Ka koh o da’amadima hoa ǃkamsia ǀoa o se tamatama ko koa ǂxan.
It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
Ka ǃkamsi sih ku tzi to’oma, ha se te ka o dshaua nǃobe gǃko.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Ku kare tokhom xabe ǁ’ang ha ǃka, dshauma tsi to’oma ǁ’a dshaua. “Mǃa ǂ’aun ǁae ha,” dshaumaǃo ǁ’ae te ko, “Mǃa ǁae ha kota da’ama ka ǃ’uin.”
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.”
Da’ama nǃo’o te ko nǁae. “ǁahm!” “Tani nǂahmsi!” “Gǃu!” “ǁaaaaahhhhmmm!!!”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Te ka si ho da’ama ju waqnhe khu ce te ǂxain. “Dongi re?!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Ju waqnhe coa te nǂuia khoe. “Mǃa ko m te ǁaea dongidi kota ha da’ama ko koqesi, te ka o tca mǃa du,” Siǃa gesin koe nǁae, “Xabe sa ǀ’an mǃa ko ǃxoo!” Siǃa gesin koe nǁae.
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.
Te dshau ce te ho ha nǀe’esi ko ǁ’akoa. Ha are ha ǂ’angsi ko tca ha o dua da’ama ǀkaua he. Ha ǀoa ǃ’han tca ha oo dua ha ǀ’ae.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Te toansi ha zaina tca ha te o ha da’ama te ha o ha taqe.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Kahinke, xabe ka da’ama khuian ha oo tzema gea okaa, tci nǀuiwaqnke gǀae ǂ’asara. Te dongi ma ǃ’am te ǃ’am ua koa ha gǀae ǀoa ǂ’aun gǁoba o ha taqe ma. Ka ǀoa nǁan tci nǀui xabe ka ha ku nǁuri, ha ǀoa ǁae ǂoan ha ǀ’ae ko ju. Ha taqe koh ǁhuin te ǁxuǁxuu. ǁ’Ae gesin ha du ka ha du ǁkoasa ǃhamhi ǂ’aun du.
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.
Nǃainǃai kota taun du tsaua ka ǀ’ae ko dongi nǃang. Ha ka ǀoa du tca ke te ǀoa du tca toa. Ha ka ǀoa kare tca ke te ǀoa kare tca toa. Ha ka ho ha ǀ’ae te taun, te ǀam nǀui, ha ǁu ǃaoa ha taqe ko kxaǀho.
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.
Ha ho ha ǀ’ae te tokhom. Ha ǃaah nǃhae ǁ’akoa ko gǀaohsi.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Ka ha u nǃomtsau okaa gǀu nǀang, te dongi nǃaan. “Hi haq?” ha ǂ’auce gogoma gǀunǃang. “Hi haq?” ka ce te nǁae ce. Ha ko nǀe’e. Ha nǂhom te nǃun ǂoa buru, gǃuh gu ha te ha ǀoa tsa’a jan.
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.
Dongi ǂxai te ho horekxaoa nǂhao khauru ǀxoa ha. Ha se ǁ’a ha gǀa’asi te ho tcisa ǂaqbe.
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.
Dongi u ge ǀxoa nǃaunǃa’an, jua nǃaroha ha ko tci ǃ’haoǃ’haosi du ǀxoa ǀxoah. Dongi ǂaeǂae te nǃaroh, te khuian nǃau o ǁaea ha. Sa huia khoe te tshi ǁkae.
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.
Nǃo’oma nǀui, nǃaunǃa’an gǂara dongi ǁ’a ha tani ǃ’an ha ko nǃomnǀai ǃka.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Gǁaoa gǃaǃkui ǃ’o sa tza. Dongi ǃ’un tca ha taqe te ǀkae te ǃ’au ha. Te ka ha ǂxai…
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
…gǃaǃkhuisi koara ǀxoa ha ǂara, nǃaunǃa’an.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
Toansi dongi ǃ’han tca ha ǂ’aun du.
Donkey finally knew what to do.
Dongi ho ha taqe, ha taqe tjian ha da’ama koh nǃan, sa sea khoe ko ǁ’aea gǂain. Te nǃahmma ǀ’ua khoe.
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.
Dongima sa ha taqe ǃ’am ǁkae te ho nǃam sa ǂhai, sa gǀea ǃansi kosin ǃansi. ǂ’Auce, tcisa ge nǁhomi sa, ju xabe coa te ǃxoana.
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.
