Tales By Moonlight

The Pretty Girl And Her Jealous Friends

There was once a very beautiful girl
called Akim. She was a native of
Ibibio, and the name was given to
her on account of her good looks, as
she was born in the spring-time. She
was an only daughter, and her
parents were extremely fond of her.

The people of the town, and more particularly the young girls, were so jealous of Akim’s good looks and beautiful form—for she was perfectly made, very strong, and her carriage, bearing, and manners were most
graceful—that her parents would not allow her to join the young girls’ society in the town, as is customary for all young people to do, both boys and girls belonging to a company according to their age; a company
consisting, as a rule, of all the boys or girls born in the same year.

Akim’s parents were rather poor, but she was a good daughter, and gave them no trouble, so they had a happy home. One day as Akim was on her way to draw water from the spring she met the company of seven girls, to which in an ordinary way she would have belonged, if her parents had not forbidden her. These girls told her that they were going to hold a play in the town in three days’ time, and asked her to join them.

She said she was very sorry, but that
her parents were poor, and only had herself to work for them, she therefore had no time to spare for dancing and plays. She then left them and went home.

In the evening the seven girls met together, and as they were very envious of Akim, they discussed how they should be revenged upon her for refusing to join their company, and
they talked for a long time as to how they could get Akim into danger or punish her in some way.

At last one of the girls suggested that they should all go to Akim’s house every day and help her with her work, so that when they had made friends with her they would be
able to entice her away and take their
revenge upon her for being more beautiful than themselves.

Although they went every day and helped Akim and her parents with
their work, the parents knew that they were jealous of their daughter, and repeatedly warned her not on any account to go with them, as they were not to be trusted.

At the end of the year there was going to be a big play, called the new yam play, to which Akim’s parents had been invited. The play was going to be held at a town about.two hours’ march from where they lived.
Akim was very anxious to go and take part.in the dance, but her parents gave her plenty of work to do before they started, thinking that this would surely prevent her going, as she was a very obedient daughter,
and always did her work properly.

On the morning of the play the jealous seven came to Akim and asked her to go with them, but she pointed to all the water-pots she had to fill, and showed them where
her parents had told her to polish the walls with a stone and make the floor good; and after that was finished she had to pull up all the weeds round the house and clean up all round.

She therefore said it was
impossible for her to leave the house until all the work was finished. When the girls heard this they took up the water-pots, went to the spring, and quickly returned with them full; they placed them in a row, and then they got stones, and very soon
had the walls polished and the floor made good; after that they did the weeding outside and the cleaning up, and when everything was completed they said to Akim,

“Now then, come along; you have no excuse to remain behind, as all the work is done.” Akim really wanted to go to the play; so as all the work was done which her parents had
told her to do, she finally consented to go. About half-way to the town, where the new yam play was being held, there was a small river, about five feet deep, which had to be
crossed by wading, as there was no bridge.

In this river there was a powerful Ju Ju, whose law was that whenever any one crossed the river and returned the same way on the return journey, whoever it was, had to give
some food to the Ju Ju. If they did not
make the proper sacrifice the Ju Ju
dragged them down and took them to his home, and kept them there to work for him.