A long, long time ago, in a remote village surrounded by thick forests and echoing with the calls of wild creatures, there lived two brothers, Tani and Robu. Though they shared the same parents, the two brothers were as different as day and night. Tani, the elder, was clever, cunning, and had a way of charming his way out of trouble. He was a skilled hunter, known throughout the village for his knack for tracking animals, setting traps, and bringing back birds and game from the dense forest. Robu, on the other hand, was simple-hearted and trusting, often falling for his brother’s tricks without question. Where Tani was quick-witted and sly, Robu was humble and gullible, always admiring Tani’s cleverness without fully understanding his ways.
Life in the village was peaceful, but Tani often took advantage of his brother's simplicity, using his wit to trick him in small but amusing ways. Robu never minded; he laughed along, seeing these tricks as harmless fun. However, Tani’s love for fooling his brother would one day lead to a fateful and tragic outcome, changing Robu's life forever.
|A Nyishi Folktale of Cunning and Consequence
One warm evening, Robu watched as Tani returned from the forest with a large catch of birds and animals. Curious and eager to follow in his brother’s footsteps, Robu approached Tani with a question. “Brother,” Robu asked, “I see you bring home so many animals every day. How do you lure them into your traps? What do you use to make them come so close?”
With a glint in his eye, Tani saw another opportunity to trick his trusting brother. He leaned in close and, with a mischievous smile, said, “Oh, it’s simple, Robu. All you need to do is place pieces of pig meat near the trap. The animals can’t resist it; they come right to it.”
Robu’s eyes widened with excitement. Eager to try this new technique and hopeful to catch animals like his clever brother, Robu made a bold decision. Without a second thought, he took the only pig his family owned—a pig they had raised carefully and with great affection—and as Tani had instructed, slaughtered it. He cut its flesh into pieces, as much as he could carry, and set off into the forest to lay his traps.
After carefully arranging the pig meat by his traps in various parts of the forest, Robu was hopeful that by morning he would return with an abundance of game. Little did he know, Tani, ever so crafty, had secretly followed him through the trees, watching with a sly smile. Once Robu was out of sight, Tani gathered all the pieces of pig meat that Robu had left near the traps, silently laughing to himself as he took the prized bait back to his own home.
The next morning, Robu hurried into the forest with excitement, his heart racing at the thought of all the birds and animals he might have caught. But as he checked his traps, his face fell; each trap lay empty, not a single bird or animal in sight. Confused and disappointed, he returned home, wondering where he had gone wrong. But Robu’s troubles had only begun.
That night, Tani decided to play one final trick on his unsuspecting brother. Using an ancient spell known only to the most cunning hunters, Tani transformed himself into a small, beautiful bird, his feathers glistening under the moonlight. He flew gracefully through the night air, settling into one of Robu’s traps. Knowing Robu would come at dawn, he prepared to play his trick with glee.
At first light, Robu returned to his traps, his heart heavy with the memory of his failed attempt. But as he approached, his eyes widened with delight: there, caught in one of his traps, was a small bird with the most beautiful feathers he had ever seen. Elated, Robu carefully removed the bird from the trap and placed it into his bag, hurrying back home to prepare it for a meal.
Once home, Robu placed the bird near the hearth, preparing to roast it. But just as he was about to begin, the small bird suddenly sprang to life, its wings flapping wildly as it escaped from the hearth and flew up into the air, landing directly on the head of Robu’s wife. Startled, Robu’s wife cried out, but the bird only sat there, staring back at Robu as if daring him to act.
Outraged by the bird’s audacity, Robu reached for his sword, his anger blinding him to reason. He raised his machete, aiming to strike the bird. But as he swung, the bird took flight, leaving Robu’s blade to strike his wife instead. Horrified, Robu realized what he had done. He had struck down his beloved wife, and as she fell to the ground, his heart sank in despair.
But Tani was not yet finished with his cruel trick. Transformed still as a bird, he flew to each corner of the house, landing on the heads of Robu’s children, taunting him further. Enraged and driven by a grief-stricken madness, Robu swung his machete again and again, each time only striking down his own family as the bird evaded him with ease. One by one, his children fell, victims of his own hand, as the bird fluttered above, watching the tragic scene unfold.
Finally, when all of Robu’s family lay lifeless, the bird took one last flight, circling above him before disappearing into the distant sky, leaving Robu in the silence of his own loss. In that terrible moment, Robu’s heart shattered as he realized the depth of his own foolishness. He had been tricked by his own brother’s deception, blinded by his desire to prove himself in the forest. In his desperation, he had lost everything dear to him.
Robu’s laughter at Tani’s tricks had always been lighthearted, but now he understood the true cost of his brother’s deceit. With nothing left but his sorrow, Robu sat alone in his empty home, haunted by the memories of his family and the cruel trick that had destroyed them.
From that day on, the Nyishi people passed down the story of Tani and Robu through generations. This story teaches the understanding of how deceitful acts can lead to great misfortune. They shared the tale as a warning against blind trust and the cost of deceit—a lesson remembered by young and old alike.
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