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Hello, this

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is Jana and I am here with

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another house's story from Northern Nigeria.

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Our friend Umar is on the line. Hi

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Jana, how are you doing? I'm fine, thank

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you. And you? Bit of sun, bit of rain,

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you know, intermittent this and that. What

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story do you have for us this time? The

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title of this story that we have got is The Enchanted

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Deer and it's full of wonders and surprises.

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OK, let's begin. Once

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upon a time, in a magical

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forest, a deer transformed

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into a lovely young woman. Then

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she left the forest, carrying

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a small, intricately woven

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basket, and headed for the

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nearby village,

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where she placed the basket down in the

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square. She

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addressed the crowd. Whoever

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can open this basket with

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a single toss of a stone shall

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win my heart. One

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by one, men tried. Some

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nearly succeeded, but the

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basket remained shut. Until,

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with a twist of fate, a young

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villager's stone gently tapped

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the basket, causing it to open.

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Joyous cheers filled the air.

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Smiling at the young man, she said, I

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have found the perfect husband!

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The two fell in love and were

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soon wed.

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The woman went to live with her new family. The

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young man's mother had always

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managed the household, and the newcomer

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was eager to help. Sometimes,

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the mother would send the young wife to the family's

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farm to gather fresh okra for

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the soup. But

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little did the family know what she

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got up to.

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when she reached the farm. With

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a whisper of an ancient spell, she

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transformed back into her true dear

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form. When she

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called out softly, her dear

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sisters emerged from the shadows of the forest,

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and together they feasted on

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the okra. As the sun dipped

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below the horizon and it was time to depart,

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they touched noses in farewell. Promising

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to reunite soon, then

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she changed back into her human

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form and returned home. But

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her basket would always be empty.

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With a dramatic sigh, she would

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lament,

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why send me so far to the farm

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when there's nothing left? Someone

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or something seems to be enjoying

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our okra before I can even

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get to it. The family

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was very puzzled by the tales of the phantom

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okra thieves. Nothing

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like this had ever happened before.

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So, one afternoon, the curious

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husband decided to observe his

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wife on her next trip to the farm.

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He set out early before her and

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hid himself among the branches of

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a lofty tree. From his perch,

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he saw his wife arrive. Then

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he watched in astonishment as her

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form shimmered and changed.

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Before his very eyes, his

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wife transformed into a graceful

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dear, her coat gleaming

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like gold in the sunlight. Soon,

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other dear emerged from the shadowy

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depths of the forest, and

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together they feasted on

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the okra. Unable

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to contain his shocks and anger

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any longer, he leapt

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up from the tree landing with

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a resounding thud. The

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deer scattered in all directions. their

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hooves beating a hasty retreat against

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the soft earth. Only his

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wife, in her dear form, remained

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still for a brief moment, her

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eyes locking onto his. Those

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soft brown eyes spoke volumes

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of secrets shared and now exposed.

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Then, with a toss of her head

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and a swish of her tail, she

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turned and gracefully bounded away,

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disappearing into the depths of the forest,

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never to be seen again. The

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husband stood watching the place where she had

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vanished. Without

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a word, he slowly

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made his way back to their home. And

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that was the story of the enchanted

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deer, a little bit sad

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and sweet at the same time. What do you

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think, Uma?

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I understand that it broke his heart

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to see her leaving him. He

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first of all got married to her because he loved

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her. But unfortunately, because she

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breached the trust that he placed

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in her, that's why he had no option

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but to let her go for our listeners. I

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want to emphasize to you that whenever

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somebody trusts you, make

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sure you value that trust and honor it. Do

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not for any second try

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to violate that trust, of course.

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Secondly, we need to respect and appreciate

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the beauty and magic in all

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things, even if they are not what they

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first seem. Thank

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you again, Uma. Sayanjima!

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Bye-bye! Sayanjima! Ahutalaipia!