Once upon a time there lived a poor man, so poor that there was no one poorer than him. But he knew how to do what others could not do. He knew how to do magic. Only with his witchcraft he could not bring benefit to himself, because otherwise he would have lost this gift.
This is how he lived alone, grieving, and for a long time could not find a girl who would agree to marry him.
Finally he found a girl who did not refuse to become his wife. This girl's name was Samba.
She was from far away. She had to part with her family in order to live where her husband lived. In due time she gave birth to a son, and then a daughter.
One day the couple quarreled. Very angry with her husband, Samba left his house and went to her parents.
Together with her two children, she walked the difficult road to her homeland. The little son himself walked in front, and the daughter sat tied behind her mother’s back. She had been walking for a long time when suddenly she met a dikwishi - a monster with six heads.
-Where are you going? – the monster asked menacingly. The frightened Samba replied:
- I go where the sun rises. And you?
“But I’m going in a completely different direction.” Where the sun goes down! “And the monster swallowed first one child, then the second, then Samba along with the things she was carrying.
The monster then continued its journey west. Some time passed, the monster hit the ground with his magic wand, and both children and Samba again found themselves on the road,
“Do you still want to go where the sun rises?” – asked the monster.
- Yes, I want to. I'm going to my parents. I quarreled with my husband. He asked me to stay, but I don't want to live with him anymore.
- Oh so! So, anger made you climb to the top of the tallest baobab tree? But anger will not help you get out of there! – And the monster again swallowed Samba along with the children.
Walking further and further west, the monster struck the ground with his magic wand again. Both Samba and the children immediately appeared in front of him.
– Do you still want to go to your parents?
– No, I changed my mind, I decided to return to my husband. Hearing such words, the monster let her go. The delighted Samba quickly walked along the road. She led the boy by the hand, and the girl was tied behind her back. Samba looked around, saw that no one was watching her, and turned in the other direction. Instead of going to her husband's house, she went to her friend's. And the next day, stubbornly following her decision, she went to where her parents lived.
- Why did you deceive me? Why didn't you go to your husband's house? – a monster appeared on the road in front of her again.
Samba trembled with fear, hugging the children tightly to her.
- No, no, I changed my mind, I don’t want to go back to him. I'll go to my parents!
- Oh so! So, anger made you climb to the top of the tallest baobab tree? But remember! Anger won't help you get out of there! “And the monster swallowed Samba and her children.”
Ten days passed and Samba's husband went to her parents. When they found out that Samba had left him, the mother was very upset and began to cry loudly.
- Why did you quarrel? – she asked, bursting into tears.
“Because of the corn on the cob,” the husband explained. “We were starving because nothing grew in our field.” We only have one ear of corn left. She said she would eat it herself. And I asked her to share with the children and with me. But she didn’t want to, saying that she was tired of starving forever. She left with the children, saying that she was going to her parents.
- Ayue! Poor Samba! She was killed by wild animals in the forest! Poor Samba! Our poor grandchildren!
The parents mourned their daughter for a long time, and the husband pretended that he was also crying with them. After all, it was he who used his magical power and turned into a monster to teach Samba a lesson. But stubbornness and anger do not lead to good. Samba turned out to be very stubborn and unyielding. The husband never managed to reason with his wife. However, because of his stubbornness and anger, he himself remained forever alone.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru