STORYTIME: ANANSE AND THE RAIN DRUM 1

Once upon a time, there was a very peaceful kingdom called Mpaesem. The king of Mpeasem and his subjects were very lively indeed. In fact, they loved the thought of anything fun and loud. The king organized parties and occasions all the time. 

His advisor, Kweku Ananse, was the opposite. He hated all the occasions and parties the king organized on a weekly basis. What he disliked most, apart from the fact that his presence was mandatory, were the reasons for the celebration. 

He understood celebrating harvests, birthdays, or weddings, but celebrating when the king’s favorite slippers were found after being lost for a week, and other ridiculous reasons, was just annoying. He believed the parties were too frivolous and wasteful and that it would one day be the reason for their demise.

CHAPTER 1 

The sounds of drums and loud laughter from the inner courts of the palace masked any outside noise, and it could be heard from miles away. The whole town was present. They were celebrating a marriage proposal for the hand of the king’s only daughter, Asesewa. The proposal had been brought by the valiant prince of the next town, Prince Okonu. Ananse was present at the occasion, none too pleased to be there.

“Is anybody there? Help! Please, somebody!” The cry for help startled all who were present. Moyaa, the handmaiden of Asesewa, the princess, approached the king and his merry court, huffing and panting; she was sweating profusely. 

She looked shaken, like she had seen a ghost. She was almost in tears. The king’s hearty laugh paused when he saw her demeanor. “What is the reason for this?” He bellowed at her. 

She cowered at the loudness of his voice. He was not pleased with the interruption. The music stopped, and everyone turned their attention toward her. She hesitated and gulped for air; the tears she was struggling to hold in began to flow. 

“I … I was getting the princess dressed for the occasion. Su… suddenly, Iskoki-the-dwarf appeared and seized the princess. He left a warning… he said … he said… he… he… sai…” she stammered. “Out with it, Girl!” The king threatened.   “He said he won’t let her go ‘til we bring him the gods’ rain drum.” 

There was a collective gasp, one of the drums fell from a drummer’s grip, and a hush fell over the room when the last words left her lips.  The king’s jaw dropped, and the queen, who had been standing close by, clutched her chest and fainted.  

Iskoki-the-dwarf was the warrior dwarf of the notorious Dwarf Clan. Many stories had been told of how he had singlehandedly savagely pillaged and reduced great towns to dust by stealing their princesses for slavery and making grave and near-impossible demands that the townspeople were never able to meet. 

No one knew where the Dwarf Clan lived; they just coveted things that belonged to others and sent Iskoki-the-dwarf after them. No one had ever conquered him. What he had asked for, the “rain drum”, was a relic from the gods, and no one knew its whereabouts. 

It had once been in the hands of humans, but many people had tried to steal it for wicked reasons; because of that, the gods hid it from humans long ago. This was an impossible situation. The princess was as good as dead. The people at the party sobbed and wailed. They had all given up hope.

For a moment, Kweku Ananse rejoiced when the maid first came in. Finally, Mpeasem had “asem”. It was not that he did not enjoy the peace and fruitfulness of the town; he did. As a matter of fact, he had contributed to most of it. It had been a while since there had been any real situation that required his wisdom. 

This could prove fun. Oh, how he loved to awe the people of the town with his wits. However, his cynical smile faded when he heard Asesewa’s name; he had a soft spot for her. His heart almost stopped when he heard the dwarf’s name as well. 

Instead of the morose look on everyone’s face, a determined look appeared on his face. ‘Something must be done!’ He thought to himself, ‘Iskoki-the-dwarf must be stopped. If not, he would send Asesewa to the land of the dwarfs, where she would be lost to the mortal world and her people, to become a slave to the dwarfs just like all the other stolen princesses.’ 

The people shuffled out of the palace. Their joy was replaced with sadness, tears, and fear. If they did not find a way of giving the drum to Iskoki-the-dwarf, they would all soon be destroyed. 

That night, as he lay on his bed, Ananse started to devise a foolproof plan, a smart way of getting the rain drum from the gods.  He was going to rescue the princess and finally ask for her hand.    

TO BE CONTINUED ...