God's Medicine

God loved the People and didn't want them to die, so he made immortal medicine. "Snake," he said, "take this to the People; you may take some for the Snakes also."
Then Toad said, "I will take the medicine to the People. Snake will spill it."
"No I won't!" shouted Snake, but Toad insisted and grabbed the People's medicine. He put it on his head and as he hopped, he spilled the medicine.
Meanwhile, Snake took the medicine safely to the Snakes. That's why People die, but Snakes, if you kill them, bathe in the medicine and do not die.


Inspired by: "The Toad and the Snake" in Limba stories and story-telling by Ruth Finnegan, 1967.
Notes: You can read the original story online. In the original story, Toad goes back to Kanu, the god, and asks for more medicine, but Kanu says no because Toad was disobedient.

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