Simbegwires îs ge ǁō, os ge kaise ge ǃoahâ i. ǁÎs dadab ge gere dītsâ ǁîsa kōǃgâsa. ǂAuse ra ge ge ǁkhāǁkhāsen ǃgâise hâsa, ǁîs mamas ose. Mâǁgoas hoasa ra ge tsēsa ǂnû, tsî gere aiǂhomi. Mâ ǃoes hoasa ra ge ǃuiǂûsa ǀguiba gere aiǂhomi. Xawana ra gere ǁātoa, ob ge Simbegwires dadaba skolsîsenni ǀkha gere huisi.
When Simbegwire’s mother died,
she was very sad. Simbegwire’s
father did his best to take care of
his daughter. Slowly, they learned
to feel happy again, without
Simbegwire’s mother.
Every morning they sat and talked
about the day ahead. Every evening
they made dinner together. After
they washed the dishes,
Simbegwire’s father helped her with
homework.
ǀGuitsēb ge Simbegwires dadaba ǁnaetihesas xa ǃonkhao hâse ge ǁaruǀkhī. “Mâpas hâ ti ôarose?” tib ge ge ǂgai. ǁÎs ge ǁîs îba ǃoa ge ǃkhoe. Dadasab ǀnî kaikhoesa ǃkhōǁôa hâ ǃkhaisas ge mû os ge ge mâ. “ǀŌ-aisa khoe-es nî ǂangu-ū ǃkhaisa ta ge ǂhâba hâ, ti ôase. Nēs ge Anitasa” tib ge ǀnom rase ge mî.
One day, Simbegwire’s father came
home later than usual. “Where are
you my child?” he called.
Simbegwire ran to her father. She
stopped still when she saw that he
was holding a woman’s hand. “I
want you to meet someone special,
my child. This is Anita,” he said
smiling.
“Mâtisa Simbegwirese, sa dadab ge sas xa ǂguina ge ǁgamba te ” tis ge Anitasa ge mî. Xawes ge ǁîsa ǀnom tama i, tsî ǀgôas ǃommi tsîna ge ū tama hâ i. ǀGôas dadab ge kaise ǂkhî, tsî ge re dâ. ǁÎb ge ǁî ǃnonan nî ǀguiba ûiǁare ǀgaus, tsî mâtib ûiba nî ǃgâi ǀgaus xa gere ǃhoa. “Ti ôarose, tita ge ra ǁkhore Anitasas sa mamas axase nî ǃkhōǃoa ǃkhaisa” tib ge ge mî.
“Hello Simbegwire, your father told
me a lot about you,” said Anita. But
she did not smile or take the girl’s
hand.
Simbegwire’s father was happy and
excited. He talked about the three
of them living together, and how
good their life would be. “My child, I
hope you will accept Anita as your
mother,” he said.
Simbegwires ûib ge ge dawa. ǁÎs ge ǁaubexa ǁae i tsîna hō tama ra ī dadasab ǀkhā ǁgoagade ǂnûsa. Anitas ge kaise ǂgui ǁgâusîsenga ra māsi tsaub xas skolsîsen-e dīhō tama ra īs kōse. ǃOeǂûs khaoǃgâs ge ǁîsa kharoba ǃoa ǀgui ra ǃgû. Hoarahūs ǁkhaeǂgaos ge ǂguiǀûxa ǂnams ǁîs mamas xas ge māhe hâ īsa. ǁÎs dadab ge mûhōs tsîna ge hî tama hâ i, ôasas a ǂkhîoǃnâ ǃkhaisa.
Simbegwire’s life changed. She no
longer had time to sit with her
father in the mornings. Anita gave
her so many household chores that
she was too tired to do her school
work in the evenings. She went
straight to bed after dinner.
Her only comfort was the colourful
blanket her mother gave her.
Simbegwire’s father did not seem to
notice that his daughter was
unhappy.
ǁKhâroga ǃkharu, tsîb ge ǁîs dadaba ge mîba ra, ǁîb omsa xu nî ǀkhai ǃkhaisa. “Sîsenni ǀkha ta ge ra ǃnariǂoa,” tib ge ge mî. “ǂAn ta ge a kōǃgâgu ro nî ǃkhaisa.” Simbegwires ais ge ra ǁnā, xaweb ge dadasaba mûs tsîna hî tama ge i. Anitas ge xū-i tsîna khom tama. ǁÎs tsîn ge ge ǂkhîoǃnâ i.
After a few months, Simbegwire’s
father told them that he would be
away from home for a while. “I have
to travel for my job,” he said. “But I
know you will look after each other.”
Simbegwire’s face fell, but her
father did not notice. Anita did not
say anything. She was not happy
either.
