THE GREEDY HUNTER

Once upon a Time lived a greedy Hunter named Effiong Atautop. He was very greedy that people of his village did so much to avoid him. They never went anywhere with him or did anything with him. No matter how much Effiong Atautop promised to changed, he would end up being greedy. There was an instance when Okon, his next house neighbour was going for a wedding in the neighbouring village which was where his mother is from. A niece of his was getting married. Effiong Atautop saw him dressed up and asked him where he was going to.

Okon decided to tell Effiong Atautop about it and Effiong Atautop pleaded to go with him.

“You know I like to move alone, Okon said, trying to Wade off Effiong Atautop.

“No I don’t know. Just let me go with you. I haven’t been to a marriage ceremony in ages, Effiong Atautop said.

Okon shook his head. “Effiong Atautop, please I can’t. You see, i am already late and need to run.”

“Don’t worry, I will run with you,” Effiong Atautop said. He really wanted to go for the ceremony. He knew that Okon , like all the people of the village, did not permit him to attend any ceremony with them. Okon must have expected that since Effiong Atautop knew of people’s stance in this regard, he would keep to himself. He did not expect that Effiong Atautop would mount pressure on him.

“You are not even ready yet. You have not had your bath,” Okon complained, obviously looking for an excuse to dismiss the greedy man.

“I won’t take a moment to get dressed,” Effiong Atautop said.

Okon thought he could deceive him by accepting so that as soon as he had gone to bathe, he would run away.

“Okay. Try and make it quick,” Okon said.

Happy, Effiong Atautop entered his house and almost immediately returned holding his clothes. Okon was shocked as he watched Effiong Atautop wear the clothes.

“Aren’t you taking a bath?” Okon asked.

“Bath? I just finished having my bath few moments before I saw you,” Effiong Atautop said, he quickly wore his clothes.

Okon was annoyed . However, he clearly told Effiong Atautop that he did not want him to go with him because he did not want to be embarrassed with his greed.

“Me? Ok , don’t don’t. I promise not to be greedy,” Effiong Atautop said fervently.

Reluctantly, Okon went with him. At the the marriage ceremony, there were lots of assorted foods and young maidens were moving about serving food to the guests.

Effiong Atautop and Okon sat at the back having come late. But when the food did not come early, Effiong Atautop told Okon that they needed to relocate to the front, Okon asked him why.

“Can’t you see that they are not bringing food to the back? Let’s go to the front so that they will not tell us story that the food is finished and did not get to us on time,” Effiong Atautop said, looking up to see where the maidens were serving. He was noisily swallowing his saliva.

Okon did not like that. He berated Effiong Atautop for exhibiting is greed but Effiong Atautop did not mind him. He went to the front. A lady was passing with a tray of food. He collected a plate from her and began eating while standing. The lady was annoyed at his behaviour. She hissed and walked away. Effiong Atautop did not mind her. He rushed on the food and returned to the back.

Okon was furious. “I thought you promised not to be greedy?”

Effiong Atautop only looked at him as he pulled strand of meat from his teeth. When the servers got to the back, Effiong Atautop took another plate and finished it.

Moments later, Effiong Atautop began to complain and shout. “What kind of marriage is this? I came here from another village as a mark of honour to the marrying couple yet I have not been served food,” he said.

Okon was furious and embarrassed. The lady from whom he had taken the first plate came to meet him and challenged him. She called him a thief and demanded who invited him to the marriage ceremony. Effiong Atautop was shameless, he quarreled with the lady. At the end, some boys had to throw him out. When Effiong Atautop had said he was a guest of Okon, Okon was left with no choice but denied knowing him.

Back home, people blamed Okon for permitting Effiong Atautop to go with him to the marriage ceremony.

Now Effiong Atautop was on his own as nobody wanted to be his friend. So he went to hunt alone, he even preferred it that way because it meant whatever he caught was his. But there seemed to be a problem in the forest. There were no animals in sight especially during day, what could be happening. All the hunters were always complaining.

One day, Effiong Atautop went to hunt. He wandered about in the forest without finding any animal. He was worried because he became very hungry and had made up his mind that even if he found cricket, he would hunt it. It was that bad.

