Sjazo & the Three Scary Snakes

Fairytale Yase Kasi

Once upon a time there was a brave boy called Sjazo. He was on the way to see his older brother Rango, when he decided to take a shortcut through Emakhosi.

It wasn’t long before Sjazo got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favorite toy, Mgaga, but it was nowhere to be found! Sjazo began to panic. He made sure he had packed Mgaga. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, he saw a scary big snake, it had a white and blue t-shirt on it that looked a Dynamos FC jersey. It suddenly disappeared into the trees.

“How odd!” thought Sjazo.

For the love of anything better to do, he decided to follow this peculiarly dressed snake. Perhaps it could lead him out this bushy area.

Eventually, Sjazo reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by shacks made from different sorts of food. There was a shack made from sweet potatoes, a shack made from cream doughnuts, a shack made from boiled eggs and a shack made from fat cooks.

Sjazo began to feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the shacks did nothing to easy his hunger.

“Hello!” he called. “Is anybody there?”

Nobody replied.

Sjazo looked at the roof on the closest shack and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else’s chimney. Obviously it would be impolite to eat the whole shack, but perhaps it would be considered acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting, in a time of need.

Suddenly, a cackle broke through the air, giving Sjazo a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the shacks. A witch jumped into the space in front of the shacks. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Mgaga!

“Mgaga!” shouted Sjazo. He turned to the witch. “That’s my toy!”

The witch just shrugged.

“Give Mgaga back!” cried Sjazo.

“In your dreams!” said the witch.

“At least let Mgaga out of that cage!”

Before she could reply, three scary snakes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Sjazo recognized the one in white and blue t-shirt that he’d seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.

“Hello Big Snake,” said the witch.

“Good morning.” The snake noticed Mgaga. “Who is this?”

“That’s Mgaga,” explained the witch.

“Ooh! Mgaga would look great in my shack. Give it to me!” demanded the snake.

The witch shook her head. “Mgaga is staying with me.”

“Um… Excuse me…” Sjazo interrupted. “Mgaga lives with me! And not in cage!”

Big Snake ignored him. “Is there nothing you’ll trade?” he asked the witch.

The witch thought for a moment, then said, “I do like to be entertained. I’ll release him to anyone who can eat a whole front door.”

Big Snake looked at the shack made from fat cooks and said, “No problem, I could eat an entire shack made from fat cooks if I wanted to.”

“That’s nothing,” said the next snake. “I could eat two shacks.”

“There is no need to show off,” said the witch. “Just eat one front door and I’ll let you have Mgaga.”

Sjazo watched, feeling very worried. He didn’t want the witch to give Mgaga to Big Snake. He didn’t think Mgaga would like to live with a scary snake, away from his house and all his other toys.

The other two snakes watched while Big Snake put on his bib and withdrew a knife and a fork from his pocket.

“I’ll eat this whole shack,” said Big Snake. “Just you watch!”

Big Snake pulled off a corner of the front door of the shack made from cream doughnuts. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more…

  And more.

Eventually, Big Snake started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of cream doughnuts, he grew to the size of a large snowball - and he was every bit as round.

"Erm... I don't feel too good," said Big Snake.

Suddenly, he started to roll. He'd grown so round that he could no longer balance!

"Help!" he cried, as he rolled off down a slope into the bushes.

Big Snake never finished eating the front door made from cream doughnuts and Mgaga remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Snake stepped up, and approached the shack made from boiled eggs.

"I'll eat this whole shack," said Average Snake. "Just you watch!"

Average Snake pulled off a corner of the front door of the shack made from boiled eggs. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Snake started to look a little queasy. She grew greener...

   ...and greener.

A woodcutter from the Bulawayo City Council walked into the clearing. "What's this bush doing here?" he asked.

"I'm not a bush, I'm a snake!" said Average Snake.

"It talks!" exclaimed the woodcutter. "Those talking bushes are the worst kind. I'd better take it away before somebody gets hurt."

"No! Wait!" cried Average Snake, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the snake away under his arm.

Average Snake never finished eating the front door made from boiled eggs and Mgaga remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Snake stepped up, and approached the shack made from fat cooks.

"I'll eat this whole shack," said Little Snake. "Just you watch!

"Little Snake pulled off a corner of the front door of the shack made from fat cooks. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

After five or six platefuls, Little Snake started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.

He stopped eating fat cooks for a moment, then grabbed another forkful.

But before he could eat it, there came an almighty roar. A bottom burp louder than a rocket taking off, propelled Little Snake into the sky.

"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Snake. "I'm scared of heigh..."

Little Snake was never seen again.

Little Snake never finished eating the front door made from fat cooks and Mgaga remained trapped in the witch's cage.

"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Mgaga."

"Not so fast," said Sjazo. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the shack made from sweet potatoes. And I haven't had a turn yet.

"I don't have to give you a turn!" laughed the witch. "My game. My rules."

The woodcutter's voice carried through the forest. "I think you should give him a chance. It's only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the snakes. He won't last long."

"I'll be right back," said Sjazo.

"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Mgaga back."

Sjazo ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. He came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, he broke off a piece of the door of the shack made from sweet potatoes and toasted it over the fire. Once it had cooked and cooled just a little, he took a bite. He quickly devoured the whole piece.

Sjazo sat down on a nearby log.

"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."

"I haven't finished," explained Sjazo. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."

When Sjazo's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from sweet potatoes. Once more, he toasted his food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. He ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.

Eventually, after several sittings, Sjazo was down to the final piece of the door made from sweet potatoes. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Sjazo had eaten the entire front door of the shack made from sweet potatoes.

The witch stamped her foot angrily. "You must have tricked me!" she said. "I don't reward cheating!"

"I don't think so!" said a voice. It was the woodcutter. He walked back into the clearing, carrying his axe. "This little boy won fair and square. Now hand over Mgaga or I will chop your broomstick in half."

The witch looked horrified. She grabbed her broomstick and placed it behind her. Then, huffing, she opened the door of the cage.

Sjazo hurried over and grabbed Mgaga, checking that his favorite toy was all right. Fortunately, Mgaga was unharmed.

Sjazo thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Rango. It was starting to get dark.

When Sjazo got to Rango's house, his brother threw his arms around him.

"I was so worried!" cried Rango. "You are very late.

"As Sjazo described his day, he could tell that Rango didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Rango.

Sjazo unwrapped a doorknob made from cream doughnuts. "Pudding!" he said.

Rango almost fell off his chair.

The End