Stories from Ambrose

While driving to Ho, on our way to Kpalime, Ambrose and I sat beside each other. He told me children's stories. I promised you some time ago that I'd share them with you. Here are two, retold by yours truly.

Grandmother's Garden
Grandmother had many treasures buried in her garden. She was old and weak and believed herself to be on death's door, so she called her grandson to her bedside. Grandson, she said, go to the garden and gather some yams. Cook them for me before I die and I will tell you where all my treasures are hidden. But, grandson, when you go to the garden, don't harvest the yams that call out to you. Harvest the yams that are harder to get, but which are ripe and good. Cook them for me and I will tell you where to find my treasures. 

The boy went out into the garden and heard some yams calling to him, pick me, pick me, they said. Against his grandmothers advice, he picked the yams that called to him; it was so  easy to harvest them. He put them in the pot and boiled them and boiled them. His grandmother called to him from her sickbed, are the yams finished? I am so hungry! But alas, the yams would not cook. 

The boy went out into the garden again and picked different yams and set them in the pot over the fire to boil. When they had finally finished cooking, he went to tell his grandmother they were ready. He rushed to her bedside, but found his grandmother departed, having taken the secret of her treasure to her grave. 



Frog girl
There once was a family living in a small village. Their youngest was a girl, bright and curious. The family was very poor and struggled to feed all of their children. One day, a woman came to the village looking for a maidservant to help her with chores. The family was pleased to offer her their daughter, who they assured her was a hard worker. 

The woman bought the young girl for a small sum, and took her home to her own village. In fact, the woman had no need for a maidservant, her greedy heart craved only money. Instead of taking the girl home, she took her to a priest who transformed her into a frog, a frog that vomited money. The woman kept the girl in a small room, and she lived there in her transformed state, throwing up cash, which the woman grew rich on. The woman grew richer and richer. 

After some time, the woman's neighbors began to grow suspicious of her wealth. One day, they came to her house and broke down the door of the room where the frog girl was kept. They were horrified to discover the frog girl and immediately killed the woman who had been keeping her.

They cursed her wicked ways and set the frog girl free. The good people took the frog girl back to the priest, who transformed her from a frog back into a girl.