In a quiet mountain village lived a girl named Lulu, whose patience and kindness in the face of cruelty led to an unforgettable twist. This African folktale teaches a powerful lesson on kindness, greed, and the true meaning of wealth. Read the story of a wicked stepmother who acts of wickedness made her regretted sending her stepdaughter to the forbidden viliage stream.
Chapter 1: A Life of Hardship
Once upon a time, in a small village surrounded by tall mountains, there lived a beautiful young girl named Lulu. She had a kind heart and a gentle spirit, but her life was full of hardship. Her mother had passed away from an illness, leaving her alone with her father, her stepmother, and her two stepsisters. Lulu’s stepmother was not a kind woman. She treated Lulu unfairly, giving her the hardest chores and blaming her for every mistake, even when she did nothing wrong. But despite all this, Lulu remained patient and hardworking.
Chapter 2: The Tragedy in the Forest
One day, tragedy struck again. Lulu went with her father to the forest to collect fresh morning palm wine. As her father climbed to the top of a tall palm tree, Lulu sat at the base, eating some wild berries she had gathered along the way. She enjoyed the sweet taste and watched her father work high above her. Suddenly, she heard a noise. She looked up just in time to see her father losing his grip and tumbling down. Lulu screamed and ran to him. She shook him, calling his name, but he did not wake up. Tears streamed down her face as she realized he was gone.
Chapter 3: A Cruel Life After Loss
After her father’s burial, Lulu’s life became even more difficult. Her stepmother, who never truly cared for her, began treating her worse than ever before. She forced Lulu to do backbreaking labor. Every morning, while her stepsisters woke up and got ready for school, Lulu had to follow her stepmother to the farm and the market, helping with the heaviest and most difficult tasks. When Lulu begged to continue going to school, her stepmother gave her a cold, harsh stare.
“I can’t afford to send you to school. You must work to earn your keep,” she shouted. From that day on, Lulu spent her days tending to the goats, cleaning the farm, carrying heavy loads, and selling produce at the market. By the time she finished her chores, she was completely exhausted. But if she didn’t do her work perfectly, her stepmother would give her less food to eat. Lulu grew thin and weak, but her stepmother only laughed at her.
“You are a poor farmer’s daughter,” she sneered. “You are lucky to even have food at all.”
Chapter 4: The Forbidden Task
One peaceful Sunday afternoon, something terrible happened. Lulu’s stepsister was fetching water when she accidentally dropped the water pot. It shattered into a thousand pieces on the ground. Fear filled her heart. She knew her mother would be very angry. So she came up with a wicked plan.
“It was Lulu,” she cried. “She was angry at me and threw the pot on the ground.”
Lulu’s stepmother believed her daughter’s lie.
“You broke the pot, so you will fetch more water,” she shouted at Lulu. “And there will be no dinner for you until you fill all the pots in this house with water from the stream.”
Lulu’s heart filled with fear. Her stepmother knew exactly what she was doing when she gave her this task. In their village, it was forbidden to draw water from the stream on a Sunday. The villagers believed that anyone who did so would be cursed by the water spirits. With trembling hands, Lulu picked up a water pot. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about the danger ahead. But she had no choice. She had to obey her stepmother or face an even worse punishment.
Chapter 5: The Kindness Rewarded
Slowly Lulu walked through the forest, her bare feet sank into the soft, muddy earth as she made her way toward the stream. Birds sang and the leaves rustled in the wind, but Lulu hardly noticed. All she could think about was the curse of the water spirits.
After collecting water from the stream, Lulu turned to leave when she heard a shaky voice calling out to her.
“Please, my daughter, can you spare me some water? I am very thirsty,” the voice said.
Lulu turned and saw an old woman sitting near a small hut. The woman looked tired and weak. Without hesitation, Lulu filled a small cup from her water pot and handed it to the old woman. Then she helped fill the old woman’s pots as well before heading home. The woman’s face lit up with gratitude.
“My dear child, thank you so much,” she said kindly. “As a token of my appreciation, go inside my hut. You will find two baskets. Pick one and take it home. But do not open it until you are safely inside your house.”
Lulu carefully stepped into the small dark hut. In the corner she saw two baskets, one large and one small. She picked up the smaller basket and quickly made her way home, her heart pounding with excitement. She wondered what might be inside.
Chapter 6: A Basket of Miracles
The moment Lulu entered her house, she placed the basket on the table and lifted the lid. A bright light burst out of the basket, filling the entire room with dazzling colors. Lulu gasped as gold coins poured forth like a shimmering waterfall. Gold jewelry, colorful beads, and other precious treasures appeared one after another. Lulu stood in shock and joy, unable to believe her eyes. Her stepmother and stepsisters watched in disbelief. Jealousy burned in their hearts.
Filled with envy and greed, her stepmother ordered her daughters to go find the old woman and bring back a basket of their own. “If you don’t find her, don’t bother coming back,” she warned. The two stepsisters grabbed their water pots and hurried to the stream, determined to find the old woman and return with treasures of their own.
Chapter 7: Greed and Its Consequences
As they reached the stream, they quickly filled their water pots and searched the area. Finally, they heard the same shaky voice Lulu had heard. “My daughters, please spare me some water. I am very thirsty,” the old woman said. The sisters rushed to her side, eager to give her water, but not out of kindness, only because they wanted a reward.
The old woman smiled and gestured toward her hut. “Inside you will find two baskets. Please do not open it until you are safely home.” The sisters entered the hut and saw the two baskets in the corner. They grabbed the larger one, thinking it would contain even more riches than Lulu’s.
As soon as they got home, they tore off the lid, expecting to see gold and jewels. But instead, a swarm of flying insects burst out of the basket. Angry bees, biting ants, and other stinging insects filled the room. The sisters screamed in terror as the insects attacked, biting their skin. They ran out of the house, crying, their bodies covered in painful red marks.
Chapter 8: A New Beginning for Lulu
Lulu’s life changed that day. With the riches from the magical basket, she became one of the wealthiest women in the village. She moved away from her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. But despite her wealth, she never forgot where she came from. She used her riches to help those in need, offering kindness to the poor and improving the lives of others.
As for her stepmother and stepsisters, they fell into disgrace. They realized too late that greed and envy had led to their misfortune. Their pride and selfishness had been their downfall, while Lulu’s kindness and generosity had brought her happiness and success.
And so, the village never forgot Lulu’s story, the tale of a kind girl who was rewarded for her good heart, while those filled with greed learned a painful lesson they would never forget.
Moral Lessons
- Kindness always brings reward, even in the darkest of times.
- Greed and envy only lead to pain and downfall.
- True wealth lies in the heart, not in material things.
- Those who help others without expecting anything in return are often the ones blessed the most.
- Cruelty and lies may win temporarily, but truth and goodness always triumph in the end.
