The Two Friends and the Gourd: An African-American Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Greed and Humility

In the moss-draped pinewoods of the Carolina coast, where the air hummed with old songs and stories, two friends journeyed together through the wild. One was gentle and grateful for every blessing, while the other burned with restless greed. As evening fell, they came upon a quiet grove where a pale gourd grew upon a vine. When the kind man approached, the gourd spoke in a soft voice, asking for food. Without hesitation, he broke off his last piece of cornbread and offered it. The gourd trembled, and from its mouth poured shining gold. “Take only what you need,” it whispered, and the man, humble and thankful, obeyed. But when the greedy friend returned alone, his hunger for wealth consumed him. He stuffed the gourd with food and shouted for more and more gold. The gourd began to quake, its mouth widening into a great dark hollow, and before he could flee, it swallowed him whole. When the kind friend came back, the forest was still. He bowed his head and walked on, leaving the gold behind, for he knew the woods remember every heart that passes through them.