Tsuro and the Dancing Vegetables

Tsuro the Hare planted a magnificent garden, but he was too lazy to guard it at night. To protect his vegetables, he carved a small drum and a flute and told them, "If any thief comes, you must play a song." That night, a Porcupine came to steal mealies. As soon as he entered, the drum and flute began to play a magical tune. The Porcupine was compelled to dance and could not stop. He danced all night until he was exhausted, and Tsuro caught him in the morning. This happened with the Warthog and the Baboon. Finally, the great Elephant came to raid the garden. The instruments played, and even the mighty Elephant began to dance. He danced so hard that he shook the very earth and trampled the entire garden, destroying all the vegetables. Tsuro had been very clever, but his cleverness had backfired. His magic had protected his vegetables from being eaten, but it had not protected them from being destroyed by the very dance of the thief. The lesson is that sometimes a clever plan can create an even bigger problem than the one it was meant to solve.