very sad! *sniffling* ~~~~~ NARRATOR: But Anansi was very, very happy. He now had yams and bananas, and he wanted to play the trick again. So he played it on Monkey. MONKEY: *falls over next to the rock* ~ NARRATOR: And he tricked Fox. Fox: *falls over next to the rock* ~ NARRATOR: Then he tricked Rabbit. RABBIT: *falls over next to the rock* ~ NARRATOR: And he tricked Owl. OWL: *falls over next to the rock* NARRATOR: Anansi tricked every animal who lived in the forest. ~~~ NARRATOR: Except one. The whole time, Little Bush Deer was watching while hiding in the bushes nearby. She was shy, and so small it was hard to see her. She watched while Anansi played that mean trick over and over on all the other forest animals. LITTLE BUSH DEER: Hmm, I think it’s time Anansi learned a lesson… NARRATOR: So Little Bush Deer went deep into the forest where there were some coconut trees, and climbed one so she could pick some coconuts. Once she had gathered a whole pile, she put them in a basket, carried them home, and put them on her porch. Then she waited. ~~~~ ANANSI: Hmm-hm-hmm, what a beautiful day…*stopping to see the coconuts and gasping before addressing the audience* Ooh, COCONUTS. I love eating the coconut meat and drinking sweet coconut milk! But they take SO much work to gather on my own. *turning to Little Bush Deer* Hellooo, Little Bush Deer! Is it not so SO very hot today? LITTLE BUSH DEER: *playing along* Yes, it is quite hot today, Anansi. ANANSI: Well, I happen to be on my way to go on a walk through the cool forest. Want to go with me? LITTLE BUSH DEER: Yes, I think I will go with you. ~~~ NARRATOR: So Anansi walked with Little Bush Deer into the forest, and once again came to the clearing with the strange rock. ANANSI: Little Bush Deer! What’s that over there? Do you see what I see? NARRATOR: But Little Bush Deer knew all about Anansi’s trick. LITTLE BUSH DEER: *looking* No, Anansi, I don’t see anything. ANANSI: You have to see it. Look very carefully. LITTLE BUSH DEER: Hmm, no, I still don’t see anything. ANANSI: *getting frustrated* How can you not see it? Look. *goes closer to the rock* Right here, I’m pointing to it. Now do you see it? LITTLE BUSH DEER: No, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Anansi. ANANSI: *stomping mad now* You DO see it. You don’t want to say it. LITTLE BUSH DEER: Say what? ANANSI: You know! LITTLE BUSH DEER: That’s what I’m supposed to say? ANANSI: YES! LITTLE BUSH DEER: Okay, I’ll say it if that’s what you want. ‘You know.’ There, are you happy now? ANANSI: *shouting* NO! You’re not supposed to say ‘You know’!! LITTLE BUSH DEER: Then what am I supposed to say? ANANSI: *angrily* You’re supposed to say, ‘What a strange moss-covered rock!’ *falls down* NARRATOR: And BOOM! Anansi fell down, fast asleep. ~~~ Little Bush Deer ran and told the other animals what happened, and they went to Anansi’s house and took back all their food that he had stolen. ~~~ ANANSI: *waking up* Hmm? What happened? Oh no…*running back home* All the delicious food, gone! *sniffles* NARRATOR: If you think Anansi learned any lesson from all this, you would be mistaken. Because Anansi is still playing tricks on the animals today. THE END