The heavenly escape route ( A yoruba folktale)

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Long ago, when animals related with humans and other animals freely, a very strong famine happened. Families died and some got separated, animals also died from starvation and hunger. Some died of thirst, and sea animals couldn't survive. It was a time of doom and a young boy whose family had perished, found himself lost in the forest..

Having walked for several hours, the growling in his belly reminded him he needed to eat if he was to survive. But what was he to eat? Grass? the forest and its inhabitants were faced with the famine too.

It was a serious famine which threatened to claim the lives of all. As he lamented the situation he saw a squirrel run past, looking for an escape route. Excitement surged through him and he grabbed a stick and started to rush after the small animal. The frightened squirrel was about to rush into a hole, his escape haven when the lion lurched forward from nowhere. The boy hated the smacking sound the lion made as he ate the prey which he had targeted.

He must have made a sound as he turned away sadly, because something alerted the lion and as the lion stood, the boy knew he had to run. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him until he could no longer see clearly. After several minutes,he stopped at the entrance of a cafe. It looked too scary to go in and although the lion seemed out of the picture, he still felt going into the cafe will keep him hidden so he went in.

At the other end of the cafe, he was reminded of his hunger by the growling in his belly, but he walked on. Until he came across a very strange gathering, a gathering which scared and amazed him but he watched from a distance. The gathering had every animal represented. The dog , the squirrel, the elephant, the grass cutter, the lion, the cheetah, the tiger, the hippopotamus,the cobra, the python, the giraffe and even the birds hovered above the sky. The gathering which appeared like a meeting went on for minutes and at some points, the lion roared heavily charging towards the elephant who in turn charged back.

Fear gripped the boy's heart, if an animal fight should break out and he gets discovered, his fate could be worse than that which befell his family, he wouldn't be enough meat for the jungle. In what seemed like minutes, the gathering dispersed and the python started to come towards the boy's hideout. He quietly changed his location, grateful that it wasn't too dark for him to see.

The boy remained in the cafe, wondering what the animals were up to. Feeding on fruit crumbs he found at the entrance of the cafe, the boy quenched the growling in his stomach a bit and he slept off.

The noise made by different animals woke him, it was evening again and the animals were gathered again at the same spot, this time, they had made a big fire.

He looked further and saw the reason for the cheering, the lion was dragging down a bigger, dead lion...probably his mother. The boy was amazed. The dead lion was roasted and shared amongst the animals, the lion got the largest share. The animals ate to their fill and rejoiced before dispersing, leaving leftovers.

The boy, as amazed as he was, rushed over to eat the left over. Eating meat for the first time in a long time made him very happy. He made up his mind to remain in the cafe. And so every evening, different animals brought a dead relative to be roasted and eaten. It was a pact amongst the younger animals, to solve the famine problem. The boy once watched the giraffe hunt down his mother, to be brought to the gathering. Hunger had made the animals desperate enough to kill one of their own and eat. He couldn't blame the animals, besides their treacherous acts fed him.

As all the animals took turns to bring dead relatives, the forest got emptier. The animals were eating themselves into extinction but they didn't care. It became more difficult to come across certain animals. One animal, who still hadn't brought a relative however was the dog. The boy became curious as to how the dog got away with this. He decided to follow the dog after the next gathering.

Following the dog took determination. It was the night, the elephant had brought his mother and the meat was extraordinarily surplus. The animals ate to their fill and still took big chunks of meat home. The boy was tempted to stay behind and enjoy the grand leftover but then his curiosity got the better part of him. He grabbed a big chunk of meat instead and ran after the dog.

The dog ran for almost an hour and the boy got tired following. The dog then stopped in front of a high mountain, whose peak almost reached the heavens. Facing the mountain, the dog barked a couple of times and in minutes, a long rope was thrown down. The dog began to climb until he reached the top and he dissappeared. The boy was amazed. He thought of what lied on the mountain or at the other side. What if he found humans? A solution to the famine.. He became curious and desperate to climb the mountain. He found a safe tree, he climbed it and hid there waiting for the dog to return and an opportunity.

He must have slept off on the tree because he woke up to the morning sunlight. He decided, he was going to wait till evening before trying his luck with the dog's heavenly rope. The dog was definitely hiding something and he was prepared to see it.

Evening came and the boy came down from the tree. He walked up to the mountain and mimicked the dog's barking. At first nothing happened, then he tried again and after what seemed like minutes, the rope was thrown down. He wondered what took the one with the rope so long, perhaps he came too early. He began to climb.

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On getting to the top of the mountain, the boy was intrigued by what he saw. The dog's family were there with lots of meat stored. They rushed to attack him but he quickly fell on his knees, pleading for help. After assuring the dogs that he was harmless and only needed help, one of the dogs took him to the back of the mountain and pointed to houses. The boy was overjoyed, he knew what this meant, freedom..at last. He could have left immediately but he wanted to wait and see the dog, who had led him to his breakthrough. So he waited.

Night came and the familiar barking waa heard. The dog's mother anxiously threw down the long rope which was tied to a fat mountain tip. As the dog climbed the mountain tip shook and the dogs worried at what sort of meat the dog was coming with that was so heavy. The boy curiously offered to peep and on peeping he saw the unbelievable.

The dog had been followed by all the animals in the jungle. This was bad and he rushed back to inform the dog's family. The dog's brothers were furious, at first they blamed him for their misfortune then they sought for a solution. The boy peeped again and he heard the dog bark vigorously. He was trying to pass a message deaperately. The dog's brothers heard this and were sorrowful. The dog's mother barked in agony, his message was that they should let go off him and cut off the rope. One dog's life is better than losing the whole clan.

Sadly, the dog's brothers cut off the rope. All the animals including the dog perished except those who could fly. The dog had sacrificed himself, paying the huge price to feed and protect his family. The boy looked at the bereaved dog's family and he decided he wasn't going across the mountain alone.