Lakes and rivers have always been the place animals of all shapes and sizes gather to eat and drink. One of the animals that gathered at one of these places was a flamingo named Eyè-omi. Because the water at the river was always cloudy from all the animals walking through it, Eyè-omi had become great at finding food using only her beak. She was so proud of this skill that she never stopped to look at what she caught in it before eating it.
One day, as Eyè-omi was feeding at the river, scooping up food with her sensitive beak, she swallowed something that was larger than the shrimps she was used to eating. “Oh dear,” she thought to herself, “I hope that was a really big shrimp and not something that could hurt me”. As it turns out, the crab people had also been feeding in the river that day and Eyè-omi had accidentally swallowed their king, Oba Akan!
The crabs, seeing their king get eaten by a bird, were very upset. “We must find the bird that ate our king and make it pay,” they cried. But because Eyè-omi was so tall and the water was so cloudy, the crabs only saw her thin pink legs and decided to snip any bird they found with thin, pink legs.
Now, Asin, the shrew who had also been feeding at the river that day, overheard their plan and ran to his friend the flamingo to warn her. “Eyè-omi, I think the big shrimp you thought you ate earlier was actually Oba Akan, the crab king! Now his people are planning to snip your legs the next time you visit the river”.
This alarmed the flamingo “I didn’t mean to eat the crab king and now I won’t be able to go to the river to eat or drink.” She said panicked. But Asin had an idea. “Since the crabs are looking for a bird with two pink legs and can’t see above the water, all you need to do is stand on one leg. That way, they’ll think you’re the wrong bird and they’ll leave you alone.” Eyè-omi thought that was a great idea and she did what Asin said. When the crabs came looking the next day, they thought she was a different bird because and didn’t snip her leg.
Eyè-omi was very grateful to her friend and to this day, flamingos still stand on one leg, even while they sleep, to protect themselves from the crabs.
The Moral of the Story:
Pay attention to the things and people around you so that you don’t damage or hurt them. Also have good friends who will be happy to help you when you need them.
