Cyndi Dionetta Amankwah

La Petit Mushroom Cyndi Dionetta Amankwah

The story is told of the town known for its peaceful nature, it was originally known as Amankwah Krom. The people (mushrooms) woke up one day to the horror of having some members of the community getting attacked and mauled by a leopard. Activities in the town came to a standstill; the town was known for its farming and fishing activities. Children would gather around a large bonfire to listen to stories told by older folks. Some would go to the town square and engage in all manner of sporting activities such as Chaskele( hitting an empty can - with a stick in bid to make it enter an old bucket or basket, or a person would hit the can and make it travel a long distance, then an opponent is made to chase after it )..... others would tie a cloth around their waist and run around as the wind blows through, to make it feel as though riding in a parachute. The young women would gather in groups to chat about the days happenings whilst the young men would talk about some latest beauty they have laid eyes on; others would teach a new trick they have learnt, play draft or wrestle each other. A month after Maame Ama's encounter with the supposed Leopard; school children returning from school one afternoon were attacked and one of them was carried away to an unknown destination by a leopard. The whole community was abashed and didn't know whether to believe it or not. Because the witnesses were children, they gave all forms of report; the description of the savage would either point to a hyena, a lion or a leopard. Other children also disclosed they only saw their friend disappear into the forest, oblivious of whom or what took him. They only thing that made the story believable was the fact that a child was missing. The young men of the town formed into groups to search through the forest. They carried machetes and locally manufactured guns; they searched through the whole area but couldn't locate the boy. No sign indicated he had been carried away. They returned very disappointed.