There was a little brown bean who wished he was a hotdog. Every day, he sat on a log in the farm, thinking about what he could do to become a hotdog.
One day, just as the farmer’s wife was going to cook some hotdogs for breakfast, the little brown bean tucked himself among the beef and spices. Then he said to himself, “Now, the farmer’s children will think I’m a hotdog and eat me for breakfast.”
But the farmer’s children could not be fooled so easily. The youngest, who was a real picky eater, was the first to discover this clever trick. “A bean!” he cried. “What’s a frothy, weenie bean doing in my food?”
His sister came to have a look, and there, hiding among the beef and spices was the little brown bean. The farmer’s children were mad that a bean had tried to fool them. So, they dug him out like he was some worthless thing and flicked him out the window.
The little brown bean was hurt, and he cried. He sat on the log in the farm and thought very hard about what he could do to become a hotdog.
Then, he decided to ask the farmer’s cow and pig. First, he went to the cow, who was having a nap in his shed. “Tell me, Moo Cow,” he said, “what can I do to become a hotdog?”
But the cow was mad that a bean had disturbed his nap, so he stamped his hooves and mooed so loudly that the little brown bean bumbled out of the shed in fright.
However, this prickly cow affair didn’t stop the bean. “The pig will be nice to me,” he said to himself when he was far away from the cowshed. So, off he ran to see the pig, who was swimming in a large puddle. “Tell me, Porky Pig,” he said, “what can I do to become a hotdog?”
The pig was twice as mad as the cow. Grunt! Grunt! Grunt! He grumbled and almost snorted the little brown bean with his powerful snout.
The little brown bean was lucky again. He’d scurried outside the pigsty before the piggy madness. But he was hurt, and he cried. He really wanted to become a hotdog.
One day, while he was sitting on the log and worrying as always, an old tortoise crawled by. The tortoise was surprised to find a lovely little bean sitting all by himself and looking so sad. “Why do you look sad?” asked the tortoise.
“I want to become a hotdog,” moaned the little brown bean.
“And why do you want to become a hotdog?” the tortoise asked, rolling his eyes.
“The farmer’s children won’t eat me,” he replied.
The tortoise thought for a while. “Well, I can make you become a hotdog,” he said.
The little brown bean couldn’t believe his luck! “I’m going to become a hotdog!” he sang.
Now, the tortoise was very clever. He crawled around the farm, plucking all the beans he could find. Next he asked the farmer’s hen for some eggs. Then he picked some onion and pepper. He even got some bread crumbs from the baker.
Then, he mashed the beans. He cracked the eggs. He chopped the onion and pepper, and he made a fine mixture from all of them. He worked really hard, stirring the mixture.
Meanwhile, the little brown bean was watching eagerly.
Soon, an enticing smell of bean burger was sizzling over a fire the tortoise had made. The smell wafted over the farm to the farmer’s kitchen where the children were going to eat hotdogs for lunch. However, the mouth-watering smell of beans filled the kitchen and was too much for their noses. Quickly, they abandoned their meal and raced to the farm. They arrived just in time to find the tortoise serving hot patties of bean burger. Very soon, the children were chomping on this freshly-baked recipe.
The little brown bean was delighted, and from that day on he was happy being a bean.
Read I’ll Never Give Up – Children’s Story by Lisa Ndobho, Tanzania
