There once was a boy who LOVED to play the flute. The boy’s name was Akin and he loved his flute so much that he would take it with him everywhere. Akin played his flute while his parents worked on the farm. He played it while they had lunch. He played it while his mother boiled the dye for her tie-dye (Adire) clothes and he played it just before he went to bed. Akin loved his flute.
One day, as Akin and his parents hurried to get home before dark, he forgot his flute at the farm. When they got home, Akin realised his flute was missing and decided to go back to the farm to get it. “Mami, I need to go to the farm to get my flute,” he told his mother. “It’s too late to go out, Akin. The animals will be out now that it’s dark, and they won’t be happy to see you“, she said. Akin knew the night was for the animals but he just had to get his flute. So, he snuck to the farm even though his mother told him not to.
When he got to the farm, he found the animals gathered there having a meeting. Akin found his flute, but as he was about to leave with it, the monkey saw him and cried “Eniyan, eniyan, eniyan! (Human, human, human!)” getting the attention of the other animals. Immediately, Akin took off running. He didn’t want to be caught by the animals. The lion, seeing this, commanded his two fastest animals, the leopard, Ekun and the cheetah, Amotekun, to catch Akin and bring him back. Akin ran with all his might crying for help the whole way.
As Akin got closer to home, his mother heard his terrified cries. Looking outside, she saw him being chased by the animals. Immediately, she called to her neighbours for help. Together they made a lot of noise to scare the big cats. But the cats continued to run after Akin. Realising her son might not escape the cats, Akin’s mother grabbed the pot of black dye she had been boiling and threw it at the leopard and the cheetah. The hot liquid burned both cats, staining their golden brown coat and scaring them off. Splashed and burned the leopard and the cheetah ran back into the bushes covered in black spots from the dye.
From that day, leopards and cheetahs have always had black spots. The spots are a reminder to them to avoid people, their towns and villages.
The End.
The Morale of the Story
It is important to be patient and to listen to your parents. Their advice can save you from making costly mistakes.
