When the Rooster Wanted to Be King

Once upon a sunrise that refused to come, there lived a proud rooster named Kokoro in the noisy village of Amatokpa.

Kokoro was no ordinary rooster. His feathers shimmered like fire, and his red comb stood tall like a royal crown.

Every morning, before even the crickets finished their last song, Kokoro would jump on the fence and shout:

“Kokorokoooo! The King of the Dawn has spoken!”

The villagers believed he was announcing the sunrise.

But Kokoro believed he made the sunrise.

One lazy afternoon, while goats chewed gossip and monkeys played tricks, Kokoro strutted into the village square.

“Why should Lion be king?” he crowed. “He sleeps all day while I wake the world! I deserve the throne!”

The animals gasped so loud that even the clouds stopped moving.

The wise old Owl adjusted his spectacles and said

“So you claim the sun rises because of you?”

“Of course!” Kokoro replied proudly. “The sun is my cousin! He never starts work until I call!”

The Owl nodded slowly

“Then prove it. Tomorrow, don’t crow. Let’s see if your cousin still rises.”

Kokoro puffed his chest.

“Ha! Prepare to live in darkness!”

That night, Kokoro couldn’t sleep. He dreamt of wearing a golden crown and sitting on Lion’s throne.

At dawn, Kokoro stood tall on his fence and kept his beak shut.

Minutes passed.

Then hours.

But the sky stayed dark.

The goats bumped into trees.

The hens complained they couldn’t find breakfast.

Even Lion tripped over his tail in the darkness.

Kokoro fluffed his feathers proudly and said,

“Aha! The sun is waiting for my royal call! Let him sweat a little,he’ll learn who truly rules the dawn!”

Then, from the next village, came the cry of another rooster:

“Kokorokoooo!”

And just like that, the sun leapt into the sky, shining brightly!

The animals cheered.

The Owl chuckled.

And Lion laughed so hard.

Ashamed, Kokoro tried to hide, but the sunlight followed him everywhere.

From that day on, he woke up extra early just to make sure the sun hadn’t forgotten him.

And that’s why roosters still crow before dawn, hoping to prove they’re still useful.

No matter how brightly you shine, remember the world was shining long before you learned to crow.

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