One day, a young son proudly challenged his father, saying, “I will hide, and you will never be able to find me.” The father, amused by the boast, leaned back and replied with calm confidence, “Hide wherever you like.” With that, he went into his house to rest, knowing well that wisdom, born of age and experience, is not easily defeated by youthful tricks.
The boy, eager to prove his cleverness, set out to perform a feat so extraordinary that even his father’s sharp eyes could not uncover him. As he wandered, his eyes fell upon a simple peanut with three kernels inside its shell. At once, an idea came to him. Summoning his powers, the son transformed himself into one of the kernels, hiding snugly inside the peanut. He believed this disguise would fool even the wisest father.
The Journey of the Hidden Son
Not long after, a fowl came pecking along the ground in search of food. Its sharp eyes spotted the peanut, and without hesitation, it swallowed the shell whole, the boy trapped inside. The fowl strutted away, satisfied with its meal, never realizing the secret it carried within.
But the boy’s journey had only begun. In the dense thickets nearby, a wild bush-cat lay in wait. Quick as lightning, the cat pounced and caught the unsuspecting fowl. With sharp teeth, it devoured the bird, kernel and all, swallowing the son in yet another layer of concealment.
Moments later, a dog prowling the bush caught the scent of the cat. Barking fiercely, it gave chase, lunged forward, and seized the cat in its jaws. The struggle ended swiftly, and the dog feasted on its catch, unwittingly carrying the boy even deeper into his disguise.
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Yet the cycle of hunters and hunted did not end there. The dog, full from its meal, wandered near the edge of the forest, where a massive python lurked by the riverbank. With terrifying speed, the snake struck, coiling its powerful body around the dog. In one gulp, it swallowed the creature whole. Now the son, hidden kernel within bird, within cat, within dog, lay inside the belly of the great serpent.
Satisfied and sluggish from its feast, the python slithered into the river. Seeking rest, it entered a fish-trap set carefully by human hands.
The Father’s Search
Meanwhile, the father rose from his rest and began to search for his son. He looked around the homestead, calling his name, but there was no reply. He searched the forest paths and the clearings, but there was no sign of the boy. Calmly and steadily, he followed his instincts, certain that wisdom would guide him to the truth.
At last, he came to the river where his fish-trap was set. Pulling it up, he discovered the enormous python thrashing within. With deliberate effort, he killed the serpent and split it open. To his eyes appeared the dog, whole inside.
The father cut open the dog and found the bush-cat. With steady hands, he opened the cat’s belly and revealed the fowl. Splitting open the fowl, he discovered the peanut, still intact. He cracked the shell, and inside, to his quiet satisfaction, lay his son, exhausted, bewildered, and utterly defeated.
The Lesson of Humility
The boy, freed from his self-made prison, stood in stunned silence before his father. His clever plan, layered and complex, had seemed invincible. Yet in the end, it had been no match for his father’s steady wisdom and patient search. From that day forward, he never again attempted to outwit his father.
Moral Lesson
This folktale reminds us that wisdom gained through experience surpasses youthful cleverness. The son’s attempts to hide showed great imagination, but he underestimated the depth of his father’s knowledge and patience. True wisdom is not about tricks or boasting, but about understanding, persistence, and insight.
The story also teaches humility: no matter how clever we think we are, there is always someone wiser, and respecting that wisdom brings growth rather than shame.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What challenge did the son give his father?
He challenged his father to try and find him after he hid.
Q2: Into what object did the son first transform himself?
He turned into one of the kernels of a three-kernel peanut.
Q3: Which animals successively swallowed the son during his hiding attempt?
A fowl, a bush-cat, a dog, and finally a python.
Q4: How did the python end up being caught?
It entered a fish-trap set by the father.
Q5: How did the father eventually find and reveal his son?
He cut open the python, then the dog, then the cat, then the fowl, until he reached the peanut and cracked it open.
Q6: What is the main lesson of this Congo folktale?
Wisdom and experience outmatch youthful tricks and arrogance.
Folktale Origin
Source: Congo folktale, Central Africa.
