Wan maanin orli Vuusi grani kaal im, “Vuusi, du kyari da eg ya go a yu pierens yaad. Dem waan fi mek wahn big kiek fi yu sista wedn”.
Early one morning Vusi’s granny
called him, “Vusi, please take this
egg to your parents. They want to
make a large cake for your sister’s
wedding.”
Pan im wie go a im pierens, Vuusi bok op inna tuu bwaai pikni a pik fruut. Wan a di bwaai pikni dem grab di eg frahn Vuusi an fling it aafa wahn chrii. Di eg brok.
On his way to his parents, Vusi met
two boys picking fruit. One boy
grabbed the egg from Vusi and shot
it at a tree. The egg broke.
“A we yu du?” Vuusi baal out. “Da eg de a fi wahn kiek. Di kiek a fi mi sista wedn. Wa mi sista ago se ef shi no av no wedn kiek?”
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That egg was for a cake. The cake
was for my sister’s wedding. What
will my sister say if there is no
wedding cake?”
Di bwaai pikni did sari fi a tiiz Vuusi. “Wi kyaahn elp wid di kiek, bot si wahn waakin stik ya fi yu sista,” wan a dem se. Vuusi kantinyu pan im jorni.
The boys were sorry for teasing
Vusi.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is a walking stick for your
sister,” said one.
Vusi continued on his journey.
Pan di wie im bok op inna tuu man a bil a ous. “Wi kyan yuuz da chrang stik de?” wan a dem aks se. Bot di stik no chrang inof fi bil ous, an it brok.
Along the way he met two men
building a house. “Can we use that
strong stick?” asked one.
But the stick was not strong enough
for building, and it broke.
“A we yu du?” Vuusi baal out se. “Da stik de a did wahn prezent fi mi sista. Di fruut-pika gi mi di stik kaaz dem brok di eg fi di kiek. Di kiek a did fi mi sista wedn. Nou no eg no de-de, no kiek, an no prezent. Wa mi sista ago se?”
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That stick was a gift for my sister.
The fruit pickers gave me the stick
because they broke the egg for the
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Di bilda dem did sari fi brok di stik. “Wi kyaahn elp wid di kiek, bot si som schraa ya fi yu sista,” wan a dem se. An den Vuusi kantinyu pan im jorni.
The builders were sorry for breaking
the stick.
“We can’t help with the cake, but
here is some thatch for your sister,”
said one.
And so Vusi continued on his
journey.
Pan di wie, Vuusi bok op inna wahn faama an wahn kou. “Da schraa de luk laik it ties nais, mi kyan ties it?” di kou se. Bot di schraa did ties so gud dat di kou nyam aaf aal a it.
Along the way, Vusi met a farmer
and a cow. “What delicious thatch,
can I have a nibble?” asked the cow.
But the thatch was so tasty that the
cow ate it all!
“A we yu du?” Vuusi baal out se. “Da schraa de a did wahn prezent fi mi sista. Di bilda dem gi mi di schraa bikaaz dem brok di stik we di fruut-pika gi mi. Di fruut-pika gi mi di stik kaaz dem brok di eg fi mi sista kiek. Di kiek a did fi mi sista wedn. Nou no eg no de-de, no kiek, an no prezent. We mi sista a go se?”
“What have you done?” cried Vusi.
“That thatch was a gift for my
sister. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for my sister’s
cake. The cake was for my sister’s
wedding. Now there is no egg, no
cake, and no gift. What will my
sister say?”
Di kou did sari se shi did so krievn. Di faama agrii se di kou kuda go wid Vuusi az a prezent fi im sista. An so, Vuusi gwaan we im did a go.
The cow was sorry she was greedy.
The farmer agreed that the cow
could go with Vusi as a gift for his
sister. And so Vusi carried on.
Bot di kou ron go bak tu di faama wen a dina taim. An Vuusi get laas pan im wie. Im riich liet-liet fi im sista wedn. Di ges dem did a nyam aredi.
But the cow ran back to the farmer
at supper time.
And Vusi got lost on his journey.
He arrived very late for his sister’s
wedding. The guests were already
eating.
“A we mi a go du?” Vuusi baal out se. “Di kou we ron we a did wahn prezent, fi di schraa we di bilda dem gi mi. Di bilda dem gi mi di schraa bikaaz dem brok di stik we di fruut-pika dem gi mi. Di fruut-pika gi mi di stik bikaaz dem brok di eg fi di kiek. Di kiek a did fi di wedn. Nou no eg, no kiek, an no prezent.”
“What shall I do?” cried Vusi.
“The cow that ran away was a gift,
in return for the thatch the builders
gave me. The builders gave me the
thatch because they broke the stick
from the fruit pickers. The fruit
pickers gave me the stick because
they broke the egg for the cake.
The cake was for the wedding. Now
there is no egg, no cake, and no
gift.”
Vuusi sista tingk fi a wail, den shi se, “Vuusi mi breda, mi no riili bizniz bout no prezent. Mi no iivn kier bout no kiek! Aal a wi de ya tugeda, an mi api. Nou, go put aan yu gud kluoz an mek wi selibriet tide!” An so, a dat Vuusi did du.
Vusi’s sister thought for a while,
then she said,
“Vusi my brother, I don’t really care
about gifts. I don’t even care about
the cake! We are all here together, I
am happy. Now put on your smart
clothes and let’s celebrate this
day!”
And so that’s what Vusi did.
Nina Orange
Wiehan de Jager
Georgette McGlashen
Jamaican Creole
Level 4
The audio for this story is currently not available.
