The Singing Scoutmaster: Anansi and the Lion's Mane

Anansi once found himself wandering through the savanna, where he encountered Lion, the king of the animals. Lion's mane was magnificent, long and flowing like a golden river. Anansi, envious of the majestic mane, decided he wanted one just as splendid.

"Lion," Anansi said, bowing low, "how do you keep your mane so beautiful? I would love to have one like yours."

Lion, flattered by Anansi's praise, offered to help. "It's simple, Anansi. You must comb it every day with a golden comb and use the dew of the morning to wash it."

Anansi, eager to begin, searched high and low until he found a golden comb. He woke up early every morning and carefully combed his hair, using the morning dew as Lion had instructed. But as the days went by, Anansi's hair remained short and scraggly, while Lion's mane seemed even more glorious than before.

Frustrated, Anansi devised a new plan. He would trick Lion and steal some of his mane! One evening, while Lion slept, Anansi sneaked up and carefully snipped a few tufts of hair. He glued the tufts to his own head, admiring himself in the moonlight. "Now I look just as grand as Lion!" Anansi declared.

The next day, Anansi strutted through the savanna, showing off his new "mane." But the other animals burst out laughing. "Anansi, your mane is falling off!" they teased. Sure enough, the tufts of Lion's hair were dropping one by one.

Embarrassed and humiliated, Anansi tried to pick up the fallen hairs, but it was no use. The tufts blew away in the wind, and Lion, realizing what had happened, roared with laughter. "You can't steal a mane, Anansi. A true mane comes from within!"

From that day on, Anansi accepted his small size and wiry hair, and focused on using his wit and cleverness instead of trying to be something he wasn't. The animals respected him even more for it, and Anansi became content with his own unique abilities.