The Mongoose and the Crab are two great friends who lived in perfect harmony.
To strengthen their friendship, they had decided to sign a pact that neither of them should hurt the other.
Thus, the Mongoose, which is a very cunning animal, never dared to set a trap for its friend the Crab, nor did the Crab, with its claws, ever dare to harm its beautiful friend. Such was the pact they had sealed.
But one Saturday morning, when the Mongoose was going to do her morning sport, she was surprised to hear a group of people talking about the Crab, which they were full of praise for! They spoke pell-mell of the Crab’s splendid gait and its beautiful and powerful claws.
The Mongoose’s jealousy rose in her like a wave. She then decided to break the non-aggression pact and hatched a plan.
Once her plan was in place, the Mongoose knocked on her friend the Crab’s door, inviting him to eat a good dish that she had taken care to cook herself.
The Mongoose: “Crab, Crab, my friend! »
The crab : “Hello my dear Mongoose. Why are you so happy? Do you have a surprise for me? »
The Mongoose: “I’ve prepared a feast for you, a very spicy fisherman’s soup just the way you like it.” I can’t wait for you to taste it. Come on, hurry up…”
Without wasting a moment, the Crab put on his shorts and off he went with the Mongoose.
Once at home, she took out a big pot of food and said to the Crab:
Mongoose “Today is a holiday. Go ahead, wash your hands, and enjoy, eat my friend. »
Cunning, the Mongoose plunges its paw first into the boiling pot, as if to set an example, and comes out with large chunks of fish.
The Crab follows his example and plunges his claw into it. But it immediately turns red.
Without deviating from his plan, the Mongoose takes a second ration of fish and encourages the Crab to imitate him.
Mongoose “go, go, go, go, it’s your turn!” »
The naive Crab plunged his second claw into the hot liquid. It becomes crimson, like the first.
It is then that the Mongoose, with a violent movement, throws itself on the Crab’s cooked claw and bites it.
The Crab finally understands that he is in danger, he tries to escape, but the Mongoose catches him, throws him entirely into the soup and devours him.
Very happy with the nasty trick she has just played, the Mongoose comes out of her hut and beats her chest, saying:
The Mongoose: “Where have the beautiful crab claws gone now?” In my stomach, haha haha! I am the most cunning of all the animals! »
It’s since that day that the crab has been sickly suspicious. When he is out of his hole, he hardly feels the presence of others that he quickly runs to hide, he no longer even trusts his own shadow.
Africa in story is a series created by the NGO Des Livres Pour Tous – Côte d’Ivoire and the collective Making Waves, in partnership with RFI. This project has received support from the “Access Culture” scheme of the French Institute in Paris and the French Development Agency (AFD), the “ACP-EU Culture for West Africa – Awa” program from the French Institute and the Kôrè Cultural Centre, the “Agir” system of the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis and the Île-de-France Region.
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