Anansi and the Turtle

Once upon a time, in a land where spiders wore top hats and turtles enjoyed a good game of chess, there lived a clever spider named Anansi. Anansi was mischievous and fancied himself a prankster, just like his third cousin twice removed on his mother's side.

One day, Anansi cooked a big pot of yam soup with extra yams.

As Anansi was basking in the smell of his soup, practicing his latest stand-up routine for the forest comedy club, a turtle waddled by. This wasn't any old turtle; this was Mr. Turtle, a turtle who loved trying different soups and thinking about big questions like why the sky is blue.

Mr. Turtle followed the delightful smell and stumbled upon Anansi's house. Anansi, seeing an opportunity for some fun, said, "Why, hello, Mr. Turtle! You look as tired as a one-legged spider at a dancing competition! How about joining me for some yammy yam soup?"

Mr. Turtle, quite hungry and intrigued by the name, happily accepted. But Anansi had other plans. With a wink, he told the turtle, "Before we dine like kings, we must wash our hands. It's a tradition in my house, right after doing the macarena."

The turtle agreed, slowly making his way to the nearby stream, pondering the meaning of life and why spiders did the macarena.

Each time the turtle returned, Anansi was a bite further into the soup, pretending to be shocked, saying, "Oh, Mr. Turtle, your hands are dirtier than a mud pie on a rainy day. Off you go, wash them again!"

Back and forth, the turtle went, while Anansi enjoyed his soup with a side of mischief. Finally, the pot was empty, and Anansi looked at Mr. Turtle, pretending to be sorry but with a grin that couldn't be hidden.

Mr. Turtle looked at the empty pot, then at Anansi, and said calmly, "No worries, Anansi. How about dinner at my place tomorrow? We'll have soup with a side of irony."

The next day, Anansi arrived at the turtle's underwater abode. The turtle instructed, "Before we eat, we must take a bath, preferably without rubber duckies."

Anansi, excited but clearly not thinking this through, jumped into the river, splashing and flailing like a spider doing the cha-cha.

But Anansi couldn't swim! Meanwhile, the turtle enjoyed his meal, occasionally glancing out the window and thinking, "I should write a book about this."

Finally, Anansi crawled out, wet and hungry, realizing that he'd been outsmarted. He even thought about taking up swimming lessons.

And from that day on, Anansi learned to think twice before playing tricks on his friends, and the macarena was replaced by a new tradition: honesty.

Anansi the Spider, clever and sly,
Cooked yam soup beneath the blue sky.
He danced in his kitchen, savored the smell,
His stomach was rumbling, oh, one could tell!

Along came a turtle, slow and wise,
Tempted by the smell, and the spider's false lies.
"Hello, Mr. Turtle, you seem quite beat,
Come have some yam soup, sit down, take a seat!"

The turtle, so hungry, accepted with glee,
But Anansi was sneaky as a spider can be.
"We must wash our hands, that's my house rule,"
Said the spider, playing the turtle for a fool.

Again and again, the turtle did stride,
To the stream and back, with Anansi's false guide.
Each time he returned, what could he see?
Anansi slurping soup, as pleased as could be!

The turtle got nothing, not a taste, not a lick,
Anansi ate it all, quick as a flick.
"Come to my house," said the turtle, quite calm,
"I'll serve you a dinner, with a special charm."

The next day arrived, the spider was keen,
He dreamt of a feast, like he'd never seen.
But the turtle's house was deep in the river,
A place where a spider would shiver and quiver.

"First we must bathe," the wise turtle said,
Anansi jumped in, his face turning red.
He splashed and he struggled, but the feast was a myth,
The turtle dined alone, oh, how he was miffed!

Anansi crawled out, wet and defeated,
His tricky ways had been soundly unseated.
He slinked away quietly, all soaked and forlorn,
Learning some lessons are best never born.