Buster Books - The Bedtime Story Book: Classic Tales From Childhood

A very long time ago, there were no stories on Earth, no one had any tales to tell. There were no beginnings and no endings. All the stories were kept in a great, carved wooden box under the throne of Nyame, the Sky God, who lived high above the clouds.
The spider, Anansi, who made his home in Africa and spun his silvery webs between the tall trees, wanted the stories for himself. One day, he made a ladder from silken thread, and climbed into the heavens to see the Sky God and ask for the stories he kept locked away. When Nyame heard the spiders request, he smiled.
Anansi, he said, in his deep, rumbling voice, you are not the first to come here and ask me for my stories. I will not just give them away, and the price I ask for them is high.
I will do whatever you ask, said the spider.
My price is this: you must bring me Mmboro, the tribe of hornets; Onini, the terrible python who swallows men whole; Osebo, the leopard with his sharp, sharp teeth; and Mmoatia, the fairy, who is almost never seen. Many have tried to do this, Anansi, but no one has succeeded.
The spider turned and left the palace of the Sky God. He promised to bring Nyame everything that he had asked for.
First, he thought, I must capture Mmboro, the hornets with the fearsome stings. He fetched a gourd and made a small hole in it, then he dipped a bowl into a nearby stream and took both of these things to the great, old tree where the hornets lived. Anansi poured some of the water from the bowl over himself, and threw the rest of it onto the hornets hive.
Quick! he called out. Mmboro, the rain is falling. Fly into this dry gourd so that the water doesnt damage your wings.
A stream of hornets flew into the gourd that Anansi held out to them and buzzed their thanks to the spider. Quick as a flash, Anansi plugged the hole in the gourd with some banana leaves, leaving the angry hornets trapped inside. Fools, said the spider. I am taking you to Nyame, the Sky God.

When Nyame saw that the hornets had been successfully captured, he nodded and said, Good, Anansi, but three tasks remain.
Anansi set about his next task trapping Onini, the enormous python. Onini was a clever beast, and Anansi knew that he would need some help coming up with a plan. So, he went to his wife, Aso, and asked for her advice.
Onini is clever, it is true, but he is also vain, she said, and she whispered her plan into Anansis ear. Straight away, the spider cut a long branch from a nearby palm tree, and some long, thick vines. He took these to the riverbank where Onini lived. As he approached the rushing river, he began talking loudly to himself. I am right, I know it. I say he is long and strong. How can my wife think as she does? I do not understand her she is wrong, she is definitely wrong.
Onini, who had been dozing after a huge lunch, was awoken by the noise Anansi was making.
He lifted his head sleepily. Ananssssi, he hissed, what on earth are you shouting about?
My wife and I have just had an argument about you, Onini, said the spider to the enormous snake. I say you are longer than this palm branch I have here, but she says that you are not, and I am sad that we will never know the truth.
You are sssso ssssilly. I am here now, why dont we measure me against your palm branch. But surely your wife is wrong, I am the longest and sssstrongest ssssnake in the whole of Africa.
I think so, too, said the crafty spider, laying the palm branch on the ground, and keeping the strong vines hidden behind his back. The python strained and stretched as much as he could, trying to make his body longer than the palm branch. He tried and tried, but as much as he stretched, the palm branch was still longer than him. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the snake tried one last time, and it was then that Anansi made his move.
He quickly tied the snakes head to one end of the branch with a vine, and his tail to the other so that he could not escape. Then, using the rest of the vines, Anansi bound the snake tightly to the branch and carried him up to the clouds to present him to the Sky God. Next on the spiders list was Osebo, the leopard, whose growling voice could often be heard echoing through the jungle. Late at night, Anansi dug a deep hole in the ground, where he knew Osebo often went walking. He covered it with sticks and leaves until it was completely hidden. Then he crept into the bushes, and waited for the leopard to arrive. Early in the morning, he heard Osebos padding footsteps approaching, and, sure enough, he fell straight into Anansis trap with a yelp.
The spider scuttled over to the edge of the pit and looked in at the leopard lying on the floor. Why, Osebo, he said, how on Earth did this happen to you?
Osebos green eyes flashed with anger. I have fallen into a trap. You must help me out, Spider, he said, rudely. Anansi bent a young, green tree over towards the ground and tied it so that the top branches were hovering over the pit. Then, he tied another rope to the top of the tree and let it dangle down into the hole below.
Here you are, Osebo. Tie the end of this rope to your tail, and I will pull you out.
The leopard did as he was told. Anansi burst out laughing, and cut the rope that was holding the tree to the ground. It sprang back into shape, hauling the snarling leopard out of the hole and leaving him hanging by his tail, helpless above the ground. The clever spider climbed up the trunk and span a huge web around his prey. Come with me, Osebo, he said with a smile on his face. We are going to meet the Sky God.
Nyame nodded once again when he saw the leopard struggling in Anansis web. Good, Anansi, he said. Now, bring me Mmoatia and your task will be complete.
Anansi knew that to see the tiny fairy Mmoatia was very rare, and that to catch her was almost impossible. He had heard many stories of how much she loved to play, and so the sneaky spider came up with a plan. He carved a small doll out of wood, and placed it near a pool, where the fairy liked to come and play in the cool water. He smeared the doll with the sticky sap from a nearby tree, and, at its feet, he put a bowl of tasty yams. Soon, the beautiful fairy came fluttering to the pool, and she spied the bowl of yams straight away.
Please may I share your yams? she asked the doll, in a voice that sounded like little bells ringing. Of course, the wooden doll did not say anything in reply.
The fairy tried again. I would like to eat some yams. May I? Still there was no answer. After a while, Mmoatia grew angry. She flew at the doll in a rage, hitting and kicking it. But, as soon as her hands and feet touched the wood of the doll, she stuck to the sap that was covering it, and could not get free.
Anansi scuttled out from his hiding place, and picked up the doll and the furious fairy. Laughing softly to himself, he took her to the Sky God as his prisoner. Nyame was shocked that the spider had done everything that he asked, but he was a man of his word. He held out the wooden box of stories to Anansi.
Congratulations, my friend. These stories belong to you. From now on, we will call them Spider Stories so that the world knows of your success.

There was once a donkey who had worked for a miller for many years, carrying sacks of corn and grain to the mill. But he was getting old, and was no longer as strong as he used to be. The donkey could tell that his master was becoming displeased with him, and feared what would happen to him when he could no longer work. So, the donkey ran away and headed for the town of Bremen, where he thought he would try to join the town musicians. Along the road, he came across a dog lying on the dusty path, panting. My good fellow, said the donkey, what on Earth are you doing out here, so far from home?