Why The Tortoise And The Squirrel Are Not Friends
Why The Tortoise And The Squirrel Are Not Friends is a folktale. The themes include greed, betrayal, and love amongst others.
Tortoise – Mbe
Squirrel – Ọsa
by Chinyere Nwosu
Why The Tortoise And The Squirrel Are Not Friends
“Otii”
“Ọyoo”
“Oruru otu mgbe”
“mgbe rue”
Once upon a time, in the land of the animals
The animals lived in peace and harmony and shared everything in common.
They worked together, tilled the land together, and shared their meals.
Mbe – the tortoise, was a good friend of Ọsa – the squirrel.
They walked to the farm together when they went to work, and the two played together when they were not working.
All the animals in the kingdom envied their friendship. Mbe and Ọsa loved and cared for each other very much.
A time came, and there was a famine in the land, and crops did not produce much; the harvest was thin. The animals believed that this was just a problem of poor harvest.
The leaders encouraged them by saying, “the next season will bring a better yield.”
The animals agreed and accepted the rations as they came.
When the next season for planting started, they all worked even harder, preparing the lands and cultivating the fields.
The animals planted their seeds and watched every day to see them sprout, but the seeds did not germinate. Losing the crops bred disappointment and sadness. The leaders asked that they plant again, and as they contemplated what to do next, the rain ceased, and the seeds died. Silos were almost empty.
“We have a problem.”, said Ọdum – the Lion to his subjects.
“We can no longer keep up with our communal way of life.”
“Every parent has to find a way to feed his family.”
The council agreed with the saying, and it became every man to himself. At first, Ọdum was able to control the urge to eat one another, but as time passed, things spiraled out of hand.
Mbe and Ọsa followed the rules. Ọsa visited Mbe now and then, and they talked about their lives and the turn of events; life was not easy. Animals lost weight because they did not have much to eat. Mbe’s shell was becoming too big for him – the famine was taking its toll.
However, Mbe could not help noticing that his friend – Ọsa was looking well and refreshed. The famine hadn’t affected him as much. Mbe kept contemplating this issue but could not understand it.
One day he asked his friend about it.
“Ọsa.”, he said, “How come you look so good?”
“The hunger hasn’t gotten to you.”
“How do you get food at such a difficult time?”
Ọsa shrugged and responded, “I live on the trees.”
“Whatever is left up there feeds me.”
“You live on land; the scramble for a muscle is more difficult.”
The response seemed to answer Mbe’s questions.
“That makes sense.”, he thought to himself.
Mbe then nodded at his friend and said, “sometimes it is a good thing to live away from everyone. You should remember to bring food for your dear friend sometimes.”
The friends played around, but not as much as usual. Mbe got tired quickly, and Ọsa had to go home early. When Ọsa got to the foot of the tree that was his home, he sang the song that was the password.
“Nne nwa Ọsa nwa Ọsa e
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
Tutu o akpara ụdo
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
La egu egbu o nwa Ọsa o
Anụ ge, anụ geruge.”
When he finished singing, a rope dropped from the top of the tree, and he climbed up.
This pattern of visiting Mbe and returning to his hideout has become his daily routine. Ọsa felt sad now and then about not telling his best friend his secret, but he knew it was for the best. His friend could manage what his family provided, and he did not want his own family to run out of food quickly.
A day came in the land of the animals that the younger and stronger ones began killing and eating their parents, who were older and weaker. Mbe’s family was no exception. The cannibalism only quelled hunger in the interim. Mbe was now very impatient and desperate for survival. He pleaded with Ọsa to help him out. He promised not to divulge his secret to anyone because he was sure that his source of livelihood was something he did not want others to know.
After so much persuasion, Ọsa accepted and took Mbe with him to his home. When they got to the foot of the tree that he called home, he sang his song. –
“Nne nwa Ọsa nwa Ọsa e
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
Tutu o akpara ụdo
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
La egu egbu o nwa Ọsa o
Anụ ge, anụ geruge.”
A rope dropped down, and Ọsa went up with his friend.
To Mbe’s utmost surprise, Ọsa’s home did not seem to be affected by the famine. His mother was still alive. A wave of sadness swept over him for a short while – his mother was gone. She was meat like some other mothers some time ago.
