REVISITING THE ROOTS SERIES (RRS)

One lazy fellow went to town frantically in search of a ladder. He made it clear that he wouldn't  mind purchasing one if there is none to borrow or rent. He went from pillar to post, called at every nook and cranny, went far and near, just to get a ladder. He has a task at hand, and a ladder is of uttermost importance in completing the task. Eventually he got one, but according to him, was too small for the task he needed it for. He further went into town in search of a longer ladder until he was asked the purpose for which he needed the ladder. 

"You want to tap palm wine?" 

"No."

"You want to mend your roof?" 

"No."

"Then you must be building a new house." 

"N--O...No!'

Tired of his monotonous answer, he was asked to declare the intention for which he needed a ladder. 

"Then tell us what you want to do with a ladder." 

"I need it for a big and serious task," he said. 

It was later it became public knowledge that ogbeni alakaba needed a ladder, a big one at that, to climb a ridge. When he was sighted, he became the butt of jokes and mockery. 

"He wants to climb a ridge," chorused the mob "and he needs a ladder!"

"Just how tall is a ridge that a ladder is needed to climb it," one sharp-tongued woman lashed him.

"Even kukute, the dwarf, shouldn't need a ladder to climb a ridge!" another lampooned him. 

"Less we continue to waste our time,  let's leave him to his deceit and go to attend to other things of greater value. He can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but he cannot fool all the people all the time," the most elderly of them counselled. 

Almost immediately, they dispersed, disappointed, hissing and speaking in hushed tones, wondering when a ridge became a bridge. The next market day, it was the trending gist among market women and became a saying--the one who wants to climb a ridge with a ladder (alagabagebe)--to describe someone who is deceitful, insincere, cunning and hypocritical, in the agrarian community. 

Inspired by the Yoruba descriptive, alagabagebe.