Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Magabi Enyew Gessesse

A leopard cub and a goat’s kid were playing together not knowing each other. The leopard’s cub, when she went home in the evening, told her mother, “I was playing with a beautiful creature. Lovely, beautiful, playful. I had a beautiful time with her.”

So the mother knew with whom her cub had been playing by the description the cub gave her.

She said, “Isn’t that our favourite food since ages? Why didn’t you catch her and bring her?”

The cub replied, “Oh, we have an appointment tomorrow. I’ll bring her here.”

The goat’s kid also told her mother, “I was playing with a beautiful animal which had spots. A lovely colour.”

So the goat’s mother said, “You foolish child, don’t you know this is our enemy since we were created, chasing us everywhere? You must always run away and avoid her.”

So on the morrow the cub and the kid met.

When the kid saw the cub, she saw the cub looked cunning, saying in a false, sweet voice, “Hello, how are you?”

And the cub nearing her, with cunning strides.

The kid also going back and back and back and back, fearing to be caught.

The cub says, “Come, let’s play like yesterday! You promised to play today.”

“No, I won’t do that. What has been plotted in your house has also been plotted in our house. What your mother told you, my mother told me.”

She was on the verge of running away. 

Then she ran away.