Long ago, there was a Zulu girl whose mother had died. Her stepmother was very cruel to her. One day, she was crying at her mother’s grave. Suddenly, the earth of the grave parted and a stalk started growing out of it. Soon, it grew into a tree. The wind rustled its leaves and the tree whispered something to the girl. It told her that her mother was near and that she should eat the fruits of the tree. The girl ate the fruits which were very tasty. This happened every day. But as soon as the cruel step-mother got to know what was happening, she went to the girl’s father, and insisted to cut down the tree. The tree lay withering and the girl started weeping. Suddenly, she saw a huge lump growing from the trunk. It was a pumpkin. The juice leaked from the pumpkin. The girl licked up a few drops and found them very nourishing. But again, her stepmother cut the pumpkin off and threw it on the dung-heap.
The Hunter
The next day, the girl kept crying until she heard a dripping sound and saw a little stream, which whispered, ‘Drink me!’ She drank and felt much refreshed. But now, the step-mother made the girl’s father throw sand in the stream and bury it. The girl went back to the grave and wept. After a while, a hunter appeared from the bush. He saw a dead tree and made a bow and arrows from it. The girl told her that the tree had once grown on her mother’s grave. He liked the girl and wanted to marry her. So, he decided to go and meet her father. The father consented but he kept a condition that the hunter would kill a dozen buffaloes for the wedding feast. He took his new bow and arrows and killed the buffaloes. After an hour, the hunter came back to tell the father to send men to bring the meat to the village. The hunter married the poor girl. No matter how hard the day, it will pass if you believe in yourself.
