Anansi and the Silver Coin

Tacoomah borrowed a measuring-pot from Anansi. Anansi wondered what for, so he put sticky stuff on the bottom. Tacoomah returned the pot: a silver coin was stuck there!
"Where did you get the money?" Anansi asked.
Tacoomah took him to a treasure-house. "Say Open-Sesame to go in."
Tacoomah didn't tell Anansi to say Out-Now-Sesame to get out.
Anansi said, "Open-Sesame!"
He went in and filled a bag with silver coins, and gold too.
But then he couldn't get out.
"Open-Sesame!"
The door didn't open.
"OPEN-SESAME!"
The door still didn't open.
Meanwhile, Tacoomah fetched the treasure-keeper who came and killed Anansi.


Inspired byJamaican Song and Story by Walter Jekyll
Notes: This is story 39 in the book. In the source story, Anansi doesn't get trapped in the end; I borrowed that motif from other stories (and Jekyll also remarks on the lack of that expected element in the plot). In the source story, they both get out, and then Anansi wants to shoot Tacoomah and steal Tacoomah's treasure too.




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