By: Caroline Tate Hadden
PROLOGUE
One sunny, boiling day in Africa a young male fawn awoke, his name was Daniel.
Daniel lived with his mother and father in sandy central Africa.
The hag said “Is that so?” in crispy voice and then she blasted Daniel with a ball of magic, a ball of powerful fiery magic and transformed him into a sniaon (sne-a-on).
A half human, half snake monster with slimy green scales all over and green glowing eyes that could turn anyone to stone. And the worst thing imaginable, a pair of horrifying fangs as sharp as daggers.
Daniel was too scared to go back home and turn his parents to stone, turn them to stone forever that he went through the forest and came to a quarry and settled down in a cave. He felt like a monster and he could feel his heart turn into a hard lump of coal, as black as the midnight sky. From then on, he was called Hater and everybody told stories of how hideous and terrifying he was.
STORY
In windy, dry West Africa it was hot, as hot as the inside of an oven. Anansi was snoring loudly, so loud that all of Kenya could hear. Anansi was a half human, half spider creature, with four legs and four arms, but one brain, a brain for dreaming. He was gently laying in his spider’s nest
and dreaming about fame and fortune, the melodious chirps of the turacos and hornbill in a nearby field sang in his ears as he slept, still snoring and dreaming of riches which he thought he would get.
Then another noise came into his head, a slightly quieter more wispy voice like a nymph, a nymph of water splashing around its words. It said, “Anansi, Anansi, wake up, wake up.” Anansi awoke with a shudder and a jiggle.
Before him stood a beautiful nymph with long auburn hair that almost touched her feet, she wore a laced turquoise dress that covered her feet, and it seemed to have a luminesce effect. She hovered three inches off the floor and her hair seemed to float upwards a bit. Her name was Nyame. She indeed was the nymph of water.
Anansi, with a human head but the body of a spider and black skin, had neon paint in African patterns on his face and chest. This paint secretly hid his heart, a heart that was lonely and longing for love but Anansi was too insecure too notice anybody. This spider was shrewd and brazen, but also juvenile at times.
“Anansi, Anansi, Hater is planning, Hater is planning to murder you. Prepare for battle, to battle him,” Nyame said. “OK” said Anansi in an annoyed tone, for he had wanted to go back to sleep, but before Anansi could say anything more Nyame disappeared as quickly as she had come. Anansi was now very confused and tired, and after what had happened, went back to sleep.
In the afternoon, Anansi finally awoke from his nap. Feeling rather pleased with himself, so pleased that he thought he would be the king of happiness. He started to eat a banana from a nearby tree.
Anansi thought of the battle ahead and smiled, oh how I would love to defeat a monster and become famous, he thought. Then he thought of something else, what if I work so hard that I sleep right through fame in a field near where we fight, I must not prepare and wear myself out before the battle, instead I will sleep many more nights and many more days.
Anansi awoke with beads of sweat on his forehead he had just had a nightmare, a nightmare about Hater and his slimy green scaleand horrifying teeth and them piercing through Anansi’s skin. It was midnight and a soft wind blew outside, Anansi was very much looking forward to killing this hideous beast and it being over with. For Anansi shuddered at the mere thought of death and hence not being famous. Anansi went back to bed and this time dreamed of nothing.
After thirty-four days and thirty-four nights Anansi awoke it was three days to the battle, but Anansi was not nervous nor scared.
He went to all the shops buying food for the journey ahead, he bought Attiéké, bazeen, bobotie and tons of desert so that he would not starve to death. Then he went back to his nest and ate yet another banana, but this one was riper then the last one, and for the rest of the day Anansi just laid in his nest and returned to his usual lazy self.
Three days later, Anansi started the boring part of the quest, the walking and hiking to Hater’s home, which was a dark cave on a mountain in a quarry, just by a lake. Anansi packed his food and an extra banana and set off down the sandy path; the grassy plains on either side of him had orchids and freesias, purple, pink and orange.
A few hours later, Anansi stopped at a pond for a sip of water
and hydration. Then he heard thumping, oh no a storm! he thought, then there were ripples in the pond and up came an elephant, who was almost Anansi’s age but a bit younger. Anansi immediately reacted to having to drink from the same pond as a girl elephant, especially one he didn’t know, so he said, “Hey this is my drinking pond, I don’t want to share it with an elephant like you!”.
“Hi nice to meet you I’m Mord and this isn’t your pond.” Mord said.
“Says who?” Anansi said in a cheeky tone.
“Says me, my mother and my father we have owned it for years.” Mord said.
“Oh,” said Anansi who was now embarrassed.
“Where have you come from?” asked Mord.
“From west Africa,” Anansi said in a proud voice.
“Is it as beautiful as you are?” said Mord.
“Uh, yes,” Anansi said quite confused.
Mord instantly fell in love with Anansi and said, “Could I go with you wherever you are going?”
“No, of course not! You’re a girl and girls are weak,” said Ananse.
Mord’s heart was instantly smashed and she felt hurt. “Oh, ok,” Mord said, and with that she walked away.
Anansi continued on his journey. A vulture was soaring overhead with its ugly looks and ruffled feathers. But this vulture wasn’t ordinary; it was Hater’s messenger and pet. As soon as he saw Anansi approaching the quarry he flew straight to Hater to tell him about Anansi and Hater began to prepare to fight.
When Anansi finally got to Hater’s home, they started to fight. Anansi shot a web out of his back onto Hater but Hater put his venomous fangs onto it and it melted. Now Anansi was scared—all he had was his webs and before he knew it Hater had him pinned down to a stone. Being careful not to look Hater in the eyes, Anansi yelled for help and sure enough a familiar thumping could be heard. “What isss that noissse?” Hater said in a snake like voice.
Out of the bushes came Mord stamping up a storm and she jumped on Hater knocking him to the ground. Anansi got up and shot three more webs onto Hater then Mord stamped on him and he died.
Then, there was a white bright shine of light and Hater transformed into a fawn boy again. And all the hatred melted from his heart, he was now Daniel again.
However, he was still dead. So, Anansi and Mord buried him. Then Anansi apologized to Mord for earlier and they walked back together and as the sun set they shared true love’s kiss.
EPILOGUE
Five years later Anansi and Mord had three children named Sarah, Hope and Junior. They lived in a small valley not far off from the town Anansi was born in. The couple had never been happier in
their lives to finally have kids, and yes as you guessed it they were rich and famous.
THE END
SCAS 