"Kirikou and the sorceress" "mother bring me into the world!" "A child who can speak from his mother's womb can bring himself into the world." "My name is kirikou." "Mother, wash me." "A child who can bring himself into the world can wash himself." "Don't waste the water." "Karaba the sorceress has dried up our spring." "Mother, where is my father?" "He went to fight karaba the sorceress and she ate him up." "Mother, where are my father's brothers?" "They went to fight karaba the sorceress and she ate them up." "Mother, where are my mother's brothers?" "They went to fight karaba the sorceress and she ate them up." "Only the youngest is still alive." "Where is he?" "On the road where flame trees grow on his way to fight karaba the sorceress." "Then i have to go and help him!" "Good morning, uncle." "I am your nephew, kirikou." "You can't be my nephew." "I have only just left my sister and her baby was not yet born." "It is now, and it's me." "I'm coming to help you fight karaba the sorceress." "Don't talk nonsense." "You can't possibly come with me off you go, child!" "He's got it." "Where does this child who runs so fast come from?" "One shouldn't fight sorcerers and sorceresses we've lost out last warrior... in the old days... a forest genie!" "I'll never see my hat again." "Why, there's a hat." "That will give me an air of authority." "Am i walking to my death like my brothers?" "Don't be frightened, uncle, i'm here." "But where are you?" "Here." "Get down!" "Oh, just a little longer." "It's really nice." "I can see for miles through the little holes." "You can't come with me." "What's going to happen is not for children." "Besides, you'll get in my way just when my life is at stake." "It's too late!" "Noble mistress a man's coming this way!" "Tremble with fear tremble with joy here she comes here she is tremble with joy tremble with fear for here is ka-ra-ba what do you want, man?" "We want you to stop making us die of thirst holding us to ransom, and destroying us, what price do you ask?" "How dare you complain?" "You have a waterhole not far from here, your womenfolk still have some jewels hidden away in their huts, and you are still alive." "Uncle, watch out behind you!" "No, uncle, on the left!" "Great!" "You have a magic hat... er... yes." "Why does it call you "uncle"?" "Er... it's a very good mannered hat." "Give it to me." "Certainly not!" "Good for you!" "I'll leave your village in peace if you give me that hat." "Er... hey, you're not going to give me to the sorceress are you?" "Just think, in return for that hat of yours you'll be the village hero, the one who brought peace!" "Er... on second thought, go on do what she tells you." "Are you sure?" "Yes, but be careful... what do you say?" "I'll accept the deal if you call off every one of your fetishes." "I'll put the hat on the ground and you must let me get away before you pick it up." "It's a deal." "Bring it here." "Bring it back to me!" "Uncle, bend down!" "Are the fetishes after us?" "No, i just wanted you to carry me." "It's my first day out and i'm a little tired." "You, cheeky littke boy!" "Why is karaba the sorceress wicked?" "Should there be a reason?" "Yes." "He's been punished and is gone forever here he is!" "It's him!" "He's back!" "He's alive!" "Come and see, our man's back!" "It's unbelievable!" "The sorceress hasn't eaten him!" "He's the strongest!" "He's a hero!" "He's magnificient!" "What a lovely hat!" "Why - that's my hat!" "Er... yes, i found it on the road." "Who's that?" "!" "Kirikou." "He says he's my nephew." "My son he's your son?" "He's tiny!" "Yes, but i'm higher than you." "Oh... the main thing is i get my hat back." "Give him back that hat!" "Give us that hat!" "Quick, give them the hat or we're doomed!" "What will happen when karaba the sorceress realizes that the hat isn't magic?" "I hope she'll give it back to me." "Do you know why karaba the sorceress is wicked?" "Of course, i know everything." "Then why is it?" "Er... because she's a sorceress." "But why is she a sorceress?" "Oh, you're bothering me." "You're too young to understand." "Besides, curiosity kills the cat." "The fetish this isn't a magic hat." "The women must bring the great karaba all their gold." "Beware if you keep a single nugget!" "But we've given her almost everything already!" "Beware if you keep a single nugget!" "What are we going to do?" "Obey!" "And try to buy back the foolishness of some." "Mother, i want to go with you to see karaba the sorceress." "You're already so much like the men you want to see karaba the sorceress." "Noble mistress, here come the wretched women of the village with their gold." "Tremble with fear tremble with joy here she comes here she is tremble with joy tremble with fear for here is ka-ra-ba" "oh karaba, here is all our gold." "Be merciful to us." "Beware if you've kept a single nugget!" "Karaba the sorceress why are you wicked?" "Why are you wicked?" "Why, you are the voice in the hat!" "I am kirikou i know what i want and i want to know why you are wicked." "You wretched little toad i could gobble you up just like that but you are really too small to bother with." "I shall wait till you are a little bigger and have more flesh now, go away you all!" "Your son brings us disgrace!" "You've brought him up badly." "Kirikou will bring bad luck to our village." "We've had bad luck in our village for a long time and kirikou saved his uncle's life." "Foolish mother." "Kirikou is too small to save anybody watch out!" "I hope the women didn't cheat" "no!