Anansi and Nothing
A borrowed cloth wins Anansi admiration, but a poor man named Nothing discovers that kindness leaves the longer memory.
The Borrowed Cloth
Near Anansi’s small house stood the home of a wealthy man whose name was Nothing. When the two prepared to visit a neighbouring town, Nothing wore a beautiful velvet cloth and Anansi wore cotton patched at every corner.
Halfway there, Anansi complained that the sun was too hot for velvet. He persuaded Nothing to exchange clothes ‘only until the next tree.’ Then it became the next hill, then the next bend, then the edge of town.
The townspeople saw Anansi’s fine cloth and welcomed him as an important guest. They saw Nothing’s rags and turned away. Anansi accepted every greeting as though he had earned it.
Only one family looked past the worn cloth. They offered Nothing water, food and a place beside them. Their youngest daughter listened when he spoke and recognised the gentleness Anansi’s trick could not disguise.
Two Houses
Anansi returned home with many companions impressed by velvet and noise. Nothing returned with one wife who had chosen his character rather than his clothing.
At first Anansi’s household mocked the quiet couple. Yet the seasons changed. Nothing shared what he had, worked faithfully and never let a visitor leave hungry. His home filled with easy laughter.
Anansi’s home filled with quarrels. Everyone had arrived expecting riches. When the borrowed cloth frayed and the truth came out, admiration disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
Still Anansi blamed Nothing. Tricksters often become angry when another person’s honest life reveals the cost of their own cleverness.
A Name Remains
Nothing’s neighbours remembered his generosity long after the velvet cloth had become a rag. When grief visited his household, people came from every path to sit with the family.
Children heard the mourners and asked why everyone was crying. The answer travelled from house to house: they were crying for Nothing.
The sentence remained even after the story’s first tellers were gone. Adults still say a child is ‘crying for nothing,’ though the old tale reminds us that Nothing was once someone worth mourning.
A name may sound empty and a cloth may look rich. Neither tells you what a person carries inside. For that, you must stay long enough to watch how they treat people who can offer them nothing.