The audio for this story is currently not available.
Kwa kere munonagona gomukadona ga hovere kumona sihwi sa hana divilisa sinano sokoure.
It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.
Sihwi esi eyi sina kuhenya popepi, age ta mono asi nani mukadi ga kere nomarutu gavali ogu ga kulisire unene.
As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Woma nye noupenda, mukadonagona ta henyene pepi nomukadi ogu. “Ose twa hepa ku kara nendi,” vantu womukadonagona yimo va tokwere. “Ose ngatu kara nendi yimo tupu nokupakera mbili munendi sinka.”
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.”
Mukeke kwa kere ana siki.
“Kondja!” “Reta nonguho!”
“Mema!” “Waaaaahhh!!!
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Nye apa va mwene mukeke, nkenye gumwe kwa vatukire valipore ko nokuvapwaga. “Sindongi?!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Nkenye gumwe kwa retere po nompata. “Ose kuna uyunga asi ngatu kara nazina ntani nokupakare sinka mukeke, ntani eyi yiyo ngatu rugana,” vamwe yimo vauyungire. “Nye eyi nga yi tu retera ehudi lyedona!” yimo va tente vakwawo.
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.
Ano mukadi ogu simpe kwa ka kere gelike hena. Age kwalipulire eyi navhura kurugana kuhamena munona ogu goyitetu. Age kwalipulire eyi navhura kulirugana mwene.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Nye mouhura ga yitambwire ko asi age kwa kere munwendi ntani age kwa kere zinya.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Pwangesi, ngano asi munona ogu kwa hulire poopena, moununu, ngano nayinye mopeke yina kara. Nye munona goSidongi kwa kulire dogoro nokuvhura si kugwaneka momugongo gozina. Nampili ngapi ga vhulire kuhetekera ko, kapi ga vhulire kulikida ukaro wosinauntu. Onane vendi nkenye apa kwa kere neroroko ntani nelimbiliro. Poyiruwo yimwe ngava mu pe a rugane yirugana yiwapera yikorama.
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.
Epiyagano nehandu kwa ligwederere monda zoSindongi. Asi kapi tarugana eyi ntani kapi tarugane yina. Kapi ta vhuru ku kara ngesi ntani kapi ta vhuru ku kara ngosina. Age kwa handukire sili unene asi, ezuva limwe, age nga sangera ozina pevhu.
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.
Sindongi kwa lifire nomuga. Age kwa tamekere kuduka a ze ure ntani kwa dukire unene moomu ga vhulira.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Siruwo esi ga ka hagekere kuduka, kwa kere masiku, ntani Sindongi kwa kere ana zumbana. “Oooohwhw Oooohwhw?” Ta wowotere momundema. Sikumozwi ta si mutengwire. Age kwa livhunya-vhunyine mwene ngombara zina zinzi, ta pwire monompofu ntani nompofu domaudigu.
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.
Sindongi kwa hasumuka ta mono muswamane ga hana divilisa ana munungurukire. Age ta tarurura momenho gomuswamane ogu ntani ta tameke ku kara nelizuvho lyehuguvaro.
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.
Sindongi yipo ga zire a ka tunge nomuswamane, ogu ga ka murongere nompito dononzi dokuvhura kuparuka. Sindongi nga purakena nokulironga, ntani muswamane nage ngosikwawo. Awo ngava livatere-vatere, ntani owo ngava zoro kumwe.
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.
Ngurangura zimwe, muswamane kwa pulire Sindongi simudamune dogoro keguro lyondundu.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
Keguru lyondundu mokatji komaremo navenye tava pwire monompofu. Sindongi ta roto asi onane vendi tava vere ntani kuna kumuzigida. Ntani apa ga hasumukire…
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
… maremo gana dongonoka yimo tupu kumwe namukwawo zendi, muswamane gokukurupa.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
Sindongi mouhura ga divire asi yisinke yokurugana.
Donkey finally knew what to do.
Sindongi ga ka gwene ozina, velike ntani vana kara meliro lyamunawo gokuzumbana. Tava litara vene-navene siruwo sosire. Ntani nye validingilire mawoko unene.
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.
Munona gosindongi ntani ozina kwa kulire kumwe ntani tava ya gwana nonkedi dononzi dokuvhura kutunga kumwe mbinga nombinga. Nakauke, navenye va va kundurukidire, vamwe vekoro va tamekere 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
Valentin Mpasi
Rukwangali
Level 3
The audio for this story is currently not available.
