It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
Apa wa henyine mudhidhimbi popepi, aye gha monine eshi napo mbuyama ghoyirama yiwadi.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Honyi ene ghutjima, mukamadighana gha henyine pepi noyo mbuyama. “Atwe twa kona kukara nendi,” hapa mukamadighana ha tokorire.” Ñanyi tuwa ture mumakungero mwene naye namwanendi.”
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.”
Kambututu ka karire eshi kana kumu. “Kukeme!” “Rete mangugho!” “Meyu!” ” Kuuuuukemeee!!!”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Ene apa ha monine kambututu, waheya ha reyire munyima ghuyapa. ” Thidongi?!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Waheya ha tangire kukanyeka. ” Twa ghambire eshi ñanyi mbotu kare nawo hanyinamunu namwana munu, nodyosho tu tende kemo,” haghambire hamwe. ” Ene ñanyi haku turetere dihudhi! haghambire hamweya.
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.
No mbuyama yu gha karire karo pithendi. Aye gha kwipudhurire eshi yinye shogha tende koyu mwanuke ghothitetu. Aye gha kwipudhurire eshi yinye shogha kutende thinda.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Ene kughuhura ghayi tamburire eshi mwanendi no aye ne yo nyina.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Opa no, oyo mwanuke ngo gha karire kengeyo, ghumbiru , yoyiheya pamweya ngoya kutjindjire. Ene thidongighana thakurire nokukura kate mbadi wa kukona kurikanya karo mumughongo wanyokwatho. No ngambi ngepi thakondjire, mbadi wakukara yira munu ghokupara. Nyina kehe pano nga ghayanga nokumundhanyaghuka. Maruvedhe ghamweya nyina ngamu tongweranga gha rughane yirughana eyi yina rughananga yimuna.
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.
Thidongi tha tangire kupimbana notokotoko dha tangire kukura mu mwatho. Mbadi nga thi rughananga yi noyiya temba. Mbadiko kukona thikare kenge. Tha tokotire thikuma, diyuwa dimwe, thathitire nyokwatho kate kuwera pamuve.
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 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.
Thidongi tha yendire thikatunge namukurupe ghokatughuru, oyu gha mu hongire mandhira ghomengi ghokupara. Dongi gha tegherere noghakuhongire, nothikadyo naye katughuru ghomukurupe. Nga ha kughamwenanga , no ngaha hekanga pofotji.
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.
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.
Dongighana nanyina hakurire pofotji nohawanine mandhira ghomengi ghoruparitho. Kate kandhi- kate kandhi, hakama paraghumbo ghamwe nawo ha tangire kutunga.
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.
Lindiwe Matshikiza
Meghan Judge
Maria M Dikuua
Thimbukushu
Level 3
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