After wandering about the forest and finding no animal, Effiong Atautop decided to have a rest. He sat beneath a tree an soon doze off. He was awoken by the strong wings of a Vulture. He rushed to pick his gun but the Vulture stopped him.

“Listen, I have come here to make a deal with you,” the Vulture said.

Effiong Atautop was shocked that Vulture actually spoke to him. He became afraid and thought it was a spirit of the forest in the guise of a Vulture.

“Don’t be afraid. I will not harm you and you must not attempt to harm me, ” the Vulture said. ” I know that you have wandered about the bush looking for animals to hunt for meat. My deal is I can show you where the animals are hiding and when you catch any animal, you will give me a share to eat and feed my young ones,” the Vulture said.

Effiong Atautop looked at the Vulture . “But you speak like humans”.

The Vulture nodded. “Certainly. Many animals can do same but that is not the issue now. I will take you to the animals, you hunt and give me my share and you must be fair”.

Effiong Atautop accepted. The Vulture told him to trail her as she flew. She led the Hunter deep into the forest until he came to a low grassland. There, he saw many Buffalo grazing. He was surprised. The Vulture flew away.

Effiong Atautop hid in the woods and took aim at the biggest Buffalo. He fired and got it. The others broke into a wild run in all directions. Effiong Atautop carried the Buffalo. He went away to his village without looking for the Vulture as agreed. The villagers were surprised at his catch and they asked him where he had hunted the animal.

“Don’t ask me silly questions. Just don’t bring your filthy legs near my house. You have seen me with a big catch and you are all talking to me like I am your friend . In fact, I am not a friend of anyone of you,” Effiong Atautop said.

The people knew him, it was typical of him. He fought others when he had something so that he would not share with anyone.

A week later, the hunter went to the forest to look for the Vulture. The Vulture came down from a tree looking angry. “Where have you been? I have been looking for you all week,” Effiong Atautop said.

“That is not true. You took the Buffalo home alone to eat alone,” the Vulture accused him.

“Not so,” Effiong Atautop denied. “I could not find you that was why. You disappeared once I caught the Buffalo,” Effiong Atautop said.

“So what do you want?” the Vulture asked.

“I want to correct the wrong impression you have of me. Lead me to the animals and I will share it with you,” Effiong Atautop said.

The Vulture thought for a moment. He accepted and led the hunter to where the hyenas were. Effiong Atautop loved hyenas because they were very sweet meat. He aimed and fired twice. Two hyenas went down and he took them. Again, the Vulture was gone. He smiled to himself as he began to hurry home.

“Effiong Atautop,” he heard the Vulture calling him as he was approaching his village. Effiong Atautop did not look back. The Vulture was afraid to go after him because of the village hunters who were desperately looking for meat.

Effiong Atautop took the hyenas home and the people marveled but Effiong Atautop was too irascible for anyone to come close by.

A week later, Effiong Atautop returned to the forest. He met the Vulture again. “My friend, how are you?”

The Vulture looked at him. “You don’t respect deals, do you?”

Effiong Atautop pretended confused. “How do you mean?”

” We had a deal and you cheated me once again, ” the Vulture said.

“No, I did not see you again and I was afraid of other hunters. I didn’t want them to meet me in the forest and kill me to take the hyenas from me,” Effiong Atautop said.

The dove sneered.” So what do you want from me today?”

“Okay, I don’t want you to think I am cheating you. Lead me to any animal, I will divide it into halves and give half to you here in the forest,” the hunter said.

“Okay, follow me,” the Vulture said and led Effiong Atautop deep into the forest. They arrived at a stream and they both crossed. Then, the Vulture stopped on a tree. He motioned to Effiong Atautop.

Effiong Atautop looked and saw some vicious hungry lions. He was surprised and frightened.

“Watch your back,” the Vulture said.

Effiong Atautop looked behind and saw some lionesses had taken position and had surrounded him. Fear seized him. He began to panic, urinating in his body.

“You have been greedy with me and have been cheating me. This deal I have with the lions, I believe they will not cheat me like you did,” the Vulture said.

Effiong Atautop was shocked. “You set me up?”

“Just like I set others up for you,” the Vulture said.

The End