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Mother, can't they put the fire out?" "No, our spring has dried up and the water hole is too far off." "The cursed spring is over there you can live without gold but not without water." "You can't live without those you love karaba the sorceress is gradually taking away all our men our village is dying." "Did all the men go to fight karaba?" "Oh no!" "But she ate those who didn't as well." "Karaba the sorceress is angry and i am afraid she will try to steal away our children." "Then i will stay to watch them." "Very well." "Shall we play horse riders?" "Oh yes, oh yes." "It'll be fun!" "Go away!" "We're not talking to you!" "You're too small to play with us!" "But... why?" "We told you to go away." "Oh, what a lovely boat!" "Let's get in!" "Don't!" "What's up with him?" "No, don't!" "It's the sorceress!" "How do you know?" "It's not the sorceress." "It's a dugout!" "It's not going to eat us!" "Don't!" "Mind your own business little worm!" "I'm the captain!" "It's nice... come on, jump off the boat!" "The dugout is taking you to karaba's jump off while it's still time!" "We can't, we're scared!" "I can't." "Help us!" "It's karaba's dugout!" "It's the end of them!" "Let's swim to the shore and run home" "kirikou is not tall but he is bold!" "Where's the dugout?" "There it is, noble mistress gliding at the bottom of the river." "But where are the children?" "They are on the shore cheering little kirikou." "Kirikou!" "Kirikou is not tall but he is a bold!" "But he is bold!" "Kirikou is tiny but he is mighty!" "Kirikou is tiny but he is mighty!" "Kirikou is wise." "Do as he says and the sorceress will not eat you." "I think we'd better return to the village." "Oh, what a lovely tree!" "We've never seen it before!" "Stay away from it." "There he goes again!" "This time it's got nothing to do with the sorceress!" "It's a tree with roots in the ground!" "Don't climb that tree don't eat its fruit!" "We're fed up with you." "Who are you?" "You're not the boss." "We like climbing up trees." "There's no harm done as long as we don't eat its fruit." "No!" "It's nice up here!" "You should join us." "He can't, he's too small ha ha he!" "Come down!" "Quick!" "I'm not strong enough." "Shake around, shake the tree." "Harder, harder, quick we're getting closer to the sorceress's hut." "Is the tree here yet?" "Er... no... yes..." "i can't tell." "What?" "You can't tell!" "?" "Where are the children?" "Over there, in the forest cheering little kirikou!" "Kirikou!" "Kirikou is tiny but he is mighty he is mighty" "kirikou frees us from the sorceress kirikou frees us from the sorceress" "mother, here's the water." "Thank you, kirikou." "The water hole is too far away i am going to see what i can do about the cursed spring." "The children have composed a song about me." "Yes i know hey, i've saved them twice... where are the children?" "At home with their mothers." "Then there's no more i can do." "What a stupid song!" "He really is tiny!" "I know, i haven't even seen him." "Where's kirikou on his way to the cursed spring." "No-one will ever guess the secret of the spring." "But if by some misfortune someone did, they will drown." "Be careful!" "You are going towards the cursed spring!" "Yes, i know." "But, it's forbidden!" "Do you hear me?" "I want to take a look there's nothing to see!" "It's true." "I can't see anything at all." "I told you so!" "There's nothing to hear either!" "Yes, there is." "Aouch!" "Don't talk back you rude little boy aouch aouch aouch and go away!" "Listen, go... gone!" "He's rude but with some discipline he'll learn to obey." "That noise is very close by" "it comes from over there!" "There's water still but that creature drinks it all." "I must ask uncle to kill it and we'll have water again." "Yes, but uncle can't get through the hole, no-one can, except me." "I have to kill this monster." "How disgusting!" "Besides, i am really much too small." "Anything i do would only feel like a gnat bite!" "Perhaps i'll think of something once outside." "You again!" "Go away you're bothering me." "You wretched little thief give me back my poker!" "Water!" "Water's back!" "Water!" "The spring is flowing water, water's flowing water... water!" "It's come back!" "The spring is flowing!" "How can that be?" "Water here's water water we drink how refreshing water here's water (bis)" "Water here's water water that flows it's our chance water that laughs water that's life where is kirikou?" "My poor friend, be brave." "He is in there, drowned." "Water