As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Mwamanyazi koma mopanda mantha, kamwana kanasendela pafupi ndi mzimai. “Tifunika kuwasunga,” anthu a kamwana kakazi anaganizila. “Tizamusunga ndi mwana wake bwino-bwino.
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.”
The child was soon on its way.
“Push!”
“Bring blankets!”
“Water!”
“Puuuuussssshhh!!!”
Koma pamene anaona mwana wakhanda, aliyense analumpha modabwa. “Bulu?!”
But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock.
“A donkey?!”
Aliyense anayamba kukangana. “Tinanena kuti tizasunga make pamozi ndi mwana wake bwino-bwino, ndipo tizacita motelo,” ena anatelo. “Koma azatibweletsela soka!” enanso ananena.
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.
Cifukwa ca ico, mzimai anakhalanso yekha. Anabvutika kuganiza zomwe azacita ndi mwana wodabwisa. Anabvutika kuziganizila cocita.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
Koma pothela, anavomela kuti bulu anali mwana wake ndipo anali mai wake.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Tsopano, ngati mwana anakhala cimodzimodzi, ndi thupi ing’ono, zinthu zinakakhalako mosiyana. Koma bulu anakula ndi kukula kufikila nthawi yomwe sankakhala pa msana pa mai wake. Ndipo mkhalidwe wake unasiyana ndi munthu. Amai ake anali olema nthawi zamblili komanso aukali. Nthawi zina, anatuma mwana kucita nchito zomwe zinafunikila kucitika ndi nyama.
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.
Msokonezo ndi mkwiyo unakula mu mtima wa bulu. Anali kulephela kucita zilizonse. Analephela kukhala ndi mkhalidwe weni weni. Anali okwiya kotelo kuti, tsiku lina, anamenyela amai ake pansi.
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.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Pa nthawi imene analeka kuthamanga, unali usiku, Bulu anasowa. “Hee, hyu?” ananong’oneza ku mdima. Anafika pamathelo. Anayamba kusanduka ka bola kokhwima. Anagona mu tulo twatukulu twa mabvuto.
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.
Bulu anauka ndi kupeza nkhalamba ili kumuyangana. Anayangana mu maso a nkhalambayo ndi kuyamba kukhala ndi ciyembekezo.
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.
Bulu anapita kukakhala ndi nkhalamba ija, imene inam’phunzitsa njila zambili zomwe angakhalilemo. Bulu anamvetsela ndi kuphunzila, cimodzi-modzi nkhalamba nayenso inamvetsela ndi kuphunzila. Anathandizana ndipo anaseka pamodzi.
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.
Tsiku lina m’mawa, nkhalamba inapempha Bulu kuti ainyamule kuipeleka pa mwamba pa phili.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
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.
