African mythology: Njabala and her ghost mother.

Long ago in Busoga, there lived a girl named Njabala. Her mother loved her so much that she did everything for her, including household chores. Njabala's daily routine consisted of eating, playing, and sleeping. Her mother catered to her every need until she became an adult.

Unfortunately, Njabala's mother passed away, and she was married off to a farmer. However, Njabala didn't know how to cook or do household chores. Whenever her husband left for work, Njabala would call out to her late mother's ghost, singing, "Come, my mother, you who raised me with too much coddling." The ghost would appear and help Njabala with her tasks.

The ghost would sing instructions, such as "Njabala, Njabala, you will make me known to your son-in-law. Women dig like this...Njabala, they cut the weeds and pull with the hoe." Njabala relied on her ghost mother's guidance for everything, even cooking. Her husband, unaware of the ghost's presence, was impressed with his wife's skills and bragged about her in the market centers.

One day, Njabala's husband followed her to the garden and was shocked to see her sitting idle while the hoe dug the ground on its own, accompanied by an unseen voice singing. The husband was so shocked and frightened by what he saw that he couldn't move or speak. He just stood there, frozen in disbelief. Finally, he regained his composure and decided that he couldn't continue living with a wife who was being helped by a ghost. He told Njabala that he wanted to send her back to her family, hoping to escape the supernatural events that had invaded his life.

Njabala was devastated when her husband told her he wanted to send her away. She begged him to stay, promising to change and learn how to do things on her own. But her husband was resolute. He couldn't take the strange occurrences anymore and wanted a normal life.

As Njabala walked towards her late mother's home, she called out to her ghost mother, singing, "Come, my mother, you who raised me with too much coddling." The ghost appeared, and Njabala asked her what she would do without her help. The ghost mother sang, "Njabala, Njabala, you will learn to dig like this...Njabala, you will learn to cook and clean on your own."

And with that, the ghost vanished, leaving Njabala to face her new life alone. Njabala realized that her mother's coddling had not prepared her for the challenges of life, but she was determined to learn and become independent. She left her husband's home, ready to start a new chapter in her life.