The audio for this story is currently not available.
Oduzi alu ito ri koya meri tisi.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Robi isa naa kupi vua ka ana
ayise luso ri nya.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Robi ondre ito ni naa ni kuru,
andraunzi, otipa ito ito a
panidri. Ho oza ere! “Nyirobi,
indre imba mapa nidri ni kuya?”
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?”
Robi ojo nyidemani kiza, mide
andiruku nyebemani ra ma ozi.
Ki ito eri kuru, oza Robi nidri:
“Nyide ta dii andidru! Oduzi alu,
nyindrea madrira! Nyima
uhwera!”
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!”
Naivu ito oya aci dri, ojo aci ni, “nyiya nyigwe Robi ni jo efu angwe ayise nyare
rai, otu ma pani!” Aci ai, “unziku ma ozi. Midea ondi nyajokaa tediani.”
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.”
Oluga, Robi efu eyiasi angwe,
ido ka ana ayise nya, mgbwesa
aci omvu: “Bila!” Ido Robia bini
gweka.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Robi ori ooka, vua ofe eyia. Bi
Robi dri ogwe yote pi, Robi olu
koo: “Mabi ogwe acisipi! Nyigwe
mabini ra, mabi oe iyo, mabi
loso, loso dii.”
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!”
Dii ra bodia Robi oya kare lolu eyi ako riiga kurii. Adri kokoako, kojo a Aci ka
anigwe. Ito a asi engwi engwi egbwe Robia gweka sii, ojo: “Mingwi madria tini
ra!”
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.