Xūn ge ge ǁgaoǂnûba Simbegwiresa. Omsîsengas ga toa tama i, tamas ka ios ga ǁao-amsen, os ge Anitasa gere ǂnausi. Tsî ǂûǁaeb ais ge kaikhoesa ǃnāsa ǂû-e gere ǂû, Simbegwiresa ǂomaron ǀguina ra ǃgaubase. Mâ ǃoes hoasas ge ra āǁomǁomsen, ǁîs îs xas ge māhe ǂnamsa ǁnamǂgā hâse.
Things got worse for Simbegwire. If
she didn’t finish her chores, or she
complained, Anita hit her. And at
dinner, the woman ate most of the
food, leaving Simbegwire with only
a few scraps.
Each night Simbegwire cried herself
to sleep, hugging her mother’s
blanket.
ǀGuitsēkamǁgoa îs ge Simbegwiresa ǃonkhao hâse kharob ǃnâ ra ǀhao-ūhe. “Sa ǀopesa ǀgôase!” Tis ge Anitasa ge ǃhao. ǁÎs ge Simbegwiresa kharoba xu ge ǃkharaǂui. ǁÎs ǀō-aisa ǂnams ge ǀā xū-i ai ge ǁhau, tsî ǀgam ǃâra ǃnâ ge doaǃā.
One morning, Simbegwire was late
getting out of bed. “You lazy girl!”
Anita shouted. She pulled
Simbegwire out of bed. The
precious blanket caught on a nail,
and tore in two.
Simbegwires ge kaise ge tsûaǂgao hâ i. ǁÎs ge ge mîǁgui ǁgâusa xu ǃkhoebēsa. ǁÎs ge nē ǂnams mamasas xas ge māhe hâ îs ǃân, ǂûna ǀhaminǀkhā, tsî ǁgâusa xū ge ǃgû. ǁÎs ge dadasab ge ǃgû daoba ge sao-ai.
Simbegwire was very upset. She
decided to run away from home.
She took the pieces of her mother’s
blanket, packed some food, and left
the house. She followed the road
her father had taken.
ǃUi i ge o, os ge ǃāb amǃgâ mâ ǀgapi hais ǃnâ ǂharo, tsî hais ǁnâugu ǃnâ kharoba ge kurubasen. ǁOms ra khamis ge gere ǁnae: “Mamase, mamase, mamase, ǁnāxū tes ge ge. ǁNāxūte tsîs ge, oaǀkhī tama ge i. Dadab tsîn ge ge ǀnamǀûte. Mamase, mâǁaes ra oaǀkhī? ǁNāxūtes ge ge.”
When it came to evening, she
climbed a tall tree near a stream
and made a bed for herself in the
branches.
As she went to sleep, she sang:
“Maama, maama, maama, you left
me.
You left me and never came back.
Father doesn’t love me anymore.
Mother, when are you coming back?
You left me.”
Sao ra ǁgoagas ge ǁîsa ǁkhawa ǁnā amsa ge re ǁnae. Kaikhoedi hîa sarana ǃāb tawa ge ǁāǃgû di ge nē ǃoaxa amsa ǀgapi haisa xus ra ǀō hîa ge ǁnâu. ǁÎdi ge ǂoab ta haiǂnarena ǀōǀō ǀgaus ti ge ǂâi, tsî ǁîdi sîsenni ǀkhā ge aiǃgû. Xawes ge ǀgui tarasa ǂōrisase amsa ge ǃgâ.
The next morning, Simbegwire sang
the song again. When the women
came to wash their clothes at the
stream, they heard the sad song
coming from the tall tree.
They thought it was only the wind
rustling the leaves, and carried on
with their work. But one of the
women listened very carefully to
the song.
Nē taras ge hais ǃnâ ge kōkhâi. ǀGôas tsî doa hâ ǃkharagaǀûxa ǂnams ǃân tsînas ge ge mû, os ge “Simbegwire, ti ǃgâb ôase,” ti ge ā. Nau taradi on ge ǁāǀû tsî ǁîsa ge hui haisa xu ǁgôaxas ǀkhā. Mikisas ge ǁnamǂgāsi tsî gere ǁkhaeǂgaosi tsâ.
This woman looked up into the tree.
When she saw the girl and the
pieces of colourful blanket, she
cried, “Simbegwire, my brother’s
child!”
The other women stopped washing
and helped Simbegwire to climb
down from the tree. Her aunt
hugged the little girl and tried to
comfort her.
Mikisas ge Simbegwiresa oms âs ǁga ge oa-ū. ǁÎs ge ǀgamsa ǂû-e māsi, tsî ǂgoan ǃnâ ǁîs îs doa hâ ǂnams ǀkha ge ananǃgâsi. ǁNā ǃoes ge Simbegwiresa ǁomǃgûs rase gere ā. Xawe nē gu ge ge dâb ǁgamro i. ǁÎs ge ǂan īs ge, mikisas nî kōǃgâsi ǃkhaisa.
