Ezuva limwe, Ndimba kwa gendere koyiha yomukuro.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Mvhuu nage yiko gakere, kwa zire mokugenda nokulya wayi wouwa wosinamahako.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Mvhuu kapi ga mwene Ndimba asi nage yiko gakarerere hararasi ta lyata ndimba kokuguru. Ndimba ta tameke kutakumina Mvhuu. “Ove Mvhuu! kapi ono kumona asi kuna kulyata nge kokuguru?”
Hippo didn’t see that Rabbit was there and she accidentally stepped on Rabbit’s foot.
Rabbit started screaming at Hippo, “You Hippo! Can’t you see that you’re stepping on my foot?”
Mvhuu ta pura egusiropo kwa Ndimba, “Mbili. Kapi nakumono. Nakanderere gusirangepo!” Nye Ndimba kapi ga mu purakenene ta zigire kwa mvhuu asi, “Ove kuna yiruganene nositambo! Ezuva limwe, ngoyimona! Ngo yi futira tupu!”
Hippo apologised to Rabbit, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Please forgive me!”
But Rabbit wouldn’t listen and he shouted at Hippo, “You did that on purpose! Someday, you’ll see! You’re going to pay!”
Ndimba kwa zire a ka simbe mundiro makura ta uuyunga asi, “Kaze, ngo hwike Mvhuu apa nga pwaga momema a ya lye wayi. Morwa age kuna lyata nge!” Mundiro tagu limburura asi, “Kwato udigu, Ndimba, kaume gwange. Nani yirugana eyi ono pura nge.”
Rabbit went to find Fire and said, “Go, burn Hippo when she comes out of the water to eat grass. She stepped on me!”
Fire answered, “No problem, Rabbit, my friend. I’ll do just what you ask.”
Konyima, Mvhuu age kuna kulya wayi ure nomukuro, “Pwaa!” Mundiro tagu cuka nohanze. Makura nohanze tadi hwike nohuki damvhuu.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Mvhuu ta tameke kulira makura ta dukire momema. Nohuki dendi nadinye dina pi komundiro. Mvhuu ta twikire kulira asi, “Nohuki dange dina pi komundiro! Nohuki dange nadinye dina zi! Nohuki dange donongwa!”
Hippo started to cry and ran for the water. All her hair was burned off by the fire.
Hippo kept crying, “My hair has burned in the fire! My hair is all gone! My beautiful hair!”
Ndimba kwa hefe morwa nohuki da Mvhuu dina pi. Kutunda ezuva olyo, Mvhuu kwa kara noutjirwe womundiro kapi a kara hena ure nomema.
Rabbit was happy that Hippo’s hair was burned.
And to this day, for fear of fire, the hippo never goes far from the water.
