Sakimab ge ǁîb îra tsî haka kurixa ǃgâsas tsîn ǀkha ge ǁan hâ i. ǁÎn ge ǃkhū hâ aob ǃās ai gere hâ. ǁÎn di ǀgâ-oms ge saogub ǃnâ mâ haidi di ǀams ai ge mâ i.
Sakima lived with his parents and his four year old sister.
They lived on a rich man’s land.
Their grass-thatched hut was at the end of a row of trees.
Sakimab ge ǃnona kurixab a hîa ge ǀaesen, tsî mûs ǁkhāsiba ge ǂoaǃnâ. Sakimab ge ǀō-aisa ga-aisisa ge ūhâ i axaba.
When Sakima was three years old, he fell sick and lost his sight.
Sakima was a talented boy.
Sakimab ge ǂgui xūna gere dī nau ǃnani kurixa ǀgôan ge dī tama hâ i na. Aiǁgause, ǁîb ge kaikhoen ǃās din ǀkha ǂnû, tsî ǂhâǂhâsa xūna gere ǃhoaǂam.
Sakima did many things that other six year old boys did not do.
For example, he could sit with older members of the village and discuss important matters.
Sakimab di îra ge ǃkhū hâ aob oms tawa gere sîsen. ǁÎra ge ǃnauǁgoaga omsa xu gere ī, tsî tsuxub ǃnâ ǀgui gere oaǀkhī. Sakimab ge ǁîb ǃgâsaros ǀkha gere hâ.
The parents of Sakima worked at the rich man’s house.
They left home early in the morning and returned late in the evening.
Sakima was left with his little sister.
Sakimab ge amde ǁnaes xa ge ǃgâibahe i. ǀGui tsēs ge ǁîb mamasa ge dî bi, “Mâpats nē amde ra ǁkhāǁkhāsen, Sakima?”
Sakima loved to sing songs.
One day his mother asked him, “Where do you learn these songs from, Sakima?”
Sakimab ge ge ǃeream, “Hās ǀguisa ra hî mama. Tita ge ti danas ǃnâ ra ǁnâu, tsî ta ge ra ǁnae.”
Sakima answered, “They just come, mother. I hear them in my head and then I sing.”
Sakimab ge ǁîb ǂkhari ǃgâsasa ǁnaebas xa ge ǃgâibahe i, ǃgōsase, ǃâs gere o. ǁÎb ǃgâsas ge ǁîba ǃgâiba amsab gere ǁnae ǀgausa gere ǃgâ. ǁÎs ge ǁkhoaxa ǀōba ǃoa gere gon.
Sakima liked to sing for his little sister, especially, if she felt hungry.
His sister would listen to him singing his favourite song.
She would sway to the soothing tune.
“ǁKhawa ǁnae re, Sakima,” tis ge ǁîb di ǃgâsasa gere ǀkhoma bi. Sakimab ge ǂgansa ūǃoa tsî ǁkhawa gere ǁnae.
“Can you sing it again and again, Sakima,” his sister would beg him.
Sakima would accept and sing it over and over again.
ǀGui ǃoe ra ge ǁîb îra oms tawa a oaǀkhī, o ra ge ǁîra kaise ge ǃnōsa i. Sakimab ge ge ǂan i xū-i ǃgâi tama ǃkhaisa.
One evening when his parents returned home, they were very quiet.
Sakima knew that there was something wrong.
“Tare-e a tsū, mama, dada?” tib ge Sakimaba ge dî. Sakimab ge ge ǁnâu ǃkhū hâ aob di ôab kā hâ ǃkhaisa. ǁNā aob ge kaise ge ǃoa hâ i, tsî gere ǃū-ai.
“What is wrong, mother, father?” Sakima asked.
Sakima learned that the rich man’s son was missing.
The man was very sad and lonely.
“Tita ge ǁîba a ǁnaeba ǁkhā. ǁÎb ge ǁkhaba a ǂkhî ǁkhā,” tib ge Sakimaba ǁîb îra ge mîba. Xawe ra ge ǁîb îra ǁnâu ǂgao tama ge hâ i. “ǁÎb ge kaise ǃkhū hâ. Sats ge ǂgī axas ǀguisa i. Satsa ra ǂâi sa ams nî hui bi ti?”
“I can sing for him. He might be happy again,” Sakima told his parents.
But his parents dismissed him.
“He is very rich. You are only a blind boy. Do you think your song will help him?”
Xaweb ge Sakimaba ǀûsen tama ge hâ i. ǁÎb ǃgâsas ge ge ǂkhâǃnâ bi. ǁÎs ge ra mî, “Sakimab amdi ge ǃâ ta ra o ra ǂkhîǂkhî te. ǁÎdi ge ǃkhū hâ aob tsîna nî ǂkhîǂkhî.”
However, Sakima did not give up.
His little sister supported him.
She said, “Sakima’s songs soothe me when I am hungry. They will soothe the rich man too.”
Sao ra tsēb ge Sakimaba ǁîb di ǃgâsarosa ge ǂgan îs ǃkhū hâ aob di oms ǁga ǃgû-ū bi.
The following day, Sakima asked his little sister to lead him to the rich man’s house.
ǁÎb ge ǀgui kai mûǂuidaos ǃnāka mâ, tsî ǁîb ǁkhoaxa amsa ge ǁnae tsoatsoa. ǁAeb ǀkhas ge ǃkhū hâ aob di danasa kai mûǂuidaosa xu ge ǀhōǂuisen.
He stood below one big window and began to sing his favourite song.
Slowly, the head of the rich man began to show through the big window.
Sîsenaon ge dīn gere xūna ge ǀû. ǁÎn ge Sakimab di ǁkhoaxa amsa gere ǃgâ. Xaweb ge ǀgui aoba ge mî, “ǀGuis khami ī khoe-i tsîn ge ǀhonkhoeba go ǁkhaeǂgao ǁoa i . Nē ǂgī axaba ra ǂâi ǁîb xa ǁkhaeǂgaohe ǁkhā ti?”
The workers stopped what they were doing. They listened to Sakima’s beautiful song.
But one man said, “Nobody has been able to console the boss. Does this blind boy think he will console him?”
Sakimab ge ǁîb amsa ǁnaetoa tsî ge dawasen, îb oaga. Xaweb ge ǃkhū hâ aoba ǃkhoeǂoaxa tsî ge mî, “Toxopa ǁkhawa ǁnae re” ti.
Sakima finished singing his song and turned to leave.
But the rich man rushed out and said, “Please sing again.”
ǁKhā ǁaeb ai kha ge ǀgam aokha tani-ūdab ai ǁgoe khoe-e tani hâse ge ǀkhī. ǁÎkha ge ǃkhū hâ aob di ôaba ǂnautsûtsûsase daob xōǀkhā ge hō.
At that very moment, two men came carrying someone on a stretcher.
They had found the rich man’s son beaten up and left on the side of the road.
ǃKhū hâ aob ge kaise ge ǂkhî ôasabab ge mû o. ǁÎb ge Sakimaba ǁkhaeǂgaohes ǃaroma ge mātawa-am. ǁÎb ge ôasab tsî Sakimab hâkha ǀaeǁgâub ǁga ge ī-ū, îb Sakimaba ǁîb mûde ǀaeǃkhōhe, tsî mûs ǁkhāsiba hō-oa.
The rich man was so happy to see his son again.
He rewarded Sakima for consoling him.
He took his son and Sakima to hospital so Sakima could regain his sight.
