Lisa The Parrot

"You need to calm down." Said Tom Goat; Lisa's husband, when Lisa the Parrot got the news that her only daughter who lives in the next city was very sick and had a short time to live because the disease was incurable. No one knew what this disease was all about. Poor Lisa wept and prayed then decided to visit her daughter. She was a very poor middle-aged woman and had nothing to carry to her dying daughter but an egg. She said to her husband Tom, "At least let me take this egg to her, let her eat before she has her final rest." She decided to take the route through the farms to reach early.

At a river, she met a fisherman who would carry her across but unfortunately and mistakenly the fisherman broke her egg. Lisa was so sad and cried, then pleaded with the fisherman to pay back her egg for it was the only thing she had to take to her sick daughter to eat before dying. She said,

"Please, pay back my egg,

the only egg my daughter will eat and die."

The fisherman sympathizes with her and explains that there are no eggs in the river. He pleaded with her to take a large fish to her daughter. Lisa the Parrot accepted it happily and wholeheartedly, that anyhow she has got something her daughter will eat before dying.

As she trekked on she met a hungry hunter who seized her fish and ate due to the severe hunger he had been through for days in the forest. She was so disappointed and cried, "Oh you Hunter!" I'm going to my dying daughter and have only that fish to give her to eat before dying,

" Please, Pay back my fish

the fish the fisherman gave me,

the fisherman who broke my egg,

the only egg my daughter will eat and die."

The hunter, hearing her story. Sympathized with her and begs for forgiveness and then told her, he has only sticks that he uses to hunt and that he will give her a strong one to use as a walking stick to get to her daughter earlier before she dies. Of course, Lisa had no choice; she had to go fast to meet her daughter before she gave up the ghost. Thus, she accepted the walking stick that helped her to move on faster.

Another misfortune came her way when Lisa met a yam digger. The yam digger pleaded that Lisa should help him with her walking stick so she could finish digging his yam because his knife has just got broken. Lisa, a good-hearted parrot said, "Oh God, another temptation, how can I refuse to help?" Reluctantly she gave her walking stick to the yam digger. The yam digger, using the walking stick, mistakenly broke it. Lisa was so terrible, she felt very, very sad and cried singing and telling the yam digger,

"Please, pay back my walking stick,

the walking stick that was given to me by the Hunter,

The Hunter who ate my fish,

the fish that was given to me by the fisherman

The fisherman who broke my egg,

the only egg my daughter will eat and die.

The yam digger in great sympathy pleaded with her, he will give her a large yam to take to her daughter to eat before dying. Lisa the Parrot was pleased that at least, she still had something to carry with her to give her daughter. She collected the yam and continued.

Again on her way, she caught up with a herbalist. The herbalist was in the forest looking for herbs. He heals people especially those with dangerous diseases and also unknown diseases. The herbalist had been in the forest for a long time looking for a particular herb and was very hungry, so he pleaded with Lisa, "Please can you help me with your yam so I can roast and eat. I am very hungry. I've been in this forest since dawn looking for a particular herb I cure people with. Lisa hesitates in pain, but before she could decide the herbalist let out his hand and took the yam from her, and started roasting it to eat less he died of hunger. Lisa the Parrot again expressed herself in tears, and then sang,

"Please, pay back my yam,

the yam gave to me by the yam digger,

the yam digger who broke my walking stick,

The walking stick that was given to me by the Hunter

The hunter who ate my fish,

the fish that was given to me by the fisherman,

The fisherman who broke my egg,

the only egg that my daughter will eat and die."

The herbalist was interested in her story and decided to help her. He said "What a pity, woman! I'd love to follow you to your daughter's house and see her condition if I could help." Lisa remembered how her husband, Tom the Goat had advised her to calm down, so she took a deep breath. After eating the yams, the herbalist carried his bag of herbs and followed Lisa to her daughter's house. Thank God, the herbalist discovered that Lisa's daughter is sick with the type of illness he usually cures with the herb he spent a long time in the forest looking for before meeting Lisa. He hurriedly took out that particular herb, and using a bowl, he squeezed it in water and gave Lisa's daughter to drink. He then instructed Lisa to give her three times a day for three days. Lisa thanked him immensely and he left.

Lisa's daughter followed this medication for three days and her health was totally back. Lisa the Parrot exclaimed surprisingly, "How God works!"