Week 5 Storytelling: Thunder and Anansi

One day, a man named Anansi was walking down the street. He could hardly focus on each consecutive step because he was so hungry.
He had lost his job and was supposed to be supporting his family. He had a wife and two young sons.
In the past, they had just gotten by. But now, he didn't even know how they were going to find food. It had already been several days since their last meal, and the lack of nutrition was starting to affect them.

Then, everything changed.

As Anansi walked down the same familiar alley on the way back to his house, a side door opened. He had never noticed it before. From inside the building, a golden shopping cart slowly edged to the street. He heard a voice.

"Take the cart, Anansi. I'm here to help. Any time you need food, bring this cart back, and it shall be filled. Take care of your family, Anansi."

He couldn't believe his luck! He held the cart by the handles, closed his eyes, and wished for his favorite foods...

Boom! He opened his eyes, and the cart was filled to the brim. Steaks, chicken, vegetables, desserts - everything he had wanted.

Quickly remembering the pain in his stomach, Anansi began to eat as quickly as he could. But surely if he came back too often, then the cart would run out of food?

Thus, instead of taking the food home to his family, Anansi decided to stash the shopping cart on his way home. Each time he would get hungry, he would leave the house to find the shopping cart. Each time the shopping cart started to run low on food, he would return to the alley so that the cart could be filled.

But one day, Anansi's selfishness caught up to him. As he continued to eat and stay healthy, his family continuously became weaker and weaker. Finally, his youngest son was so malnourished that he became very sick. While Anansi was out eating from the cart, his wife had to take their son to the hospital.

He received a call from his wife and heard what had happened. Anansi went to the hospital to check on his son, and he felt awful for what he had done. This was entirely his fault. Because of his selfishness, his son might die.

Anansi immediately left and asked the cart for more food, in order that he might give some to his son. But the cart was nowhere to be found. Just when he needed it most, it had vanished.

He returned to the hospital, confused and sad. Thankfully, the doctors were able to heal his son, and the family returned home several days later.

Anansi vowed to never again let his selfishness interfere with taking care of his family.


Author's Note:
In the original story, a man named Anansi is very hungry. While out looking for food, he receives a magical pot that always fills with the food that he wants. Anansi returns home. However, he fears that by sharing this treasure with his family, then the food will run out. Therefore, he hides the magical pot in his room and only eats whenever he feels hungry. He does not tell his family about the pot. Eventually, his family becomes suspicious, since Anansi is staying healthy and the rest are becoming thinner and thinner. The wife and children investigate, and one day while Anansi is gone, they find the magical pot. Not only do they feed themselves, but they also decide to try and feed the whole village. However, the pot melts because of the intense stress. Anansi returns and finds out that his pot is missing! He decides to not say anything about it and tries to go back to where he received it in order to obtain another. Upon arriving, he only receives a magical stick, which instead beats him as a result of his selfishness! Much like the original story, I used the theme of Anansi's selfishness in my story. He finds a magical shopping cart which fills with food, and like in the original, he hides the food from his family. However, in my story, the consequences are a bit more serious. Anansi's son becomes very sick because his father withheld food. Anansi tries to right his wrong by providing from the shopping cart, but realizes that it is too late. Thankfully, his son regains his health, but Anansi has learned the dangerous lesson of selfishness.

Bibliography:
"West African Folktales: Thunder and Anansi" by Barker and Sinclair: online link

Image Information: Anansi's magical shopping cart.
Image link: Pixabay