Anansi and the Hare's Magic

The Hare was known to have powerful magic. Anansi, wanting this magic for himself, went to the Hare and asked to become his apprentice. The Hare agreed, but first, he wanted to test Anansi's worthiness. "Go to the river," the Hare said, "and bring me a calabash of water that has no bottom." Anansi took a normal calabash, knocked the bottom out, and tried to fill it, but the water just ran out. He failed. Next, the Hare said, "Climb to the top of that baobab tree and bring me back the sound of the wind." Anansi climbed the tree but could not capture the sound. He failed again. Finally, the Hare said, "Start a fire with only one piece of wood." Anansi tried to rub the wood to create friction, but it was impossible. Defeated, Anansi admitted he could not do it. The Hare then took the calabash, lined it with clay to seal the hole, and filled it with water. He climbed the tree and cupped his hands, and the 'whooshing' sound of the wind echoed in them. He took the single piece of wood, split it into many tiny splinters, and easily started a fire. "The magic," said the Hare, "is not in spells, Anansi. It is in using your mind to look at a problem differently." Anansi, who had only thought of direct and obvious solutions, learned that true power lies not in secret charms, but in clever thinking.