How the crab lost his head

A long time ago, Crab was a very handsome man. He was tall and had fine hair. He was also very kind. He had many friends. Crab’s friends knew that he was a kind man, so they often asked him to do many things for them.

One day, Scorpion said, “I want to take my house to a new place. Can you carry it for me?” Crab was able to carry the house for Scorpion.

On another day, Snail said, “I am going to my farm. The river is very full of water, and I cannot cross it. Can you drink up the water for me?” Crab was able to drink up all the water, and Snail crossed the river to his farm.

A few days later, Lobster came to Crab. He said, “My friend, I am going to marry. Please give me a kente cloth to wear.” This was the least difficult thing for Crab to do. He gave Lobster the kente cloth and also gave him a pair of sandals.

One day, Spider came and said, “Crab, I am in trouble. I must go to the Chief’s house now. I must think and speak well to the chief. Give me your head so that I can think and speak well.”

Crab replied, “My good friend, I’m sorry that you are in trouble. You can have my head so that you may think and speak well to the chief.” Crab gave his head to Spider. Spider put Crab’s head on his own head and went to the Chief’s house. The Chief was very angry to see him.

The Chief said, “Spider, you are a bad man. You stole my gold. Because of this, we are going to cut off your head! Now, soldiers, cut off his head!” The soldiers cut off Spider’s head at once, but it was really Crab’s head. Spider went away, and nobody saw him again.

Crab waited and waited, but Spider did not come back. Crab stayed inside his hole. He could not go out. He could not see because he had no head. He could not hear, and he could not eat.

At last, God felt sorry for Crab. He said to him, “I’ll help you to see, hear, and eat.” God gave Crab a tough shell to cover his body. He put two short sticks on the shell to be his eyes. He gave him a mouth and teeth. God also gave Crab legs, with two big ones that became his claws. He could use the claws to nip people who tried to disturb him. God told him to use the other legs as his hands and feet.

Crab’s friends began to fear him and no longer came to him. Since that time, Crab has lived quietly and alone in his hole.

Now we know why the Crab has no head and why it likes to nip people.

The moral of the story is that selflessness and kindness can lead to unintended consequences. While Crab's willingness to help his friends ultimately resulted in his own misfortune, it also teaches us about the importance of being cautious when trusting others. Additionally, it highlights how one's generosity can be taken for granted, leading to isolation and the need to change one's behavior for self-protection.