Kiro kimu wakame akaba nagendera harubaju rw’enyanja.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
N’ensere ekaba eroho, negenda kwemaramara nokulya ebinyansi ebirungi.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Ensere etarole ngu wakame ekaba eroho kandi yarubata ekigere kyayo etakigenderire. Wakame yatokera haiguru kandi yatandika nokukunga, “Lwe nsere! Tolikurora ngu orubasire ekigere kyange?”
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?”
Nsere yasaba ekiganyiro hali wakame, “Nganyira munywani wange. Tinkuboine. Caali nganyira!” Baitu wakame atahulirize kandi yatoka, “Okikozire okigenderire! Ekiro ekindi noija kurora! Noija kusasura!”
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!”
Wakame akagenda kuserra omurro kandi yagamba, “Genda, oyokye Nsere obwararuga omumaizi kugenda kulya ebinyansi andubasirege.”
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.”
Hanyumaho, nsere akaba nalya ebinyansi haraho ne Nyanja. “Whoosh!” omurro gwarugwamu omwika. Omwika gwatandika kwokya obwoya bw’ensere.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Nsere yatandika kurra kandi nairuka nagenda mumaizi. Obwoya bwayo bukaba buhyeriire omumurro.
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!”
Nikyo habwaki enseretegenda hara namaizi habwokutina kuhyera mumurro. Wakame ekasemererwa muno obuyahulire nsere ahire, yagamba, “Musaswize!”
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.
