Once again it’s nightfall, the moon is full and as beautiful as ever with stars shinning up in the sky as brighter than ever, and with birds playing trumpet and monkey juggling up to six orange, coconut and pineapple playing music and singing banana and old Mr. Cane Ban turning into a bright yellow banana with a cap on his head and his walking stick turning into a magic wand who is busy displaying fireflies to turn into animals from the Evergreen forest of Canada, then you know it is time for tales by moonlight. Now that’s weird you say but it isn’t weird for animals from the dense area of spruce, pine & fir trees of North America to here in our nightfall camp. During tales by moonlight, nothing is weird anymore. It is fun and the stories come to life right before your eyes in the middle of the campfire.
Hi, in case you have forgotten me, let me refresh your memory. My name is Natalie Sude. I am nine years old and I live in east Hampton where there are beautiful beach and summerhouses. By now you also know that at night, my mother lets me go outside to play with the other kids by the beach, extracting a promise from me, never to go near the water. Every night, when I go to the beach with my other beach friends, we always form a playing circle under a huge palm tree, dancing and singing all types of song until it was time for bed. Well we still do all that these days, just that Whenever we hear a distinctive drum beat which sounded so much like an African Zulu drum with trumpets playing and soft music, we know it’s time to investigate and definitely time for Tales by Moonlight.
Every time Mr. Cane ban always smokes his pipe while telling us a story. We always also find different spices of animals every time is time for tales by moonlight. Like always, looking around always gave us great enchanting views of nice animal displaying the birds holding trumpets that are playing nicely. Of course the fire is dancing mischievously, the sky more brighter than ever and the moon fuller. Like today, right before our eyes, the fireflies are turning into animals from the marshy underfoot forests of Canada. Like the Sage Grouse (who is playing the piano), Raccoon (who is smoking a pipe), two spotted Ladybug, Least chipmunk (who is playing the finger piano), Wolverine (is playing the African talking drum), Blue Jay, Opossum (baby Pouch), Monarch Butterflies (hovering over our heads), Beaver, Prairie Dog, Bald Eagle, Whooping Crane and Moose (the heavyweight Deer)
Like always the Coconut was playing drums and a pineapple-singing banana while the mango was playing a guitar. A little tribal girl was standing very close to the fruit band that you would think she wants to be in the band. As usual, the animals start to sit around the campfire after transforming and looks intensely at Mr. Cane. It never seizes to amaze us & render us speechless whenever it happens. We always keep saying, “This can’t not be,” “Unbelievable” or sometime “wow”. Being children, we are forever sacred and intrigued at the same time of new adventures and stories. Yet another question growing in our mind, what are animals from the evergreen forest of Canada who have almost been wiped out by hunters doing here? How come they turn from fireflies to these forest animals? All these questions we whisper to ourselves as we creep closer to Mr. Cane Ban. He always looks at us with a smile and say
“Welcome children”
Since we know the routine by now, we pretend to be taken aback, so he can repeat his question.
So he repeated himself
“Welcome children.” It is right glad I am that you are joining us today for our tales by moonlight.” He chuckled
And we creep even closer to this man who wonderful soothing voice never cease to amaze us with great tales.
“Come closer and I shall tell you a tale” he says
Intrigued, we creep closer, no more wary, because we can’t resist the lure of hearing a story moonlight night. And so the tales begins………..
The old spoke again. “Children, welcome and I want you to reply “WELCOME BANANA”
So we did. “Welcome children” he said
“Welcome banana”
“I can’t hear you”
‘Welcome banana”
Again he said
Warming up to the idea,
We shouted welcome banana and right before our eyes, the old man turns into a ripe banana, with a huge smile on his face, a nice cowboy hat and arms and legs.
And we always gasp, and love this turn of the night.
Smiling the banana sat back again and said in a more hushed voice which captivates us
“It is time for tales by moonlight” and repeat after me when I say what time it is he said.
“What time is it”?
Ah the lure of a story, so we chorus our delight
“It’s time for tales by moonlight”
“I can’t hear you”
Anticipation for a story building we boomed
“Tales by moonlight”
“Story Story”
We screeched “storyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”
“Once upon a time”
“Time time”
And so the old man starts a new story.
There was a little boy grew up in a poor neighborhood street of Somali who didn’t have enough food to live on. He appreciates and love whatever food he could find to eat. This orphan’s name is Timothy Dread. Actually his real name is Tim Okonta, but because he was poor and didn’t have a comb to comb his hair, every one calls him timothy dread and the name struck. He watched every kid while they play with their siblings and parents and also watch the rich waste foods other don’t have to eat. Tim always sighs and say, “some don’t have why some have.” Before he picks up the food to eat. He had a rich friend not that they were really friend but John Cambia IV always give him food. There was another kid who although they were not rich, they could afford food. This kid always stomps on the food he finds to eat. It isn’t because he is not rich or smells but because he can’t fight off the bully and have no one found to defend him. This bully “Thomas” has always hate him and loved to waste food when there are people who need it most. Although he went to bed hungry, he never held a grudge against Thomas after all, how can you be angry on an empty stomach. Every night, he prays and wished for more food and to be able to afford to eat. His vow always remains that when he grew up, he will become an activist who fight not to waste food.
