Summary : lying is the enemy of friendship! Never lie to your best friends
Source : Tale of the Savannah / River and Flame / Edicef
In the past, a long time ago, the Hen and the hawk were inseparable friends. One never took one step without the other. And they were very happy. But one fine day, Épervier said to Poule:
”I have to travel in the bush, will you come with me?”
Surprised, Poule replies: “What do you want to do in the bush? Aren’t you well in the village?”
Épervier resumes: ”I find that life in the village is not very cheerful. When we return from work in the fields, we no longer know what to do. It would be much more pleasant if we could have music and dance. If we owned a tam-tam, it would be easy, we wouldn’t be good evenings. ”
Poule protests: ”How? You’re not happy? Are you going to tell me that you’re bored? Every evening, we sit next to each other in front of the door and we chat for a long time? Me, this pleasure is enough for me! I don’t see why you want to bother looking, everywhere in the bush, wood to make a tam-tam. You will need to find a beautiful tree, fell it, saw the branches, cut a piece of the trunk, dig it. What fatigue! Is all this for what? To make a useless instrument, which you will be tired of after a week? No! I don’t agree. If you want a tam-tam, manage on your own! ”. Épervier, disappointed by her friend’s refusal, goes alone into the bush, very unhappy.
Upon his return, he will immediately find Dame Poule: “My friend, I have done most of the work and I am very tired. The tam-tam is almost finished. All that remains is to dig the inside of the log piece I have prepared. If you want to help me, in three days we will be finished. All that will remain is to cover the top of the tam-tam with skin and we can have a good time. Come on! Come with me.
Poule then takes on a pained look and replies: “I already told you that I didn’t agree.” If we have a tam-tam, I am sure you will spend the whole day idling under the pretext of practicing making music. It’s me alone who should do all the work in the fields! I am your friend and I must not lie to you. That’s why I’m telling you the truth: I think we absolutely don’t need any tam-tam! ”.
Sparrowhawk sighs and leaves. To forget his sadness at being deprived of his friend, he works so much that quickly the tam-tam is ready. He then brings it to his concession and installs it in full sun in front of the door to dry it. Then, he returns to his field to look for yams. Barely halfway along, he hears the sound of the tam-tam.
”What is this? he exclaimed. Who dares to touch the tam-tam that I made all by myself?”. He starts running towards the village and rushes into his concession. The tam-tam is always in the bright sunlight in front of the door. There is no one! ” I must have dreamed, he said to himself, a tam-tam cannot resonate on its own! ” He leaves again towards his field. As soon as he leaves the village, the voice of the tam-tam resounds again. Furious, he rushes back on his steps. The tam-tam is still in the sun in front of the door and there is no one.
”I am going to ask my friend Poule if she has not seen the one who is coming secretly to use my tam-tam” he said to himself. But Poule, interposed, declares: “No, I didn’t see anyone at the dealership. Besides, I really don’t care about your tam-tam!”
Or Poule was lying. Since she had seen the tam-tam finished, her heart was filled with jealousy. Despite everything she had said, before, she only had one desire: to play it and practice all kinds of rhythms. And that’s what she had done, every time her friend had left the village.
Something in the tone of Poule aroused Épervier’s suspicions. He pretends to go back towards his field but returns secretly by a small path until the concession. He hides behind his hut and waits… When she thinks he’s far away. The hen arrives calmly, perches on the tam-tam and begins to type.
Furious to see that his best friend deceives him like this, Épervier rushes at her and strangles her. Since that day, friendship is impossible between the Hens and the Sparrows and the Sparrows kill the Hens.
Believe me, in life, lying is the enemy of friendship! Never lie to your best friends!