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.”
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.
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.
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.
گوێدرێژەكە شەرمەزار بوو. ئەو هەڵات و هەتا توانی به خێرای دوور كەوتەوە.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
كاتێك ئه‌و لە غاردان ڕاوه‌ستا، شەو داهاتبوو، و گوێدرێژەكە ڕێی ون کرد بوو. ئەو لە تاریكایی دا دەیزەڕاند: “هی ها!” و دەنگی دەدایەوە. ئەو تەنیا بوو. ئەو خۆی وەك تۆپێك گڵۆڵە كرد و چووە ناو خەوێكی قووڵ و ناخۆشەوە.
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.
گوێدرێژکە رۆیشت تا لەگەڵ پیرە پیاوەكە بژی، ئەو زۆر ڕێگەی جیاوازی بۆ ژیان کردن فێر كرد. گوێدرێژەکە گوێڕایەڵی كرد و فێر بوو، پیرە پیاوەكەش هەر وای کرد. ئەوان یارمەتی یەكتریان دهدا و پێكەوە‌ش پێده‌که‌نین.
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.
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.
جاشكەكە و دایكی بەیەكەوە گەورە بوون و پێكەوە ڕێگای زۆری جۆراوجۆریان بۆ ژیان دیتەوە. وردە، وردە، بنەماڵەی دیکەش هاتن و لە دەوروبەری ئەوان نیشتەجێ بوون.
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
Agri Afshin
Kurdish (Sorani)
Level 3
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