How the animals got their skeletons

How the animals got their skeletons

At the very beginning of the world, Mawu created all the animals without skeletons. Because they had no bones all the animals moved and looked like colorful blobs, crawling as best they could on the land. Seeing that animals needed bones, Mawu sent down a blacksmith to forge skeletons for all the animals. The name of the blacksmith was Atofe. Atofe looked carefully at each animal and built them skeletons of all shapes and sizes and uses so that each animal would be different and special. From the rising of the sun to the rising of the moon, the animals crowded on the path to the blacksmith's shop. Some even spent the night outside his house hoping to be the first to receive a skeleton the next morning.
Snake was one of the first to get a skeleton. As he slithered away, he met his friend on the path and asked him "Why aren't you in the line to get a skeleton at the blacksmith's shop. He won't be here forever you know!"
The friend replied "Don't worry about me. I will have my skeleton when the time is right. Maybe tomorrow. The blacksmith is my uncle, he will not forget me."
Several weeks passed and Lion, Giraffe, Elephant and Lizard walked away proud and strong with their new skeletons. Only a few animals were still waiting in front of the blacksmith shop.
But when Snake met his friend again, he saw that he still didn't have his skeleton. "My friend! Why don't you have your skeleton yet?" he asked.
"My friend, don't worry about me. I will have my skeleton when the time is right. Maybe tomorrow. The blacksmith is my uncle, he will not forget me."
A few weeks later, the blacksmith fell sick. His nephew, the Snake's friend, came to visit him but the blacksmith was too weak to lift his hammer and forge a skeleton. Soon after, the blacksmith died.
The Snake met his friend on the path again. "My friend, you don't have a skeleton!" he cried, surprised.
The friend was so ashamed his whole body turned pink and he fled to hide in the ground. It is from this day that the Snake's friend was called the Earthworm because he has no skeleton and lives hidden in the earth.
From this story, we learn that if you put it off until tomorrow, you may lose your chance.
Celui qui attend pour demain
Va le perdre en chemin