Sent this to a friend who didn't know the story:

The Tortoise and the Monkey were great friends in the animal Kingdom. The Tortoise, as was typical of him was a garrulous individual who could talk all day, on the contrary the Monkey was extremely reserved- a laconic individual who would say little or nothing.

For Tortoise, being a talkative was not sufficient, he felt that all his rants, gossips, interjections, allusions and unnecessary remarks should be honoured by anyone around, but the Monkey was not in for that. One day, while the duo were having a walk down their farm to check crops, the Tortoise did interject for no reason by saying this: Òrò tí a ò mo owó, tí a ò mo esè kò níí jé tiwa ò (a matter on which we are totally innocent shall not turn against us/put us in trouble). Since the prayer was of no relevance to a present circumstance, an event or an encounter, the Monkey ignored Tortoise's usual habit and made no comment on it. Tortoise was aggrieved!

Tortoise got home, he couldn't sleep. He lied on his frayed rattan bed counting the contours of his rusty roofing sheets. To him, ignoring his prayer or his supposed words of wisdom was an affront, and anyone guilty of such should be punished. He came up with an idea to make Monkey, his friend pay for that singular act of not saying 'Amen' to that unnecessary prayer.

So, in the morning, Tortoise set for the palace of Lion-the King who also doubled as the warlord with a bag of bean cakes rubbed with honey (akara to fi oyin si lara). He paid obeisance and told the King who was also the warlord that he has come to offer him the best meal the world in the world. Salivating, the Lion couldn't wait to have the said meal and Tortoise wasted no time in setting a table before the King and served him. Apparently, it was a meal like no other- delicious, irresistible and also demanded asking for more.

When the Lion was done with the balls, he asked to be taught how to make such. That was an avenue for Tortoise to reel out his very sinister agenda for his friend's 'wrong' of ignoring his comment/prayer. With an aura of confidence adorned with hidden agendum, the Tortoise replied: your majesty, I didn't make this, one of your subjects passed those balls out as faeces on a platter of gold. Amused, or perhaps, amazed, the Lion rose from his stool and sought to know whose faeces could be that sweet, edible and worth taking again. The Tortoise replied that the faeces were Monkey's. When asked how to get such, the Tortoise informed the King that his friend, Monkey should be invited to the palace and asked to produce same. If he can't, he should be hit on the stomach continuously till he is able to produce sweet faeces.

The King ordered that the Monkey appear before him, the Monkey obliged and the King demanded for his faeces. Dazed and confused, but had to give it to the King. The king tasted it and it was so inedible, sour and different from what he ate yesterday. He remembered Tortoise's word and pulled down his royal regalia, he asked that the Monkey be hung by his two arms on a pole and with all his might, he started hitting the Monkey with his clenched fist and clubs as the Lion chanted: ya igbe didun (excrete sweet faeces). Yes, the pain, trauma, agony and all made Monkey produced all form of faeces: solid, watery, hot, cold, dark, light etc, but none was like the honeyed bean cakes.

The Monkey was left alone when he went into coma. He woke 23 days later and the first person to call at his home was his 'friend', Tortoise. The Monkey was pale, weak, frail and dying- to say a word was as hard as expecting a totally deaf man to listen to a news item and give one the breakdown. Tortoise looked at him critically, and the only word Tortoise can say was his initial prayer: Òrò tí a ò mo owó, tí a ò mo esè kò níí jé tiwa ò (a matter on which we are totally innocent shall not turn against us/ put us in trouble). With the last of his strength and without letting a second pass by, the monkey replied: AMIN O!!!

Obviously, he paid for what he had no idea of and circumstance has been reputed to change people more than sermon has.

Moral of the story? Pay attention to LITTLE details.
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