Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something very exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Anansi “the Spider” stories are based on the oral tradition of West Africa. They feature a clever spider who outwits bigger animals to get out of trouble or just to have fun.

Today's story, 'Anansi And The Talking Watermelon' is one such fun story.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/anansi-and-the-talking-watermelon

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Transcript

Early one morning, Anansi, the spider awoke to the sound of the possum hoeing his watermelon patch. Anansi peered down from the Peachtree where he lived to watch the possum's slow progress. Anansi salivated at the thought of a meal of watermelon, his favourite juicy, red fruit.

Children, what is your favourite fruit?

That’s nice.

When the possum set his hoe aside at midday to take a nap, Anansi snuck down his tree for a snack. While the possum snored, Anansi wobbled down his fine, silk web to the ripest watermelon in the garden. He picked up a small, sharp stone to chip away the melon’s thick skin, the rind. He made a hole that he could just squeeze into. Then, he gorged himself as the juices slid down his eight spider legs.

Just when Anansi had his fill, he heard the possum stir.

“Possum will punish me if I'm discovered,” Anansi said to himself.

He waddled to the hole in the rind and tried to pull himself out one leg at a time. He was so slippery he couldn't keep his footing. He braced himself against the edge of the hole, but he was so full of fruit that he no longer fit! “Oh no! I am stuck!” he cried, “Now I have to wait until I shrink back to the normal size.” And Anansi laid his head upon a watermelon seed in an attempt to sleep. He tossed and turned restlessly. “This is so boring, What should I do while I wait?” As he pondered his next plot, he heard the possum at the far end of the row of watermelons.

“I know! I will trick possum into thinking that his melon talks!”

Children, what do you think Anansi would do?

Let’s listen ahead.

Possum came scratching with his hoe, and as he neared the melon where Anansi was, he heard a sound quiet as a mouse.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“It is the watermelon !” Anansi now yelled.

“How absurd, watermelons can't talk!” Possum said as he cradled the melon to his ear.

“Possum, you have never been a good listener. Watermelons have been talking since before you were born!”

Possum could not believe his ears and cried, “Eureka! I must show the King Bear the discovery I have made.”

Off he went carrying the watermelon with Anansi bouncing to and fro inside.

He met a raccoon rolling in the dust beside the road.

“What's the hurry possum?” the raccoon asked.

“I'm bringing King Bear a talking watermelon!” the possum answered, proud of himself.

“Now I have heard everything!” Raccoon laughed.

“You haven't heard me talk!” Anansi replied from inside the melon to the raccoon's smart remark.

“Hug? What? Who said that?” asked the raccoon.

“I did!” said Anansi enjoying his trick. “You are a silly raccoon for not realising that apart from animals many other things also have speech. Watermelons are more intelligent than you.”

“Do you believe me now?” Asked the possum.

“Yes I do,” the raccoon said. “This smart watermelon is something that the king would want to see.

Along the path to the King Bear’s grand den, possum and raccoon came upon gopher, rat and squirrel. They each in turn laughed and pointed fingers until they heard the Melon’s strange little voice themselves. Before long they all wanted to hear what the king would say about the oddity, so off they went.

When they arrived, the King a very grizzly-looking bear had just woken from his afternoon slumber and was a bit grumpy. “What is it?” He growled as the animals bowed before him.

Possum placed the watermelon on the tree stump before King Bear.

“What am I to do with this?” the king asked, continuing before anyone had a chance to answer. “ I do not need any watermelons; I have acres of my own.”

“This one talks!” they chimed in unison. King Bear refused to believe. He demanded that the melon pays respect to him if the animal spoke the truth. The watermelon just sat there. mum for the first time all day.

Children, why do you think Anansi is quiet?

“What kind of a joke is this?” The king grumbled.

 The melon remained silent.

“I would be a fool to waste more time waiting to see your tricks,” he snarled at the frightened animals.

“You would be a fool not to wait,” Anansi said from inside the melon.

“Only a fool thinks watermelon can't talk!!”

“Fool! Fool!” King Bear Roared.

“ How dare you call the king bad names?”

And with that, King Bear picked up the melon in his paws and chucked that as hard and as far as he could.

The melon flew through the air and landed with a crack and a thud splitting it wide open.

Anansi was free.

He ran to the peach tree where his morning started.

“What a great day!” Anansi rejoiced.

All this fun made me hungry again!”

He started nibbling at a large, ripe peach above the possum’s patch.

The Possum returned later that day with a sad look on his face. He started digging furiously.

“Melons!” he cried. Next year I will grow something else in this patch; you watermelons are nothing but trouble!”

“Perhaps you should grow more peaches!” Anansi said with a mouth full of delicious peach. The king is sure to listen to peach!”