REYES SIN CORONAS . FABULAS AFROCUBANAS

In the very beginning, the sky was teeming with animals and birds. Back then the sky was like the jungle is now.
But one terrible day it started to rain, and all the animals ran to take shelter under a huge cloud so as not to get wet. Since there were so many of them, they couldn’t all fit, and the soaking wet animals started to feel cold and hungry.
Shaking with cold, they decided to send the rooster down to earth as their emissary in search of fire to warm them up. When he flew down, the rooster discovered a corn patch and sat down to eat. The other animals huddled above, trembling with cold, until they couldn’t stand it any more and decided to go down to the earth themselves. There they found the rooster, happy as could be, stuffing himself with corn. And for his selfishness they punished him by taking away his power of flight.
These and other fables in this book explain why some animals are the way they are today. The stories include “Why the Snail Carries His Shell,” “Every Evil-doer Receives His Due,” and “Olofi’s Punishment.”