This story is about three orphan brothers and the cunning tortoise.

Tarun, Wekun and Gope were orphan brothers. With no parents, they were raised by Ijapa the tortoise.

After years of living with Ijapa the brothers were now old enough to work and provide for themselves. “Can you give us some advice on what jobs we should consider now that we’re old enough to work”. They asked Ijapa. Pleased by this and seeing an opportunity to benefit himself, Ijapa said to them, “you should come and work for me”. Now, this was odd because the brothers had no idea Ijapa owned a business. “What work do you do exactly?” “Oh… my cunning is my business” he replied. “It is how I get whatever I want from people”. Suspicious of this offer, the brothers promised to think about it saying, “we’ll give you an answer in the morning”.

The following day, the brothers politely informed Ijapa that they would not work for him. “We’re just not as clever as you, Ijapa,” said Tarun.  “You’re far more cunning than us” chimed Wekun, “we’ll only slow you down” added Gope. “What then will you do?” Ijapa asked, trying to hide his anger at their rejection. “We’ve decided to use our talents, just like you” they responded. “I’m great with the bow so I will be a hunter” Tarun announced. “I love the sea so I will be a fisherman” said Wekun and “I’m going to climb palm trees to make the best Palm wine in the kingdom!” Gope said with a big smile on his face.

In order to achieve their dreams, the brothers became apprentices to masters of their chosen trade and a few years later, each of them had become a successful master. This made Ijapa really upset. “Look at them, they must think they’re better than me now that they’re successful. I will teach them a lesson” he said to himself. Ijapa came up with a cunning plan to get the brothers in trouble. 

A short while later Ijapa arrived at the king’s palace. “Kabiyesi O!” He greeted the king. “Your majesty, there is trouble brewing in the kingdom” he told the king. “There are three brothers going about making impossible claims and if they aren’t stopped immediately, I fear they would bring great shame to the kingdom”. The king, intrigued, asked “Who are these brothers and what claims have they made?”. “Kabiyesi, they are the orphan brothers I raised. One claims he can pierce the clouds with a shot from his bow. The second one claims he can swim across any body of water. The third brother claims that he can climb to the top of any tree without a harness”. “These are impossible claims” thought the king and he sent for the brothers to be brought to him.

When the brothers arrived at the palace, the king asked them “is it true you claim to do the impossible things Ijapa has accused you of?”. The brothers, confused, asked. “Kabiyesi, what impossible claims?” Mistaking their confusion for pride, the king sent them to prison declaring “very well, tomorrow you will all show off your abilities before me and my subjects. and if you fail to do what you claim you can do, you’ll spend the rest of your lives in prison”. 

That evening the brothers sat in their prison cell upset and confused “Why would Ijapa do this to us?” they wondered. Just then, they heard singing coming from the prison window. A mysterious bird had landed on the window sill and was singing…

“Omode meta n’sere – Ere o! won sere ayo
Omode meta n’sere – Ere o! won sere ayo

Okan lohun o t’arun – Ere o! won sere ayo
O t’arun, o t’arun, o t’arun – Ere o! won sere ayo

Okan lohun o we’kun – Ere o! won sere ayo
O we’kun, o we’kun, o we’kun – Ere o! won sere ayo

Okan lohun o g’ope – Ere o! won sere ayo
O g’ope, o g’ope, o g’ope – Ere o! won sere ayo”

As soon as the singing stopped, the bird disappeared and three parcels were left in its place. They contained a powerful bow, a mysterious looking wooden board and a pair of spiked gloves. Although the brothers had never seen these items before, somehow they knew exactly how to use them.

The next day, just as the sun was rising, the brothers were taken to the beach where they would be tested in front of a crowd of people and the king. The first brother to be tested was Tarun. “You’ve claimed you can pierce the clouds with an arrow from your bow” the king announced. Here’s your chance to prove it. Pierce a cloud and you can go home”. 

With no other option, Tarun raised his enchanted bow to the sky and fired. To everyone’s surprise, the arrow soared high into the sky like the mighty eagle and punched through the clouds. The crowd roared with excitement at this impossible feat.

Next up was Wekun. He was instructed to swim to the distant island on the other side of the raging ocean and return with a branch from a plant on the island. Wekun grabbed his wooden board and started swimming. Lying on the board, he swam fast and gracefully like a shark to the island and back again impressing everyone gathered and the king.

Finally, it was Gope’s turn to prove that he could do what he had been accused of. The guards took him to the tallest palm tree on the coast and commanded him to climb. Gope quietly put his gloves on and started climbing. He raced to the top of the palm tree as effortlessly as a gecko on a wall. 

Seeing that the brothers had done the impossible, Ijapa tried to run away but was caught by the king’s guards who took him to the king. “Ijapa, it is clear to me that you knew what your wards are capable of and out of jealousy, you tried to get rid of them by using me!” the king said furiously. For this, Ijapa was thrown in prison and the brothers were greatly rewarded for their honesty and skill.

The End.