Ọsa’s mother served dinner, and Mbe ate till he was full. She sympathised with and cared for him that evening. When it was dark, they sent him home. Mbe was happy and thankful for the friendship and the meal. He fell asleep almost immediately after he got home.
However, his gratitude towards his friend was short-lived in the morning when he thought to himself that Ọsa had cheated on him. He was aggrieved that his friend watched as the famine affected him badly enough that his mother was killed for food before he accepted to help out. Mbe did not care that Ọsa asked him to find a way to hide and protect his mum earlier before the famine got worse.
Mbe had refused to hide his mum.
He said, “it will never come to that.”
Ọsa hid he’s and only called on her in his song when he got home. She threw down the rope for him to climb up the tree. His foresight is the reason his mother was still alive.
Ọsa’s mother being alive was why he did not want to take his friend home even after things got even more difficult.
“I can’t watch him die of hunger for friendship’s sake.”, he thought to himself.
“I will help even if it is just for a meal.”
“At least I can trust him.”
So, Ọsa took his friend home and fed him.
Mbe nursed his feelings of love, envy, and jealousy quietly until they began to consume him. He admired his friend’s ingenuity and courage. As the days went by, he wished Ọsa felt the same pain as he did. He monitored his friend closely. One day, when Ọsa had gone to look for some food just like other animals, Mbe went into his home without telling him. He took some able-bodied youths with him. When they got to Ọsa’s treehouse, Mbe mimicked his friend’s voice and sang the song –
“Nne nwa Ọsa nwa Ọsa e
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
Tutu o akpara ụdo
Anụ ge, anụ geruge
La egu egbu o nwa Ọsa o
Anụ ge, anụ geruge.”
Ọsa’s mother dropped the rope, as usual, thinking her son was home. Mbe and all the young men climbed up the treehouse.
They demanded that Ọsa’s mum feed them. She served them all they had in fear. The strong men ate until they were all filled up.
Afterward, they dragged Ọsa’s mum down the tree and slew her. They shared her meat amongst themselves to take to their families. Their reason – “other mothers had been food.”
“Why should Ọsa have he’s?”
When Ọsa returned from foraging, he sang his song several times by the foot of his tree home, but the rope did not drop. He climbed the tree and looked everywhere, but his mother was not there. He came down desperately searching the neighbourhood for her. He saw footprints and followed them. Ọsa could not tell anyone what he was looking for but sincerely hoped that his mother was well and safe.
Along the way, Ọsa overheard some young children chatting and discussing what they heard in the day.
“Ọsa’s mother was meat for all.”, they said.
He cried and wailed and wondered how this could be.
“No one knew my mother was alive.”, he thought.
He had hidden her well for two plating seasons.
“No one, just no one …” he trailed off as he remembered that Mbe knew. Mbe was at his house with him not long ago.
Ọsa went to see Mbe. He asked him about what he heard. Mbe became irate and spoke harshly to Ọsa. While attempting to justify the act, he confessed his actions – he took the other animals to Ọsa’s home. Also, he stated how he was pleased that they were all motherless now. Ọsa could not help but feel the pain and despair. All he did was help his friend, and now his mother and all his food were gone. Food, he will replace it, but his mother was gone forever.
“Why didn’t you just take the food?” he cried.
“Did you have to kill her too?”
“You are the worst friend anyone could have.”, he said to Mbe. And at those words, Ọsa turned around and went home dejectedly.
Other animals watched the drama from their doorposts. The best friendship the land had seen in many years was no more.
“When trust breaks, many things die with it.”, Ọdum declared at the council meeting.
“We cannot continue as cannibals.”
“We must find a way out.”
His men searched the silos and found a few seeds left. Ọdum then ordered that every man return to the farms and work as though they had enough to plant and the rain to water them.
The animals obeyed. They planted and fetched water from the streams to water them, and Heaven rewarded their efforts, and the plants began to grow. It was not quite long before the rain came.
There was jubilation everywhere in the land. The animals were happy and hopeful again.
Ọsa and Mbe walked past each other every day like total strangers.
But for a muscle of food, they lost their friendship forever.
About the story
This is an Igbo folktale.
Owners of the story – Akaeze in Ivo Local government area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
The main themes include – love, trust, friendship, managing adversity, betrayal, leadership, hope, unity, and diligence.