Simbegwire’s aunt took the child to
her own house. She gave
Simbegwire warm food, and tucked
her in bed with her mother’s
blanket.
That night, Simbegwire cried as she
went to sleep. But they were tears
of relief. She knew her aunt would
look after her.
Simbegwires dadab ge oasīb ge o, ǁîs ǁomǃnâǃnā-omsa ǀkhaiǃnâse ge hō. “Tare-e go hā, Anitase?” tib ge kaise ǃgom ǂgaob ǀkha ge dî. Taras ge ge mîǃābabi tsâ Simbegweres ge ǃkhoebēsa. “Tita ge ǁîs xa ra ǃgôahe ǂgao,” tis ge ge mî. “Xawe ta ge tsâbe kaise ǁkhōse ge hâ-ūsi” Simbegwires dadab ge omsa xu ǂoa tsî ǃāb ǀkhāb ǁga ge ǃgû. Tsîb ge ǁîb ǃgâsas ra hâ-ai ǃgaroǃāsa ge ǃgûǂnûba, ǀgôas âb ǀnîsi ǁnāpa sī tama ǃkhaisab nî ǂan ga.
When Simbegwire’s father returned
home, he found her room empty.
“What happened, Anita?” he asked
with a heavy heart. The woman
explained that Simbegwire had run
away. “I wanted her to respect me,”
she said. “But perhaps I was too
strict.”
Simbegwire’s father left the house
and went in the direction of the
stream. He continued to his sister’s
village to find out if she had seen
Simbegwire.
Simbegwires ge nau ǀgôan ǀkhas ra ǀhuru hîa ǁîs dadaba ge mûǃgoaxa. ǃAos ge ge re ǁîb tsâse nî ǁaixa ti ǂâi tsî, tsîs ge oms ǃnâ ǃkhoeǂgâ, tsî ge sī gau. Xaweb ge dadasaba ǁîsa ǃoa ī tsî ge mîba si, “Simbegwirese, ǃgâi mamasasas ge go hōbasen. ǁNās hîa a ǀnam, tsî ra ǁnâuǃāsisa.” ǁÎra ge ge ǁnâugu îs Simbegwiresa mikisas tawa hâ ǂgaos hâs kōse.
Simbegwire was playing with her
cousins when she saw her father
from far away. She was scared he
might be angry, so she ran inside
the house to hide.
But her father went to her and said,
“Simbegwire, you have found a
perfect mother for yourself. One
who loves you and understands
you. I am proud of you and I love
you.”
They agreed that Simbegwire would
stay with her aunt as long as she
wanted to.
Dadasab ge mâtsēs hoasa ge re sarisi. Anitas ǀkhab ge sīs kōse. ǁÎs ge Simbegwires ǃomma ge re ǃkhō ǂgaose, “ǀÛbate re ǂkharirose, ǂhanu tamase ta ge go dī,” ti gere ā. “Mā-amtes nî ǁkhawa dītsâsa?” Simbegwires ge dadasab tsî ǁîb ǂâiǂhânsenxa aisa ǃoa gere kō. Aisǁga dāǀgū tsîs ge ǂause Anitasa ra ǁnamǂgā.
Her father visited her every day.
Eventually, he came with Anita. She
reached out for Simbegwire’s hand.
“I’m so sorry little one, I was
wrong,” she cried. “Will you let me
try again?”
Simbegwire looked at her father
and his worried face. Then she
stepped forward slowly and put her
arms around Anita.
Sao ra wekhes ge Anitasa, Simbegwiresa, ǁîs mikisas tsî ǁnurisan ǀkha, ǂûǁares ǃaroma ge ǁkhauǂui. Tae kō ǁâudība! Anitas ge Simbegwiresa ǁkhoaxaba ǂûn hoaragana ge aiǂhomi, tsîn ge hoana ge ǂû, ǁân nîs kōse. ǁNāpaxūn ge ǀgôana ge ǀhuruǃgû kaikhoen ra ǁgam hîa. Simbegwires ge ǂkhî tsî ǁkhoase ge re tsâsen. ǁÎs ge ge mîǁgui ǀgūǁaes nî oms tawa oasīsa, dadasab tsî ôaǃgâǁgûs ǀkha ǁans ǃaroma.
The next week, Anita invited
Simbegwire, with her cousins and
aunt, to the house for a meal. What
a feast! Anita prepared all of
Simbegwire’s favourite foods, and
everyone ate until they were full.
Then the children played while the
adults talked.
Simbegwire felt happy and brave.
She decided that soon, very soon,
she would return home to live with
her father and her stepmother.
Rukia Nantale
Benjamin Mitchley
Maureen Merley So-Oabes
Khoekhoegowab
Level 5
