Khalai hin he. Ha o barahsa o sewe. Ha ǃu ku nǁa tca oo he ha te o ju jan ko si thari nǃang, Lubukusu.
This is Khalai. She is seven years old. Her name means ‘the good one’ in her language, Lubukusu.
Khalai ǂxai te ku nǂoahn ǀxoa nǃoh ǃaihna. “ǀXom a nǃoh ǃahina, ǃ’am nǃa’an ka ǀ’an e ko nǃoh sa nǃom he ǂhai.”
Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree. “Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges.”
Khalai nǂhao gǃa skore. Te nǃama nǃang ha ku nǂoahn ǀxoa ǁ’aisi. “ǁ’A isi mi ǀxom i, ǃ’am nǀang kaice ǀauhn nǀang nǁau ǃkau.”
Khalai walks to school. On the way she talks to the grass. “Please grass, grow greener and don’t dry up.”
Khalai ǂaun tzi goasi. “Go mi ǀxom i, sin ku ǁ’an nǀang mi gǁaoa i ko mi nǀai ǃkuisi.”
Khalai passes wild flowers. “Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair.”
Skore khoara, Khalai kokxui ǀxoa ǃaihan nǀanga ǁ’ami. “Mi ǀxom a ǃaihn, du coe a ǁ’hausa ǂ’hai nǀang kxoe nǀang eǃa ku gea ka ǃharisi ka nǁaqara.”
At school, Khalai talks to the tree in the middle of the compound. “Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade.”
Khalai kokxui ǀxoa tarah o skore ga. “A re ca ku ǃ’am gǀaoha ko ǃ’aia ju ǀkainǀkainsi ko gǃa’ama skore tarah nǃang.”
Khalai talks to the hedge around her school. “Please grow strong and stop bad people from coming in.”
Te ka Khalai ǁama skore he gǃa tjuǀho, ha ǀ’hoo gǀae nǃoh ǃaihan. “A nǃohsi re ciniha ǀoa nǃom?” Khalai koe tsitsa’a.
When Khalai returns home from school, she visits the orange tree. “Are your oranges ripe yet?” asks Khalai.
“Nǃoh cinihaǀauhn,” Khalai koe se kxui. “Mi ku nǃo’omaǃo se a nǃoh ǃaihan.” Khalai koe nǁae. “Khoe nǀui a gǀae kxae na nǃoh nǀuia nǃom!”
“The oranges are still green,” sighs Khalai. “I will see you tomorrow orange tree,” says Khalai. “Perhaps then you will have a ripe orange for me!”
