"Have you eaten your fill, girl?" The jinni mother inquired.
"I am not yet full," Coumba replied. And she wasn't. But Coumba was glad that she had not eaten with the jinni because the children were so repulsive. "And I do not want to sit with your ugly children."
Coumba left and continued down the road. When she got to the ocean, she was very frightened. The waves were huge and there were fierce looking animals all around.
Out of nowhere, the jinni king appeared.
"Do not be afraid, girl," he said. "When you get to know the ocean and the animals you will no longer fear them. Stay here for the night until the predawn prayer."
"Who are you to give me advice?" Coumba scoffed. "I do not need it." Suddenly a shiny object near the ocean's shoreline caught Coumba's eye.
"That must be the gold," Coumba thought to herself. "I will stay for the night," Coumba said aloud to the jinni king.
YOU ARE READING
Nyari Coumba: The Tale of Two Daughters
FantasyWhen one daughter returns with treasures beyond belief, can the other earn an honored place amongst the jinn as well? A traditional Senegalese fable translated and embellished by Sakeena Abdul-Hakeem. First published on sakeenainsenegal.wordpress.co...
