Bouki was sitting in the yard. He wanted to cook food, but he didn’t have fire, so he couldn’t cook. He called out to Boukinet, who was playing under the mango tree: “Boukinet, I need to light a fire to cook. Run to your godfather’s house and ask him for a piece of firewood to help me.”
Boukinet ran to Ti-Malis’s house, where she found him sitting in front of a beautiful fire, greasing the pot to fry eggs. Boukinet said, “Good morning, godfather! How are you?”
Malis replied, “Good morning, my child. How is Bouki?”
“He’s doing okay, but he has no matches to light a fire, so he sent me to ask you for a little firewood to help her cook her food.”
“You can take this piece. Goodbye!”
Malis didn’t want Boukinet to stay too long with him, so he wouldn’t offer her any of the eggs he was about to fry.
Boukinet took the firewood and left, but she would have liked to taste the food that Ti-Malis was preparing.
As Boukinet walked back home, she moved slowly, until the fire went out. Then, she turned back to Ti-Malis’s house. When she arrived, she found Ti-Malis sitting on a chair with a plate in his hand, eating the fried eggs. The food smelled delicious. Boukinet wished she could get a small piece. Fortunately, Malis gave her a little from his plate. Boukinet ate it all. The eggs were full of grease. Boukinet lit the matches she had and ran back home. This time, she left happily.
When she got home, Bouki asked, “What took you so long? I thought you’d be back faster with the fire!”
Boukinet handed him the matches. Then, Bouki smelled the grease that had remained under Boukinet’s nails. He asked, “What did you eat at your godfather’s house?”
Boukinet explained what Malis had been eating. Since Bouki’s situation wasn’t great, he wanted to have a chat with his friend.
After eating what he had, Bouki ran to Ti-Malis’s house. When he arrived, he said, “Good evening, my friend. How lucky you are to have eggs to eat. Where did you find all those eggs? I myself am not doing well.”
Malis replied, “That’s my secret. I have many more eggs. If you want, tomorrow morning I’ll show you where I hide them. You can take as many as you want.”
Bouki answered, “Oh, thank you, thank you, my friend. I’ll come early tomorrow morning.”
Bouki was very happy as he went to bed, but sleep didn’t come at all. He tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about what would happen the next day. Before the rooster crowed, Bouki was already awake. He went to his friend’s house. He climbed up a mango tree in the yard and started to crow like a rooster: “Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Ti-Malis heard the crowing, recognized his friend’s voice, and said, “You’re in a hurry, father! You called me too early. The day hasn’t even started yet. Let me sleep a little more, and you can come later.”
Bouki went back home. He waited for the day to break. He had enough time to prepare two large baskets for the eggs. His heart was full of joy; he was going to get many eggs and eat well.
When the sun began to rise, Bouki called Ti-Malis. “Get up, get up, my friend, the sun is already high in the sky.”
Ti-Malis answered, “Okay, let’s go!”
They both walked together, passing through two or three fields. Bouki carried two baskets, while Ti-Malis had nothing in his hands. Bouki asked, “Hey, my friend, where are you going to put the eggs you’ll take?”
“In my hands; I’ll only take two or three. Every morning when I come here, I find fresh eggs.”
They arrived at a place with good fencing. The owner had locked the gate tightly because there had been many thieves in the neighborhood. Malis opened the door carefully. They both entered the small yard quietly, making no noise. They took great care not to wake the dog. They arrived right in front of the chicken coop.
Bouki saw many nests on the ground, all full of eggs. He began to fill his baskets with eggs. When Ti-Malis saw him busy, he tiptoed away from him, leaving him alone in front of the eggs. Then, he slammed the door shut on purpose. The dog heard the noise and started barking loudly. The chickens became scared and scrambled.
When the chicken owner heard all the commotion, he ran outside with the people from his house. Bouki was at the gate, trying to open it, but he couldn’t. Then, they took a rope and a stick. They tied Bouki up and saw him under the stick before taking him to the chief of the district. Bouki began to shout, “Oh no, I beg for your forgiveness! I won’t do it again!”
He was beaten several times. After that, the chief of the district did his part, and they released him. Bouki returned home without any baskets or eggs. Instead, he was bruised from the beating. For several days, he had to receive many massages and bandages—he couldn’t go outside.
A few days later, when he felt a little better, Bouki passed by Ti-Malis’s house without making any noise so Ti-Malis wouldn’t see him. But Ti-Malis called out to him: “Hey, my friend Bouki! Where have you been? We haven’t seen each other in days! How are you? And how’s your body?”
Bouki pretended not to hear and didn’t answer. He just kept walking. But in his heart, he swore that Malis would pay for this one day.
Context and lesson:
“
This Haitian tale highlights Bouki’s gullibility as he once again falls for Malis’s trickery. Bouki, trusting his friend, is lured by Ti-Malis to the very place where Malis himself steals eggs. However, Malis cleverly takes advantage of Bouki’s trust by leaving him alone at the site, knowing Bouki will be caught stealing. As a result, Bouki becomes the prime suspect whenever eggs go missing, while Malis is free to continue his thieving, his actions now covered by Bouki’s misfortune. Bouki is caught and punished because of his misplaced trust in Malis, whose true intention was to trap him and cover up his own dishonest deeds.
The story is a timeless tale about the dangers of greed, deception, and impatience. It teaches that unethical actions often lead to unintended and painful consequences, and that betrayal can leave long-lasting damage in relationships. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder of the importance of acting with integrity, understanding the consequences of one’s actions, and the value of trust in any relationship.
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