The Crab was proud of his young son, but when he saw the little one walking sideways, he shouted, "Son, what are you doing? Walk straight, not sideways!"
Yet no matter what the father said, his son kept walking sideways.
Finally, the little Crab said, "Father, if I am to learn to walk correctly, please show me how you do that."
But when the father tried to walk straight, he realized that he could not do it either: not matter how hard he tried, he walked sideways.
That's what Crabs do!
The father didn't lecture his son again after that.
Inspired by: "Teaching Baby Crab to Walk" in The Magic Drum: Tales from Central Africa by W.F.P. Burton, 1962. These are stories of the Luba people of the Congo. The crab is called Nkala.
Notes: You can read the original story online.
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