THE PYTHONS TREE #English story

In the days of long ago, before there were human beings upon the earth. all was peace, harmony and friendliness among those who lived upon it: birds, beasts and reptiles, all helped to govern  he land on which there was no one to oppress them.

The oldest and wisest creature of them all was an enormous python. No one knew how old he was, because he was already very, very old when their oldest living member was born. They took it for granted that from the beginning of time, he had been upon the earth. Besides being so old, the big snake was acknowledged to be the wisest of all living creatures. He knew the names of all the trees, plants, fruits and grasses in their large, spreading country. He also knew which were good to eat, and which were poisonous; repeatedly he had warned his fellow beings to never, ever eat anything without first askingg him its name, and whether it was safe to eat. l his respected old reptile lived coiled round what looked like a tall tree. Actually it was a wild berry bush, but because his great strong body had always bound its many stems together, it had grown upwards as the python had grown with it. There was no need for him ever to leave it, for he fed upon the juicy black and red berries that ripened the whole year through upon its bushy upper branches, and he intertered with no one.
One year a serious drought brought starvation to the land. The unripe fruit fell from the withered trees, and the grasses were so dry that the animals could not digest them. In all the land the only tree that was still green and full of fruit was the Qunube tree, the home of the big snake. Everyone knew that this tree was the python's especial property, so they had never thought it necessary to find out its name. Because he was so big and powerful, no one now dared to ask him to share his precious fruit with them. However, the drought eventually became so intense that the creatures, desperate from hunger, held a meeting at which it was decided to send a messenger to the big snake, asking the name of his tree, and whether he would kindly share it's fruit with them? The rat was chosen to go with their request, and the little creature scampered along as fast as his legs would carry him and, looking up at the big snake said, "Please, oh friend of all, tell us the name of your tree, that we may by your goodness satisfy our hunger upon its fruit, for we are starving."

The python received the rat with kindness, and told him that his home was the Qunube tree, and that all the animals were welcome to share his fruits, provided that he could remember for long enough to tell them it's name. Full of excitement at the success of his errand, the rat scuttled back to the meeting; but to his distress found upon arrival that he had thought more of his empty stomach, than of the name of the tree. He had forgotten it.
The animals were so angry that they drove the rat away. "Surely, any but a fool could remember a name for such a short while," they grumbled, and sent the goat, again to ask the name of the tree. The python was asleep when the goat arrived, and was not at all pleased at being roused from his slumbers.
"What a dullard the rat must be.'' he said. ''Qunube, Qunube, Qunube! Have you heard me?"
The goat thanked the python, and repeated the name several times to make sure that he would remember it. On the way back he saw a small patch of his favourite thorn bushes that still had a few green leaves upon them, and with a bleat of joy ran off the path to nibble the branches bare before continuing his journey. But on regaining the path he could not for the life of him remember the name of the python's tree. This he had to admit when he reached his expectant friends. "Useless creature!" they scolded, driving him too, away in anger. They then turned to their king, the lion. "Whose memory can we trust but yours, oh Majesty?" they asked. "You, we know will not fail us -and you, too, our lord, are hungry. Do us this great service, and go yourself to the big snake, for your brain is larger than ours, and will retain the name of the tree that will save us from starvation."
The lion was, indeed, very hungry, for in those far away days he had never tasted flesh, living entirely upon grass, herbs and roots, as his Subjects did. The least he could do, he decided, would be to save not only his trusting subjects, but himself as well; so he left for the python's home.
"Surely it is the King of Beasts who visits me now?" asked the python, who was picking the luscious* fruit from the uppermost branches of his home. "Can it be that your second messenger has also failed you? I cannot scold Your Majesty as I would wish, and I appreciate the honour of your visit, but stupidity angers me. The name of my home is the Qunube tree, so keep it in that shaggy head of yours, and do not forget it."
The lion returned at once, and remembered the name tor quite a long time, but he had had a very tiring day at the meeting, and was weak from hunger it was a long time since he had tasted food. He sat down for a short rest in the only patch of shade he could find, but the monotonous humming of the bees as they searched tor even moisture on which to feed their hungry grubs, made him drowsy, and before he knew what had happened, He was asleep. True it was only for a few minutes that his eyes were closed, but when he opened them, the name that he had remembered for so long, had gone. He crept back to the silent meeting ashamed and disgraced.
Now that their trusted king had failed them, the animals were more angry than ever, and sat silent and sullen as he tried in vain to remember the name that would free them from their hunger-pangs. Atlast the tortoise who had not spoken up to now, strode forward, "Let me go," he
said to the astonishment of the gathering for as he had always been looked upon as both stupid and slow, "for my hunger-pangs are even much sharper, my legs being too short to enable me to reach the food that is within your grasp."
The animals had no faith in Fudu's offer, but after much discussion they let him go, and he waddled off on his little stubby legs, while there were sighs of despondeney as his companions prepared themselves for yet another disappointment. But the tortoise waddled on.
"What" hissed the python losing his patience entirely this time; "has the King of Beasts also, forgotten the name of my tree? You all deserve to
starve for such forgettulness.Ssssss..sssssss...ssssscat, what fools you are. I have given you three chances, and I am not going to tell anyone else the name of my Qunube tree. You might as well return and tell thenm so!" Although the tortoise had a small head, he had a quick brain in it. "Oh, Qunube, is it?" he chuckled, and raced back as fast as his short legs would carry him singing loudly:

**Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, Oh, King, what shall we eat? Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, All the clever ones forget; Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, The tree that will save us yet!**

He sang his little song all the way back to the council tree, and did not stop even when he had reached it, where the group of animals were waiting dejectedly, and where they now all heard the awaited name.
There was an immediate stampede for the Qunube tree, but not before the lion had told the swift-footed antelope to carry Fudu upon her back, as his legs were so short; and they all arrived singing:

**Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, Oh, King, what shall we eat? Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, All the clever ones forget; Qunube, Qunube, Qunube, Except Fudu, the cleverest yet!**

The python, still angry as the animals waited expectantly at the foot of the tree, received them in silence. At last he spoke: "You have such short
memories, all of you, he said, except Fudu; therefore he shall be the first to taste my fruit." The tortoise was hoisted high up into the topmost branches to eat his fill of the juicy black and red fruit. When the tortoise had satisfied his hunger, the python uncoiled his great length from round his home, and left the animals to bend down the branches to within their reach, and eat to their hearts content. Thus it was that the black and red fruit came to be known as food for all. The python never returned to his home. A few days later the long awaited rain came, filling the streams and rivers, and the big snake went to live in a deep pool- where today you may see his descendants basking there in the dappled sunshine. It was not long before the many stems of the Qunube tree, that had been held together by the big snake's strong coils, remained drooped to the ground, to form the berry-bushes we find today, upon which so many of the wild creatures feed. With the coming of man, however, flesh-eating crept into the land. Man preyed upon beast; many beasts preyed upon their former friends, and even the reptiles and birds fell to the example of man; thus was fear born into the world.

The pythons tree Questions

1. Discuss possible reasons why African folk  tales so often have talking animals as their main characters.
2. Fudu made up a little rhyme to help him remember the name of the tree. In groups, compose rhymes or sentences to help you remember important information, such as the names of the planets in order of distance from the sun, or the capital cities of some African countries.

3. According to the last paragraph in the story, fear did not exist in the world until the coming of Man. Do you think this is true?
4. Turn this story into a play. Write out the dialogue and have a Narrator to introduce the play and link the various scenes.

Follow our IG for answers, special thanks to **Phyllis Savory**

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