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Raziya the Rabbit came before Rudo the Displaced Mother and said, "Don't worry, Mother. We'll help you rediscover your motherhood."
The mother signed and asked, "How can you help me? How does one rediscover such an important aspect of their identity? I don't even know how I lost it."
Raziya looked back at her companions and began to formulate a plan that could benefit everyone. The white spot on her head seemed to brighten as the plan solidified in her clever mind.
Raziya comforted Rudo, placing her paw on the mother's wrinkled hand. She said, "I think I know how you can find that part of yourself again. I don't think it is lost completely; it is just hidden from view. These animals you see behind me were unable to help you because they did not believe they could. Why don't you help me show them that they can still help someone even if they doubt their ability? Some motherly advice and encouragement will do wonders, don't you think?"
Rudo's face lit up with renewed energy. "I think that will help all of us. What should we do? Should we go look for some people to help?"
Raziya shared a smile with Rudo as Elephant wrapped his trunk around her arm to help pull her up from the ground.
The group started walking from the clearing, and they quickly came across a baby monkey struggling to cling to the trunk of a tree, screaming for its mother.
Raziya gasped and looked to Elephant with his powerful legs and long trunk.
"Njagu the Elephant, can you reach that monkey with your trunk?"
Elephant replied by lifting himself on his hind legs and stretching his trunk out towards the child.
Njagu panted as he struggled to reach higher. "I can't reach the baby monkey. It's too high!"
Raziya comforted the giant and said, "Don't worry, Njagu. We'll find another way to reach the baby. You have great strength of mind and heart!"
Rudo tried to think of ways to reach the baby and could only come up with one solution.
"Njega the Leopard, you are the king of the forest both on the ground and in the trees. Can you climb the tree and bring the baby down? As a king, you can rule by fear or you can rule by kindness, instilling respect and loyalty in the hearts of your subjects."
Leopard let those words sink into his heart as he leapt onto the tree, using his powerful muscles to climb up the wide trunk.
Njega reached the baby monkey in record time and gently grasped its neck with his mouth. Then, he climbed down the tree, clinging to the bark with his claws and trying not to jostle the baby.
Leopard jumped down from the tree and placed the crying baby monkey on the ground.
At the same moment, a tribe of monkeys came howling towards them. The one leading the pack spotted the baby and headed for the ground ready for a fight.
Elephant spoke, "Monkey, is this your child? We found it crying at the top of the tree, struggling to hold on. Leopard was able to rescued it. What happened that made you leave the poor child behind?"
The mother Monkey ran to her child and replied, "Yes, this is my child. We were ambushed by a Python and then attacked from the other side by a swarm of Hornets. In the confusion, I lost sight of my baby. I thought I had lost her forever. Thank you for your kindness, my King. We will forever be indebted to you."
Nodding his fierce head in acknowledgement, Leopard smiled with happiness and pride because he felt like a King once again - one worthy of the title.
The group walked on, encountering creatures in need of help.
Rabbit, Rudo, and Leopard worked together to find a safe place for a group of Antelopes to cross the river without encountering Crocodiles, th dangerous hunters of the river.
Hippopotamus and Elephant used their combined strength to lift a tree that had fallen during the last storm from the vegetable garden of Raya, a cousin of Raziya. During this feat and at the encouragement of Rudo, they regained their confidence in themselves and their abilities.
After this final task was completed, the forest and the animals it contained started to transform: the trees that leaned together melded into one and took the shape of a home; Rabbit at Rudo's feet grew, shedding her fur to become a beautiful young woman; the pathways cutting through the trees widened to become dirt pathways or gravel roads; Elephant and Hippopotamus shrunk into two young men who looked oddly alike; a large boulder started to take the shape of an old truck; and Leopard yowled as his fur shed and his paws elongated to become the hands of an older gentleman.
After the transformation was complete, the ordered forest now looked like Rudo's hometown of Mwami, and the animals now looked like the people she knew growing up.
Rudo's companions turned to her and explained that the Animal Wizard had placed a curse on their town, turning them into the animals that some of us hunted on Muzimu's land.
Raziya said, "The only way to break the curse was to successfully help a human that entered our forest. We remembered our lives as humans but were cursed into silence and could not speak of them to anyone. The Animal Wizard granted us the ability to speak the tongue understood by both animals and humans, but he erased the memories of those who knew us and our town. Only those who understood the common tongue would remember because they were immune to this spell. You were not the only human to enter our forest, but you were the first to understand us. We knew you were our only hope to regain our humanity. This responsibility scared our community; no one wanted to be the one help in fear of failure. But, it seems we were able to help you rediscover your motherhood and in doing so saved the people of your hometown. You healed more than our community; for that, we thank you, Mother."
Rudo felt tears forming in her eyes as she welcomed the truth of Raziya's words into her heart and began to welcome her community back to their lives. She thanked her companions and returned to the sparkling pool, remembering her promise to herself. She took some of its clear water for her son and daughter-in-law as the shock of the transformation faded. Rudo was ready to return to her family as a mother, restored by her adventures with Hippopotamus, Elephant, Leopard, and Rabbit.
Author's Note: The majority of this story is not based on a folk tale. The ending reflects a similar ending in The Unnatural Mother. When the mother is able to collect the water from the spring, she breaks the curse over the animals of that forest. In the original, the forest turns into a town bustling with people that lived as animals. I liked this ending and only added a reason for their curse. I also wanted Rudo's help in breaking the spell to be more involved than collecting and carrying water. I decided that Rudo and the animals would help each other. Rudo would help them find something they had lost - whether that was a confidence, strength, or a kingship. This help would inadvertently aid Rudo in rediscovering her motherhood. I also wanted to better capture the transition from forest to town and animal to human through description. Hopefully, readers will be able to imagine it. I really enjoyed writing these intertwined stories, and I hope you liked them too.
Bibliography: The Unnatural Mother story from Fairy Tales from South Africa by Bourhill, Drake and Holloway.
Image information: Elephants Near Water; Leopard climbing down tree; Knysna Forest
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