here's water water that laughs water that's life water... water!" "I told you so!" "Kirikou!" "Is he dead?" "Yes he drowned." "Kirikou is not tall but he is bold" "kirikou is tiny but he's my buddy kirikou is tiny but he's my buddy kirikou is a rascal better than us all kirikou is not grown but he is our own kirikou is a teaser but a goodhearted one" "kirikou is a teaser but a goodhearted one kirikou is tiny but it's our buddy kirikou is not grown but he is our own kirikou is... i've won!" "He has won!" "Kirikou is tiny but he is mighty kirikou frees us from the sorceress!" "Kirikou is tiny but he is mighty" "kirikou is not tall what's all that noise?" "The villagers are dancing by the spring." "What?" "!" "The spring's flowing?" "!" "Yes noble mistress." "What about kirikou, is he dead?" "I think not he is splashing his little friends." "Arrgh!" "Kirikou, lie down and rest." "Very well." "Mother, why is karaba the sorceress wicked?" "I don't know." "She's not the only one." "That's true." "I've save some of those kids' lives, yet they are unkind to me." "Of course." "There are always people who want to hurt us when we've done them no harm." "That's facts of life." "Like water can drown or fire can burn." "Yes." "Facts of life." "All the same, she is much more wicked than the others!" "Or, she simply has more power." "Only the wise man of the mountain can answer your questions." "Who is he?" "Your grandfather." "Where does he live?" "Beyond the sorceress's home on the other side of the forbidden mountain." "Can i go and see him?" "No." "Why?" "The sorceress prevents people from getting there." "Why?" "The wise man of the mountain explains things the way they are while the sorceress needs us to believe all sorts of nonsense." "Nobody can get to the mountain." "But if i took the long way round she won't see me." "The look-out fetish is watching you all the time he can spot an ant at the far end of the savannah." "What if i went at night?" "The look-out fetish can see without light." "I wish i were bigger...!" "Being big won't help it." "I have an idea, will you help me?" "I will." "Noble mistress, kirikou's mother is leaving her hut!" "With kirikou?" "!" "Without kirikou." "Then i'm not interested." "She's coming this way." "Whatever does she want?" "She seems to be looking for something on the ground." "Don't take your eyes off her!" "She bends down to pick some plant." "She's gathering herbs to make soup." "The way to the wise man of the mountain is through a big red termite mound." "How can i get inside the mound?" "It will let you in if you are worthy of being admitted." "Do you think i'm worthy?" "I do." "We're coming to the last of the bushes." "Beyond this point because of the sorceress plants don't grow." "Here's a burrow that will do." "Alright." "Here, take your father's dagger." "Thank you, mother." "Goodbye mother." "Good luck, kirikou." "I hope i won't make any nasty encounter... aahhh... up or down?" "Down." "I'm still too close to the sorceress." "Where is this taking me?" "Ha... should've taken the way up." "Can you see kirikou?" "No, noble mistress kirikou is still in the hut." "Don't take your eyes off it killer-fetishesn be ready!" "It's frightening and it's funny." "If only she knew that i am just beneath her feet!" "This burrow doesn't go right through the sorceress's territory!" "It's normal." "It's too difficult i'm not getting anywhere i can't go any further i'm exhausted let's rest a little." "Ok!" "Now i can dig all the way to the mountain!" "What is this?" "How horrible!" "Bones and blood." "Where am i?" "What a stench!" "I can't breathe!" "I shall suffocate!" "I must get out of here!" "Oh they're so cute!" "I don't want to hurt you!" "Alright, i'm going... i am completely lost." "I've no idea which way i've come from or which way the mountain is nor the way out... thank you" "mm, it'sh good" "thank you" "A spider thank you." "Thank you." "Oh, what a beautiful flower!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "This bird scares my friends away" "that's not it." "Now i have to come out of this hiding place walk to the other side of the mountain without being seen... that's impossible." "But i've always found a solution let's see... if i step away from this tree the look-out fetish will see me but if he doesn't know that it's me, it's ok." "What can i dress up as?" "As a squirrel?" "No i can't." "It's you again" "alright, let's try this... goodbye my friends." "Alright." "Let's go, one two three!" "I must look ridiculous." "No one will ever mistake me for a bird!" "Mmmmm, mm, mmm!" "How dreadful!" "It's going to reveal my disguise how ghastly!" "I'm losing my feathers you are not here to look at birds!" "Keep watch of kirikou!" "Very well mistress!" "Has he left the hui?" "Noble mistress, he has not." "Keep watching don't let yourself distracted stupidly i'm too heavy... we made it!" "They can't see us anymore!" "I'm saved!" "I'm making progress." "I should attach it on my back still a long way to walk before finding the