"Our mother's sick!" said the Fish-children.
"I'll cure her," Anansi said. "Give me a frying pan and some oil. I'll tell you when she's cured."
The Fish-children agreed, and Anansi fried the mother and ate her.
"Come in now!" he said.
"Where's our mother?" said the Fish-children.
"I ate her!" said Anansi.
The Fish were angry. "We're going to kill you!" they said, and they grabbed Anansi.
"Just don't burn me in the trash-heap!" shouted Anansi. "Whatever you do, don't burn me in the trash-heap!"
When the Fish-children put him in the trash-heap, Anansi scurried away, laughing at the Fish-children.
Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 38 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from Rennie Macfarlane; additional information in Beckwith's notes. In Macfarlane's version, Anansi runs away and the fish get help from mule to catch him, but I left that part out. Here is Pamela Colman Smith's illustration:
No wonder he laughed at them. They were stupidly gullible!
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