Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Chame Kwer

Achok said to Lerro, “Cousin, I’m going to fish all night long.”

He said this because he wanted to eat his catch all himself.

Lerro said, “But the mosquitoes will trouble you.”

Achok said, “Don’t worry.”

So he went alone to fish and stood on the bank with his fishing line and hook. But Lerro followed and hid in the grass on the river bank. When he caught the fish, he threw it into the grass to keep it and Lerro picked it up.

After finishing fishing, Achok decided to take all his fish away and cook and eat them alone, but he couldn’t find them.

And he said, “Didn’t I put one here? Or here?”

Then he crushed snail shells all over his body and his skin became dirty and white.

They said, “What’s happened to you?”

Lerro said, “What’s happened?”

Achok said, “You are right. There were so many mosquitoes and they’ve bitten me and made my body white.”

Lerro said, “Yes, I was right. You shouldn’t have stayed there all night.”

Achok didn’t know that Lerro had cooked the fish already.

When the meal time came, and the fish were brought, Achok thought, “Isn’t this the fish I caught?”

When he took one mouthful he said, “It seems like those things.”

Lerro said, “What things, my cousin? Why don’t you admit – you were greedy and you wanted to eat alone. But I took your fish and cooked it. Isn’t it nice, now you’re eating – isn’t it delicious?”

Achok said, “Yes, you’re right.”