big termite mound." "I'm free and i'm safe!" "How stupid of me!" "Strapping the dagger to my back!" "It seems like he can see through rocks!" "My smell!" "No need to hide he can smell me!" "This imbecile can't see that i run faster than him." "Not for long though i'm getting tired." "For now, i'm faster, let's go!" "Hey, you can't bite me." "I won't let go i won't let go i won't let go!" "I held on... looks like you have sensitive ears" "how interesting... i think i've foiund myself a mount to explore the mountain... the big termite mound!" "Let's hope it'll open... let's hope it'll open... of course... if i ride this animal i can't go through the big termite mound i have to go alone" "one, two, three" "open" "this isn't taking me anywhere!" "And i can't get out." "Is this a trap?" "This time i shall be on my guard!" "Kl-rl-kou... kl-rl-kou... kl-rl-kou... good day, grandfather!" "Good day, kirikou." "I have been longing to see you." "So have i." "I was so afraid the termite mound wouldn't open!" "What would you have done if it hadn't opened?" "I would have dug a hole and managed to get inside somehow." "I had what i needed:" "My father's dagger." "I know." "It was i who gave it to him." "Grandfather, i am small and i should like to be grown." "And when you are grown will you want to be small?" "Today, being tiny you have been able to enter places where no- one else could." "Be thankful." "And when you are grown don't forget to be thankful." "Can you make me grown right now?" "No." "Then there are some things you don't know?" "That's right i know very few things." "Grandfather how did karaba the sorceress manage to put the monster inside the spring?" "She didn't put it there it got in by itself." "It was very small and it was thirsty." "Over the years it grew and became more and more thirsty." "Is that all?" "Yes." "Grandfather, why does the sorceress eat people?" "She doesn't." "What?" "!" "That's what the villagers think, karaba lets them go on thinking it the more frightened people are of her the more powerful she is." "But she has never wanted to eat a corpse." "She likes yams in a nice spicy sauce just like you and i." "So it was not karaba that took away our water supply, she's never eaten anybody, she prefers yams." "You'll end up telling me that she's totally innocent and that she loves everybody." "No!" "She doesn't like children, she despises women, she hates men and she wants to do them all the harm she can." "Is that so why?" "Because she is in pain." "She suffers night and day without respite." "Why?" "Because somebody once pushed a poisonous thorn into her spinal cord." "Why?" "You are quite right to keep asking me "why", but from one "why" to the next we'll go right back to the creation of the world -and beyond that knowing you- we'll never have time to talk about karaba the sorceress." "She is the one you came to ask about." "Very well." "Today i shall only ask questions about the sorceress." "Why doesn't she pull out the poisonous thorn which hurts her day and night?" "Turn round." "Try and touch the end of my finger." "Ah ooh... ;" "it's impossible." "Besides the thorn is embedded rather deeply." "One would need to take it out with one's teeth." "Why doesn't she ask a friend to do that?" "She has no friend." "I see... but if she thought that some one knew the secret of her thorn and wanted to pull it out, she would kill them." "Why?" "If someone pulled out that thorn she would feel more pain in that moment than you can possibly imagine." "She had some inkling of that terrible pain when some men seized her and held her fast while another drove in the thorn." "She would never want to go through that again." "There is another reason... it is that very thorn which gives her her magic powers." "If it was removed she would lose all those powers at the same time." "Is that why she always stays at home and never shows her back view?" "That's right." "I shall remove the thorn from the back of karaba the sorceress or i shall die." "Grandfather, may i climb on to your knees?" "Sometimes i am tired to fight on my own... and a little small and i'm a little frightened... grandfather?" "Yes, dear." "Will you give me a charm to protect me from the sorceress?" "No." "Your power lies in the absence of a charm." "The sorceress knows all about spells and charms and tricks the men who think they are protected." "On the other hand she has no idea how to act when confronted with barefaced innocence and a free and alert intelligence." "Kirikou, i will be with you." "Goodbye, grandfather." "Goodbye, my son." "Great mistress tiny kirikou is coming this way!" "Good." "Killer-fetishes, get ready." "Make sure he doesn't get to the forbidden mountain." "But he comes from the mountain!" "What?" "!" "He is on the side of the forbidden mountain." "How did he get there?" "How could you let him get past?" "!" "Everyone, go meet him and kill him!" "Kirikou's disappeared." "You, guide them!" "Great mistress i can no longer see him... what?" "!" "Kirikou's disappeared." "As long as