Storytelling Week 7: The Misbegotten Love of Emiong

Why the Bat Flies at Night

Once there were two friends, Oyot the bush rat and Emiong the bat. Everyday while out hunting, they would stop to have lunch together.  They would take turns cooking the noon meal and Emiong’s dishes were always the best.  While they ate they would speak of their adventures and everyday lives.  Oyot spoke often of his wife, but not kindly. Emiong couldn’t understand how someone with such a wonderful wife could speak so poorly of her.  Emiong himself had no wife and was often overcome with jealously for his friend. 

One day on his way home, Emiong came upon Oyot’s wife. She was crying in her garden. Emiong asked what was wrong and she told him the cruel things Oyot had said to her.  Emiong’s jealously soared and he new he must do something to stop Oyot’s cruelty.  He felt that Oyot’s wife deserved better and perhaps he could provide it.

(Rat/bat love, Source: Funnyjunk.com)

The next day when Emiong and Oyot met for lunch he felt he must act. Poison would be to obvious and too gentle a fate. Instead Emiong devised a plan based on something he knew well: jealously.  Oyot had always envied Emiong’s superior skill at the cook fire and he would use this to his advantage. 

As a token of their long friendship, Emiong offered to teach Oyot the secret to his wonderful soups Emiong told Oyot that the dishes gained their flavor from Emiong’s own body. He would boil himself in the broth and that was the source of the rich flavor.  Oyot was incredulous but Emiong had expected that and prepared a kettle of warm water to demonstrate his technique. Oyot believe that Emiong had actually bathed in the boiling water and remained unharmed.  Emiong presented the soup, which he had secretly prepared earlier and Oyot was convinced. 

That evening Oyot returned home to his wife with his new found knowledge.  He told her to go out to the garden and gather some vegetables for the stew he would prepare.  Oyot’s wife obediently went to her garden and found Emiong.  Emiong told her of his plan to get rid of Oyot and begged her to run away with him.  Oyot’s wife was aghast. Perhaps her husband was harsh but she loved him.  How could Emiong do such a thing to his friend. 

She ran back into the house to stop her husband but was too late.  Her grief was great but she knew she must tell the King immediately.  Upon hearing the sad tale decreed that the bat should be hunted down and imprisoned.

Confused and hurt Emiong ran away. From that day on he lived as fugitive and could only venture out at night.

Author's Note: This story was adapted from Why the Bat Flies at Night, which is part of the Nigerian Folk stories unit.  I did not deviate much from the original storyline, but I wanted to provide some motivation and depth to the characters.  When I read this story, I had many questions as to why Emiong felt the way he did about Oyat. It seems that Oyat should have been the jealous one in the relationship due to Emiong's superior cooking skills.  I also wanted to make Emiong's wife a larger part of the story.  As with most disputes among male friends, I decided a woman should be involved. I used a third person storytelling style consistent with the original story but chose to exclude dialog.

Story source: Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).