01 - Darafify, the giant

(2^nd edition 2014)

 

Text by Eric Ravalisoa, illustrations by Max Hariman

 

(4)   Once upon a time, dear children, there was a huge man, a giant, who lived in the east of Madagascar.  He was as tall as the sky. His name was Darafify, or Rapeto.

Darafify could blow away the waves just by breathing.  With a single jump, he could stride over several hills.  However, he never wanted to do anyone any harm.

 

( 6) Here you see Darafify busy searching the sky.  One night, his wife said to him : « Please, fetch down the moon for me ». Darafify loved his wife so much that he reached up and caught the moon.

 

(8) But he losthis  grip, the moon fell to the ground and it burned vast acres of forest.  Shocked and angry at the damage done by this fire, the people gathered together to decide what to do.

 

(10) But, my dear children, all the time the people were busy discussing what should be done, the fire raged on : the lemurs died, the earth dried up,  and the turtles were exterminated.

 

(12) The fire spread, houses burned down with everything inside them, the zebus, the pigs and the chickens died, the fields of sweet potatoes and legumes carbonized, the forests were reduced to cinders and the fresh water became fetid.

 

(14) All the people could see was a single tree. Its trunk was straight and it was unbelievably tall.  They said that this gigantic tree was dangerous and it should be cut down.

 

(16) The people dispersed.  But before long they were back with their axes, some brought  machetes.

 

(18) When they started to hack into the tree, sap as red as blood flow out of it.

« Look at that! It must be an evil tree, the wood is red as blood » they said in astonishment.

 

(20) In their panic, many of them ran for their lives.  But certain people kept their heads and ordered the axemen to return.  Evil trees, they said , must be chopped down.

Some were very scarced, but they went on with all their strength to cut down the cursed tree once and for all.

 

(22)After a tremendous effort, the gigantic tree fell to the earth.  And it was only at that moment that the people realised that this was not a tree but in fact Darafify.  They were delighted to see that he was beaten.  Darafify’s huge body covered the immense arid plains.

 

(24) But Darafify’s blood didn’t stop flowing and turned into fertilizer, it was told.  His blood made the land fertile and a great variety of different trees sprout out of the ground.

 

(26) Later, thick trees grew in abundance in this region, giving rise to the old saying: « The forest of the east will never run out of trees »

 

Tales, tales, stories, stories !

I’m the one who tells them, you’re the ones who listen!

 

CFpfw II/15 (490)