karaba the sorceress is in her domain with her fetishes around her i can do nothing." "I have to get her out of her hut." "At last i'm going to see what's in this hut where no one else has been!" "With her back to me she can't see me!" "But... nothing!" "Ah... of course that must be the jewels basket" "i can steal them right under their nose without anyone even realising it!" "Who goes there?" "!" "A rat, perhaps?" "My jewels!" "It's not possible!" "These fetishes are totally useless!" "A hole in the ground!" "And these stupid fetishes are too big to go down it!" "Serpent, come here!" "Go on down!" "Find the thief and kill him." "Oh dear!" "I haven't thought of this!" "Can't run here" "he's gaining on me." "Fewh!" "Lmbecile!" "He tricked you!" "I shall have to see to it myself!" "And you up there i suppose you can't see kirikou?" "No, noble mistress." "Only kirikou would dare commit such sacrilege... as soon as he emerges that's the end of him!" "Kirikou is coming out of the ground!" "He is wearing some gold necklaces." "He's making for the forest." "He is stopping beneath the breadfruit tree." "He is digging a hole in the ground." "He is putting the jewels in." "Right, now it's my turn." "First the jewels, then kirikou." "The game with the fetishes is over." "Give me my poisoned lance!" "In a little while this little animal will be pierced with this lance and that's the end of him." "Kirikou!" "The pain's gone... it's stopped hurting... how strange to feel no more pain." "I am free!" "The sorceress and for her magic powers are gone, alas for her..." "but good riddance!" "I am my old self once more... kirikou, you've delivered me." "Thank you... how can i prove my gratitude?" "Marry me." "A small child can't marry a grown-up lady." "You'll have to wait a little." "I don't want to wait." "Are you going to marry my uncle?" "I am not going to marry anybody." "Sorceress or not one thing won't change i refuse to be anybody's servant." "If you were my wife you would never be my servant." "All men say that before they get married!" "I'm not like them!" "That's true, little kirikou." "One day, you will say that to a nice little girl." "I don't like little girls!" "To a young lady and..." "she will be very fortunate... would you place your lips on mine?" "...well... yes, of course i will." "You see, you haven't lost all your magic powers." "The villagers won't believe their eyes... let's not go straight back to the village." "No... this is so wonderful... little kirikou should have come back long ago." "Little kirikou will never come back now." "Now that you are a man, you can't go back to the village naked, i shall adorn your body." "Hurry up, i'm so impatient they won't believe what they see." "Kirkou must be dead." "We'll never see little kirikou again." "He has given his life for us." "He has saved us so many times and did we even thank him?" "We've never thanked him." "We've never told him we loved him." "There's my village... it seems so small now i'm so happy to be back... they haven't seen us yet..." "my heart's beating." "You'll see, we know how to party at my village." "The sorceress!" "Aah help!" "It's the sorceress!" "With a sorcerer!" "Don't be afraid!" "Come here!" "Karaba is no longer a sorceress and i am kirikou!" "What?" "!" "Don't make fun of the child we loved." "I have grown, but i am still the same kirikou!" "We don't believe you!" "Go away!" "Don't turn away your kirikou!" "Uncle, what do you say?" "That man is not my nephew." "Uncle, whether big or small you've never accepted me." "Go away!" "Mother, please recognize me!" "Mother" "how handsome you have grown my son." "So that really is kirikou!" "It's amazing!" "Of course, once you know it's obvious." "He's so handsome... yes, but now he's taken sides with the sorceress." "I'm not altogether surprised." "He was a bit of a magician himself." "Be careful that's right be careful we're glad to have you back but we don't want the sorceress!" "Karaba is no longer a sorceress and i can't live without her!" "Then go and live with her somewhere else!" "I was speaking the truth when i said i was kirikou, and i am still speaking the truth when i tell you she is no longer a sorceress." "What of it?" "Look at all the wicked she's done." "It's a good thing she's lost her powers." "We can destroy her!" "Death to the sorceress!" "She's eaten my husband!" "She's eaten my son!" "She's eaten my betrothed!" "She's eaten my father!" "She's eaten my brothers!" "No!" "She hasn't eaten anybody." "Liar!" "Kirikou has not lied and we must be forgiving." "Karaba did not eat those men." "She transformed them into objects obedient objects." "But kirikou has delivered karaba from her pain and liberated these men from their enchantment." "Here they are." "Kirikou has saved us." "Praise be to kirikou!" "We were fetishes." "We are men." "We are the fathers." "We are the sons." "We are the brothers." "We are the husbands." "We are the nephews." "We are the friends." "We are the loved ones." "And we are returning to those we love."