Hey Nat here, oh I so love this story. What will happen to his vow if he ever becomes rich? Will he throw away food too? Will he help poor people? I mean he is alone in the world, fending for himself, going to bed hungry and never holding a grudge against a bully. Really someone like that will no doubt be fortunate in life. Looking around on the interest on my friends’ faces and on the animals, which were mesmerized by the banana voice, I could not help but wonder and wish for a better life for the poor and food for those who do not have to eat. Ah life. And as if Mr. cane heard my wish, he looked right at me and said
“AAAAh Miss Natalie Sude. He didn’t remain poor forever and not all the food that the bully stomped that he walked away from. Please concentrate on the story and learn.” He said
I am always so shock when this man who changes into a banana with melodic voice calls my name and seems to know what I ponder. Sighing, I listened to the story equally as mesmerized as the other but not before I saw Tim materializing from the fire as if on film before our very eyes and not before I saw many fireworks of different colors like those beautiful kinds of July 4.
One day, John has given him a salad to eat for lunch and as he was about to eat it, Thomas the bully and kicked the food away and smashed his food repeatedly on it. He was so hungry that he picked up the squashed food off the floor and proceeded to eat it. Thomas and other kids were laughing at him, still he ate. All the salad was squashed except a very ripe tomato. But as he was about to eat the tomato, the tomato spoke. “Please don’t eat me, it said. I have been separated from my seeds and family, can you put me on the soil so I can find my family or make one of my own and find please take water from the river to water me on that piece of land over there by the river as well. Knowing how it felt to be without one’s family, Tim didn’t eat the tomato. The kids were still jeering when Tim ran to the riverside and placed the uncrushed tomato by on the soil, covered it with soil and watered it. When he got back to the streets, the kids were still laughing. You should have eaten that rubbish they said instead of going to throw it by the riverside.
Later that day, the sun came out more brightly than usual, and when he chanced by the river he found that the single tomato has grown leaves and were now growing seeds. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The water and the sun have made the tomato grow so much roots that there were tomato crop everywhere surrounding him. He ate soon and took some to the village market to sell and then he bought himself dinner and slept by the riverside marveling at his good fortune. For the tomato has made him a rich kid who was but 13years old indeed. Thomas the bully and the other kids wanted to be his friends because he had money and a home now but he told them he would only be friend with them if they stopped their bullying but since they rather swallow a horse, they weren’t his friends. John and him became more closer and John family help secure his future.
Tim never forgot his vow. He come the streets of Somali helping orphans and people who didn’t have to eat. He encouraged hard work amongst people, giving as much as he had. He also formed a movement at his young age to stop food wastage. What you don’t want to eat, another might like it well enough to eat. Like one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Natalie here, Yippee Tim kept his vow and he goes to bed hunger free.
Tim also encouraged not hating people who wronged you. “You just might be fortunate enough like him if you repay a evil deed, good deed or bullying done to you with a good deed.
And that is the end of my story, the banana said as he slowly turned into the Old man again.
intrigued as ever, the transformation didn’t even scare us it made us chorused.
“More” we boomed
“Not tonight kid. It’s bed time but before I let you go, I want you to tell me what you learned’ he said
“I learned that you should not return evil for evil.” Jay said
“I learned that it is not good to be mean or go to bed angry,” Kim said
And you Natalie what did you learn, the old man asked
“You will have to tell me your name first?” I said. It is a game we play which I love so much
He laughed and said Old Mr. Cane Ban
So I said “geez that’s like your cane which is the magic wand and ban for banana right.”
“Right” he said chuckling like ever. “Now tell us what you learned from our today’s tales by moonlight.”
“Oh ok, I said. It is not good to treat people badly and expect them to be your friend later in life. Not many people will give you a reason to be their friends if you were mean to them. It is also not good to waste food. There are a lot of people out there that is hungry while we go to our bed with a full belly. From today, I will not waste food again and I will share my things with those who don’t have.”
“Interesting he said.” Clapping his hand together, the evergreen forest animals began to vanish and we began to yawn and long for our beds.
“Good night children” he said
Standing up, we all turned to go home and replied at the same time “Good night Banana.” So said we all fled home but as we got closer to our houses we heard the banana I mean old Mr. cane ban say as if from the sky
“See you tomorrow and remember a smile each for everyone you meet.
These nights of wonderful tales and lessons to learn under the stars are the best night of my life. Knowing that I will hear a tale tomorrow but a spring to my legs as I ran home to my bed. So until next time be cool and calm for tales by moonlight is the best tale ever. Before going to bed after tales by moonlight night, as mom and dad tucked me in, I recount every thing that happened today at the campfire and my folks and I both agreed not to waste food again and give more to the poor. Still I do not know where banana came from, I sure am glad that he always come to the east Hampton beach to tell us wonderful tales by moonlight and I am so looking forward to tomorrow tales.
GOOD NIGHT
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Linda is from Nigeria West Africa. She is also a model,
singer (recently released her debut album), actress, and writer.
General
Information by Linda: My grandma used to say
that when the desirable is not available, the available becomes the
desirable. I follow this sayings to the letter. If I don't work as hard,
then I can't have my desirable available. I am very easy going and fun
to work with. With my determination and your skills we can pull a
project off.
For
more on Linda, please visit her website at www.bbrent.com/linda
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