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.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Dichi neyi ona mwana washakamini nakushika hachipimu China, kasi yuma yezhima yahimpili. Ilan’ga ona Donki wakuli ninochu chashikiliyu hachipimu chakadi kushika kunyima ya mama yindi. Mudi mwezhima esekeleliyu hahimpili yilwilu neyi muntuku. Mama yindi wadin’ga wahila na wakuzeya nawa. Impinji zhikwawu wamwililen’ga kukon’ga nyidimu zhatunyama.
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.
Kuhila nachambu chenzili mudi Donki. Wakan’genyi kwilizhi hela kwila zhina. Wakan’genyi kwikala China hela kwikala ichi. Wahilili chakubadika dichi ifuku dimu wahinwini mama yindi heseki.
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.
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 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.
Ifuku dimu ona iyala wehweli Donki kumutwala hewulu da impidi
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Hewulu damavwi henahana, wena akamini tulu. Donki waloteli neyi mama yindi nakati kaha nawa wadin’ga nakumubideka. Chahindukiliyi....
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
… Mavwi hadin’ga hosi hamu nanona ibwambi dindi.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
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.
Mwana wa Donki na mama yindi anakulili hamu kaha nawa anawani zhinzhila zhazhivulu zhakushakaminamu. Kufuma hana, antu amakwawu apompeli nakutachika kushakama hamu nawu.
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.
