It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
To aneno dhako ma yac ma omako iye.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Jo calo mawan jo jolo dhako no to doŋ both wan.
Shy but brave, the little girl moved nearer to the woman.
“We must keep her with us,” the little girl’s people decided. “We’ll keep her and her child safe.”
I dyer wor dhako no okoko ni, “Nyathi! Eno nyathi wok.”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Dhako no to nywolo punda.
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Ji jo penjere ni, “Wa no tim nedi?”
Everyone began to argue.
“We said we would keep mother and child safe, and that’s what we’ll do,” said some.
“But they will bring us bad luck!” said others.
Ji jo ŋweco kwoŋ go. To dhako no paro ni, “A la timere nedi gi nyathi me?”
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Rumacen, dhako no oyere to maro nyathi pere.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Nyathi no odongo, obedo ma dwoŋ, ma odhyero kir min tiŋo.
Now, if the child had stayed that same, small size, everything might have been different. But the donkey child grew and grew until he could no longer fit on his mother’s back.
And no matter how hard he tried, he could not behave like a human being. His mother was often tired and frustrated. Sometimes she made him do work meant for animals.
Min obedo gi gut. Nyathi pere bende omako nge to gweyo go.
Confusion and anger built up inside Donkey. He couldn’t do this and he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like this and he couldn’t be like that.
He became so angry that, one day, he kicked his mother to the ground.
Oŋweco woko munyo oneno min opodho piny.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Nyathi punda odoŋ kende, kec oneko, ool, to nindo kwalo.
By the time he stopped running, it was night, and Donkey was lost.
“Hee haw?” he whispered to the darkness.
“Hee Haw?” it echoed back. He was alone.
Curling himself into a tight ball, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
Donkey woke up to find a strange old man staring down at him. He looked into the old man’s eyes and started to feel a twinkle of hope.
Jalo otiŋo go to dok gine peco pere.
Donkey went to stay with the old man, who taught him many different ways to survive.
Donkey listened and learned, and so did the old man. They helped each other, and they laughed together.
Nyathi punda otiŋo jalo i gongo munyo otegino.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Ndir acel, jo idho wi got moro kir malo, jo ol to jo podho nindo.
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
Munyo nyathi punda ocew, onwaŋo ni nitye kende kendo.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
Nyathi punda obedo gi gut. Owotho ka gi kaca rango min.
Donkey finally knew what to do.
Nyathi punda oneno dhano moro to penjere ni, “Meno
Donkey found his mother, alone and mourning her lost child. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then hugged each other very hard.
Wok i ndiri no nyahti punda gi min jo bedo ka nyacel. Tiŋo min to wotho gi ne.
The donkey child and his mother have grown together and found many ways of living side by side.
Slowly, all around them, other families have started to settle.
Lindiwe Matshikiza
Meghan Judge
Owino Ogot
Dhopadhola
Level 3
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