Papa Joe ~ Telling Tales

Hide and Go Seek ~ adapted from a Congo folktale

What's your name? SuZie? Isn't that interesting? I know a story about a girl named SuZie. But it couldn't have been you. This girl lived once upon a time. She lived a long long time ago - and you live now. This girl lived far far away - and you live near. This girl lived on the ocean. Well, not really ON the ocean. To live ON the ocean, she'd have to live in a boat and this girl lived in a cottage on the beach.

But her father had a boat. You know why? That's right. He was a fisherman. Anybody's father a fisherman? Well this fisherman didn't use a fishing rod. He used a fishing... That's right, a net. Every day he'd sail out into the ocean, toss out his net, and pull in... That's right, fish. And that was good, 'cause that's what they ate for supper. Fish!

But sometimes, when he tossed in his net, he'd pull in... Ha Ha! Yup! Sometimes it was lobster. But I was thinking... No way! Ha Ha! A whale would never fit in his net. I was thinking... That's right, a shark. And SuZie LOVED it when he caught a shark. Know why? Because SuZie's favorite supper was barbarqued shark steak. You never had it? Well, SuZie loved it.

The only thing SuZie loved better than barbarqued shark steak was...

Hide and Go Seek. 'Cause SuZie was great at hiding.

When SuZie hid under a chair... Nobody could find her.
When SuZie hid behind a post... Nobody could find her.
When SuZie hid up in a tree... Nobody could find her.
'Cause SuZie was great at hiding.

One day SuZie went out and called her friends.

She said, "Let's play Hide and Go Seek."

They said, "No way, SuZie! We're not playing Hide and Go Seek with you anymore."

She said, "Yesa!"
They said, "Nosa!"
"Yesa!"
"Nosa!"
"Yesa!"
"Nosa!"
"Yesa!"
"Nosa!"

She said, "Why not?"
They said, "Because, SuZie! You're the best Hide and Go Seek player in the whole world. Every time we play Hide and Go Seek with you, you win, we lose. We're gonna play Freeze Tag!"

SuZie didn't want to play Freeze Tag. 
You know what she did? She cried.
Boo Who Who - all the way home.

Her father heard her crying and came running out.

"SuZie! SuZie! Did you cut your hand off?"
"No." {Can't you folks just see her pouty lip?}

"SuZie! SuZie! Did you cut your foot off?"
"NO."

"SuZie! SuZie! Did you cut your head off?"
"NO! Daddy!"

"Then why are you crying?"
"Cause no one will play Hide and Go seek with me."

"Oh SuZie. That's so sad. Why won't they play with you?"
"Cause they say I'm the best Hide and Go Seek player in the whole world."

"Ahh. But SuZie, that's not true."
"Yesa!"
"Nosa!"
"Yesa!"
"Nosa!"
"Yesa!"

"But SuZie, you can't be the best Hide and Go Seek player in the whole world."
"Why NOT."

"Because SuZie. I am."
"Really?"

"Really. Now SuZie, I've got a little time before I go out fishing. If you go hide, I'll come find you."

Pssssssssssoooooooo. SuZie was gone.

SuZie looked under a chair... "Naa. My Dad would find me under there."
SuZie looked behind a post... "Naa. My Dad would find me behind there."
SuZie looked up in a tree... "Naa. My Dad would find me up there."
She looked hair. {looking through some child's hair}
She looked there. {looking in some child's mouth or ear}
She looked everywhere. {maybe looking up some child's nose}
Well, maybe not everywhere.

Then SuZie saw a clam shell. "If I hid in that clam shell and closed it up... My Dad would never find me."

So she did! She hid in the clam shell and closed it up tight.

Just then, down flew a seagull and it swallowed the clam shell in one gulp.

SuZie said, "Au Oh! My dad won't find me in HERE!"

The seagull flapped his wings once.
He flapped his wings twice.
He was just about to fly...

When around the corner came a great big Maine Coon Cat.
The cat swallowed the seagull in one gulp.

SuZie said, "Au Oh! My dad won't find me in HERE!"

The cat took one step.
It took a second step.
It was about to take it's third step...

When around the corner came a great big DOG.
The dog swallowed the seagull in one gulp.

SuZie said, "Au Oh! My dad won't find me in HERE!"

The dog took one step.
It took a second step.
It was about to take it's third step...

When around the corner came... The dog catcher!

The dog catcher looked at the dog.
The dog looked at the dog catcher.

The dog didn't like the dog catcher.
So he ran down to the beach.

The dog catcher ran down to the beach.

The dog did the only thing he could think of... The dog paddle.
The dog catcher couldn't do the dog paddle. So the dog swam off...

When along came a great big... That's right a shark.
The shark swallowed the dog in one gulp.

SuZie said, "Au Oh! My dad will NEVER find me in HERE!"

Meanwhile, SuZie's father was looking for her.
He looked under the chairs.
He looked behind the posts.
He looked up in the trees.
He looked hair. {looking through some child's hair}
He looked there. {looking in some child's mouth or ear}
He looked everywhere. {maybe looking up some child's nose}
Well, maybe not everywhere.

"Maybe SuZie IS the best Hide and Go Seek player in the whole world. Oh well. I have to get to work."

He sailed out into the ocean, toss out his net, and pull in... That's right, a shark!

"Oh boy! Suzie's gonna be happy. It's barbarqued shark steak for supper tonight."

He hung up the shark, cut it open, and out came the great big dog.
The dog was STILL alive.
But it was covered - from its tail to its nose in... Shark Slime! YUCK!
It was really gross. It made the dog sneeze! Ha-choo!

Out came the Maine Coon Cat.
The cat was STILL alive.
But it was covered - from its tail to its nose in... Dog Slime! YUCK!
It was really gross. It made the cat sneeze! Ha-choo!

Out came the seagull.
The seagull was STILL alive.
But it was covered - from its tail to its nose in... Cat Slime! YUCK!
It was really gross. It made the seagull sneeze! Ha-choo!

Out came the clam shell.
SuZie's father caught the clam shell. Opened it up and...

Out came SuZie!
She said, "Wow, Daddy! You really are the best Hide and Go Seek Player in the whole World."

Notes about this tale:

"The boy who tried to fool his father", a tale from Zaire. Found in John H. weeks, _Congo life and folklore", retold by Judy Sierra in _Nursery Tales Around The World_, New York: Clarion Books, c1996.

Judy Sierra's book also mentions, "This tale is not classified by tale type but Thompson lists Motif Z43.5, Boy changes self to nut; fowl eats nut; bush cat eats fowl; dog eats cat; dog swallowed by python. He cites only this tale as an example of the motif."

After SuZie Shaeffer (who credits Kay Chorao) shared "The Boy Who Turned Himself Into a Peanut" and after we discussed how she handled it, I started working on my own version, which just happened to be very timely as several States ran 'Ship' themes for their Summer Reading programs

Papa Joe ~ Telling Tales