Far in the east, there was a village called Umuojia. It was already sunset, and looking down upon the village were tall trees which included palm trees, cherry trees, rubber trees and many others.
The smoke of supper rose swiftly out of the kitchens of each hut to embrace the receding light of the day, to give way for the darkness that had been waiting patiently to descend on the village.
This day was unusually cool, unlike the past days when the villagers remained indoors to relax after a strenuous day at work. Cattle could be seen going back to their owners, with herd boys tagging behind them.
Mothers were busy cooking supper for their families, while fathers were busy telling their children folktales.
This particular set of children had just finished their supper, they all trooped out towards the old man's hut. It was built on the outskirts of the village. Mr Mansah was a kind old man who used to tell the children good moral stories. When they got to his tent, he was sitting on his famous stool outside taking his dinner.
When he saw the children, his face lit with a smile.
"Welcome, my sons and daughters, welcome to my home." That was how he used to greet them whenever they paid him a visit. "I hope you didn't disobey your parents today."
"No, papa. For your last story teaches about the evil in disobedience," said Eze, one of the children.
9 "Good, I like kids who have retentive memories", the old man said. " You can all sit down, and wait for me to finish my dinner."
The children sat down in a circle.
Mon one of the children blew a faint whistle and all the children fully aware of the sign chorused, "Good evening, sir. How are you feeling today, sir?"
"As you can see, I am fine," the old man replied. "I thought you have all forgotten the custom."
He went on eating. When it was about three more morsels of pounded yam to finish, he called on the children to join him. They declined on the ground that they had eaten before coming. After he had finished, the children helped him to wash and take in the dishes and prepared his bed for the night. He was pleased.
"These are children after my heart," the old man mused.
The children later sat in a circle as before. The old man, realizing they were ready, began, "How many of you took permission from your parents
before coming down to my place?"
They all raised up their hands.
"Good,"he commended them.
"Whenever you are going out, always make sure you tell your parents so that your parents would know how and where to look for you if you do not return on time. Is that clear?"
"Yes," chorused the children.
"Today, I am going to tell you a story." The old man adjusted his wrapper.
"The story is about the
virtues of honesty. Listen attentively and remember that there must be no interruption.
