A mother had four children, two sons, and two daughters. One day, she sent them to the market with some bananas to sell. The children carried the bananas in baskets that had been woven by the mother and her daughters. Before they left, she warned them: “Don’t separate from one another, stay together and please watch over your sisters.” She turned to the boys as who were older than the girls. Moreover, it was expected of boys and men to take of the girls and women in the society. “Please don’t stay in the market until it is too late. Remember to come home early before the sun sets.” She reminded them. They waved their mother goodbye and they left.

Once they reached the market, the boys wanted to go and play.
“But mother said that we can’t separate from each other”, the girls complained.
“We won’t play for long. Plus we won’t go too far. We will just play a little bit then come back to help you with the bananas”, the boys insisted.
“But that will be disobeying mother”, the girls persisted.
“Mother doesn’t have to know. We will be back in no time it will be like we never left”, the boys won’t give up. So they left.

The girls stayed to sell the bananas. They were singing some songs that their grandmother had taught them while waiting for the customers. Soon, an old woman approached their stand. She had long white hair that curled to her waist. She wore open sandals and her toenail was long and white. She walked slowly and it seemed as if the wind followed her as she moved.

“Hello, little ones.” She greeted the girls. “Can I have some bananas, please.” She took out a silver purse and took out enough coins to buy all the bananas that they had. The old woman started to leave but then stopped and turned back to the girls.
“Are you all by yourself little ones?” She asked.
“No. We came with our brothers but they went to play.” They answered.
“Well, girls, you need to go home as it is about to rain.” She said while looking up at the sky.
The girls followed her gaze upwards but did not see any sign of the rain. The sun was hot and bright as usual, while the clouds were scattered. There was no wind and the afternoon seemed still.
“We will wait for our brothers to come back so that we can go back home together. They promised that they won’t be long and our mother asked us not to separate from each other.” The little sisters protested.
“But your brothers separated from you. You need to go back home now and I will find your brothers and bring them home too.”

The elderly woman managed to convince them and they left for home. When they reached home, they told their mother what had happened. The mother hoped that her sons would go back home soon and safe.

Suddenly, there was a strong wind. The clouds began gathering and blocked the sun. As it was darkening, storm pellets crushed the ground.

The boys ran to where they had left their sisters but could not find them. Anxiously, they started looking for them around the market. They believed that there is no way that they could have sold all the bananas and left for home without them. They decided to stay in the market until the rain stopped so that they could look for their siblings. However, the rain only became heavier. Suddenly, the boys realized that there was no one else in the market. It was just the two of them. The outside had become very dark that it was becoming difficult to see. They ran around trying to seek shelter in people’s houses but everyone had locked their doors.

A blinding lightning flashed through the sky. A thunder, loud enough to burst eardrums struck. The two boys stood still but shaking in the inside. From the houses they could hear people singing:

You spirit from the sea

Go and depart from me

You come in the storm

A scary form

Your hair grey, your toe white

You love dark, I love the light

As if from the darkness, the old lady with the long white hair, and long white toenail appeared before the boys. The boys had heard tales of Nyawawa, the sea spirit who swallows those that are outside when it is raining. But they had never seen one before. Now she was standing in front of them. They were trembling and crying. They did not want to be swallowed by the sea spirit.

“Why did you disobey your mother?” The sea lady asked.
“We are sorry Nyawawa. We won’t disobey our mother again. ” The boys cried for forgiveness.
“Why did you separate from your sisters?” She continued intimidating them.
“We are sorry Nyawawa. We will never leave our sisters alone again. They cried some more.
“I have forgiven you because you have admitted your mistakes and asked for forgiveness. I can see that you are good children but do not repeat those mistakes. Always listen to your parents and obey them. Do what they tell you respectfully.” She advised.
“Yes, Nyawawa. We have heard you.”

Suddenly, it stopped raining. The dull heavy clouds became scattered again and the dusky sun revealed some golden red light on the horizon.

The boys rushed home as fast as their little feet could allow them. They found their mother worried sick over their disappearance during the storm. They told her and their sisters what had happened and vowed to never disobey their mother again. They would always watch over their sisters.