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 kakarire kare mundhira dhako. “Kukeme!” “Rete maghugho!” “Meyu!” “Kukemee!”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Ene apa hamonine kambututu, waheya hareghire munyima womapa. “Thidongi?!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
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.
Mukamadi ‘ya, ghakarire pithendi karo. Aye ghakwipudhurire eshi nye eyi shoghatende koyu mwanuke ghothitetu. Aye ghakwipudhurire eshi nye shoghakutende 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 ghayitamburire eshi mwanendi noyene yonyina munu.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Keho ne ngoyu mwanuke ngoghakarire kengeyo, mudhimba ghoghumbiru, yoyiheya pamweya ngoyakutjindjire. Ene thidongyana thakurire nokukura kate mbadi wakukona kurikanya karo mumughongo wanyokwatho. Ngambi ngepi thakondjire, mbadi thakonine kukara yira munu. Nyina kehepano ngaghayanga nokumundhanyaghuka. Maruvedhe ghamweya nyina ngamutongweranga gharughane yirughana eyi yaroghera yiyama.
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.
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.
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.
Written by: Lindiwe Matshikiza
Illustrated by: Meghan Judge
Translated by: Maria M. Dikuua, Servasius M. Ndjunga
Lindiwe Matshikiza
Meghan Judge
Maria M. Dikuua, Servasius M. Ndjunga
Maria Dikuua
Thimbukushu
Level 3
