Storytelling for Week 6: The Letter

Anansi had been trying to kill Nothing for months. It was a weird kind of situation, you see, because these two used to be very good friends. But along the way Anansi had become very greedy and wanted not just some of Nothing's wealth and fortune, but all of it.

There was one particular incident that lead to Anansi's thirst for his friends blood. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. That is besides the point. On a day that the two were walking through the town market together, Anansi had seen many beautiful women and asked that they switch clothes so that he can gain the affection of them. Nothing agreed, for it would only be for a short time. Anansi succeeded in his mission and had four beautiful women follow him home, two on each arm. Nothing, in all his rags, did not expect to find someone, but there he found his wife who loved him for him and not what he had. Nothing had never found someone so special.

However, upon finding that Anansi was poor, the women left him. He had found out that Nothing still got what he wanted even pretending to be poor, so he became envious. And not a simple kind of envious, but an envious that takes over your whole being and clouds your mind. This is what became of Anansi. All he wanted was revenge.

So, every few days, Anansi would subtly try to kill Nothing. Whether it be a slip of poison, a sly trap, or random arrows shot from a far distance. It is said Anansi became the most clever in these days, because he spent all his time thinking of creative ways to execute his mission. To his dismay, though, each of his plans was thwarted either by Nothing's wife, or the extra protection from guards she sought for them to have. Anansi grew to hate her too, for she stood in his way.

Every time Nothing had caught a glimpse of his friend turned enemy, he saw the distraught, the anger, the weeping in his eyes. He knew Anansi was lost and any slimmer of hope of him returning was lost too. But somewhere, deep down, Nothing knew Anansi had hated who had become. He could see his old self screaming for help. But, there was nothing anyone could do for he had chosen this path himself. Nothing felt sorry for him. He was angry at Anansi for a long while but that anger was eventually replaced by pity.

Not long after, Nothing had gotten news that Anansi had been killed. It was believed that he died from working on his dangerous new plan and a large amount of grief and sorrow. And after that, he had become just a small memory in many people's minds.

Except mine.

I guess this is less of a story than it is a goodbye letter. My dear Anansi, I forgive you my old friend. Sleep well.

Sincerely,

Nothing.

"A Yellow Rose"
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note: This week I retold the story of "Anansi and Nothing."  In the original story, Anansi convinced Nothing to switch him clothes so that he could pick up many wives. Nothing also picked up one wife. However when Anansi reached his home his wives found he was poor and eventually left him to stay at Nothing's palace. So, Anansi tried to kill Nothing and in time he succeeded by placing a trap (a hole filled with knives) outside of his house and luring him into it. In my retelling, I switched it around. Anansi is actually the one who gets killed and it was a result of his jealousy and envy. I also tried a new style of writing where it's third person but then in the very end it turn to first person revealing the identity of the speaker who turns out to be Nothing. I also added a yellow rose for my image because it's said that the yellow rose can represent friendship, which is what Anansi and Nothing used to be.

Bibliography: "Anansi and Nothing" by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair, from West African Folktales (1917).
Web Source: MythFolklore UnTextbook