My tale flies, rolls, and falls on a man.

He was a special man.

He had arms and legs, but no eyes.

His hair was long, but it was not real.

It was straw that was so long that it covered his face.

This man was a divine creature who lived in a large forest.

He would spend each day wandering around the forest.

Every day he went on long hikes.

When he got hungry he would make his way out of the forest.

And into a large, grassy field where he would shout, "Undeelu!"

Suddenly, the grass would disappear and the ground would be bare.

Delicious food would appear out of nowhere.

All different types of food surrounded him in the field.

All of his favorite foods and drinks would fall right into the empty calabash that he kept at his side.

He would wash his hands and prepare to eat and drink.

He would eat as much as he wanted.

If he got thirsty, there was plenty of water for him to drink.

If anyone passed by, the man invited them to join him and eat the beautiful food.

It was like a big picnic that brought joy to the hearts of everyone.

Once the feast was done, and the man was full, he would cry out again, "Undeelu!"

All of the food would suddenly disappear and the grass would grow back.

The man would put his calabash back into his pocket.

With one last cry of "Undeelu", he would walk back into the forest to continue his endless hike.

This story is based on a folktale from Benin Republic, and was documented by the Trois Soeurs Education Fund as part of the project Preservation Culturelle par les Arts (PreCArt). The story was originally told in the Fongbé language.

Thank you to the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, and the U.S. Department of State, for their generous financial support of PreCArt. Thank you to Hector Sonon and Ubuntuu who trained the children to illustrate.