The Crow and the Crooked Banana Plant

A fable about how people came to have hair.

           Long ago, humans had no hair on their shiny, round heads. All the furry animals would shake their furry heads in pity, and all the leafy plants would wave their leafy tops in sympathy. They all felt sorry for the baldy, boldy humans, who had nothing to cover their crowns.

All except one. The blue-black crow loved to fly over the unprotected pink noggins and drop twigs and pebbles or leaves and old feathers on unsuspecting victims. All the furry animals and all the leafy plants felt even sorrier for the baldy, boldy humans, but none tried to help.

Except for the crooked banana plant. It was grateful. Men took care of the banana plant, and protected it from disease, waiting for the time to harvest the fruit. So there was nothing the banana plant wanted more than to catch that cackling crow and pluck out all of its blue-black feathers. But of course, a crooked banana plant can’t catch anything, not having any hands. Even so, it didn’t give up.

                The banana plant decided one day to try the crow’s own trick, dropping a green banana as the crow shaded below. Alas, the swift-winged blue-black crow was away almost before the fruit came loose.

                The next day, the crooked banana plant came up with a second plan. The boisterous little crow often came to peck at the fruit of the banana plants. If only it’s blue-black wings were to get tangled pitifully in some of the broad leaves. Then the humans would suffer no more!

                But again the crow managed to escape, dodging as the plant swayed its massive rustling leaves in the bird’s direction. As I’ve said, a crooked banana plant can’t catch anything.

                So the poor banana plant gave up at last, and the poorer humans continued to be annoyed and tormented by the crow’s painful pranks. Harvest day came, but none of the humans felt like harvesting bananas, their heads ached and tickled so. The crooked banana plant just wished it could cry for them.

                Suddenly, it got yet another idea in its leafy head. It gently let out the fruit from their skins and let them fall, already ripe enough to “splat!” on the ground. All the humans gathered around to see what was happening to their beloved banana plant. Then the empty skins came loose, “plop, plop,” and each landed on the head of a baldy, boldy man or a baldy, boldy woman or a baldy, boldy child.

                Why, it felt so lovely and cool after all those sticks and rocks! The people smiled and walked about, not nearly as afraid of being hit on the head by a little pebble or twig, or a tickly leaf or feather. The banana skins did get shredded and beaten down to fibers after a while, and after even longer, the silky stuff grew into hair, which is much like animal’s fur, but not quite the same.

                That old crow was finally beaten. He was afraid to drop anything larger than a twig or pebble. Who knows what an innocent looking crooked banana plant might think up next?

 

Author's Note

I wrote this when I was 14, for my little brothers, on a long trip.

Reviews

[matpat]

I liked your fable and thought it was very creative!

[J.E. Stroud]

Haha, I think it's very cute!