Anta and Mamadou

UA young man named Mamadou, who wanted to learn to read and write, went one day in search of a school. He left his province to go to the Kayor region, in Senegal.

There lived a scholar who taught children. Mamadou stayed with his master as long as necessary. When he could read and write perfectly, he decided to return home.

LTTheay he left, a classmate, who belonged to the genius species, said to him: “We are friends. Since you are returning home, I will charge you with a message for my parents and I will transport you to your village at lightning speed. You don't know who I am, but I know you well because we were born in the same place. We geniuses recognize you very well, but you humans cannot see us. When you are at home, put this silver ring on your finger, and you will be able to see the genies and their villages. If you take it off or lose it, everything will disappear again. »
The genie then asked Mamadou to sit on his mat and close his eyes. Mamadou had barely obeyed when he found himself, as if by magic, in his village.

The next morning, Mamadou put the ring on her finger. He then saw all the genies and their villages. He went to visit his comrade's family.

“The genie, your relative, sends you hello,” he said to them.
—And where is our dear child? they asked him.
— I left him in a village in Kayor. He continues to attend school.
—Ah, cried the parents, our brave little one is behaving well! And you, Mamadou, you have to go home, but whenever you have free time, don't fail to come and see us. »

MAMamadouet turned to his parents, but whenever he had the opportunity, he paid long visits to the genies. It was because he had seen his comrade's sister, Anta, a pretty young lady, and he wanted to marry her.

When he made his statement, Anta replied: “I couldn’t ask for anything better!” However, I hesitate to marry a human being... You are so angry! And so talkative! And you lie so easily! With us, it is not the same: a genius never loses his temper, he never betrays a secret; he only speaks to tell the truth. »

Mamadou protested:
“When we are married, you will see that I don’t lose my temper either and that I never lie!
— If this is so, the marriage is concluded! I accept you as my husband. But I forbid you from revealing to anyone that you married a woman of the genius species!
- It's heard! Mamadou promised.
— Well, said Anta, we can celebrate our wedding. »

Since then, Anta and Mamadou lived happily.

But one day when Anta had left the village at dawn to go to his family, Mamadou woke up to find that, during the night, his millet granary had caught fire, his thoroughbred had died, and his powerful bull had fallen to the bottom of the well. Mamadou, and his whole family, were desperate.

HASNT returned at the end of the day. As she approached her husband's hut, she heard his mother lament: “In just one day, your millet granary has been devoured by flames! Your purebred horse dies! Then there’s your big bull – a five-year-old bull! – who also perishes! This house will be ruined in no time! It had to happen! This is the consequence of your marriage to a woman of the genius species! » With these words, Anta decided to return to her family. But before disappearing, she followed Mamadou to the fields and, when he fell asleep for a nap, she took off his silver ring.

When he woke up, Mamadou could no longer see the genies or their villages. He tried to follow the path that led to Anta's house, in vain. The village had disappeared.

Une a fine day, Anta returned to the village of Mamadou. She found him sleeping and woke him up. He shouted:
“Anta?! Where do you come from?
— I come from my village.
— That's not true! You all left him!
- No. We still live there.
— So why don't we live like we used to?
— It's because now our marriage is broken by my will!
—Why did you break it up?
— Because you didn't keep your promise! When you asked me to become your wife, didn't I tell you that it would be difficult for me to remain so because you humans lose your temper, lie, and gossip?
—And when did I lose my temper? How did I lie? Why do you say I was talkative?
— You were too tongue-tied.
— But for what purpose? Tell me finally!
— Remember the day when your granary of millet was consumed when your horse died and your great bull fell into the well. I was not unaware of all this! But I left and never came back, because I heard your mother complaining about me, which is proof that you revealed our secret to her and that you betrayed your promise. I'll tell you what happened: I stayed next to you until dawn. Azrael, the angel of death with eyes on his arms and a tree on his head, has come. He wanted to take hold of you. I pushed it back and threw it back on your granary of millet, which burned. He then tried to take your mother away. I threw him at the horse, which collapsed under his weight. He nevertheless persisted in staying, ready to take revenge on your sister. And I, a third time, fought him and pushed him back. He fell on the bull, which died when it fell into the well. If I had let you, your mother, and your sister die, what would have become of your house? She would have been lost! And if you are all still alive, it was thanks to the fire in the millet granary, to the death of the horse and that of the bull! Isn't it better that things happened this way? You betrayed me, but before leaving you forever, I had to tell you the truth. »
And Anta left.

JMamadou never saw her again.