As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Salffattu garu muccatin goota tate tuni gara dubartitti hiqixee akkan jetteen, “Dubarti tana walwajjiin turuu qabna,” namooni ishes kana murtesan.” Dubarti kanafi da’imaa ishees hala gariin tursisina.”
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.”
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.
Dubartittin amma illee qophaa isshe taate. Da’imaa rakkisaa kana waangotuu walaaltee. Esse akka deemitu wallalte.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Da’immichi otto akkuma sanatti jiratee garii ture. Garuu da’immni harree kun dafee guddata dugda hadhii ti ol ta’e. Ammalli isaas akka amala namaa ta’u hindandenyee. Harmeen isas yeroo hunda dadhabdde isaa nufatti. Yeroo tokko tokko hojii beellada hojadhu jetiin.
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.
Harrichi bayee salfate. Hamma danda’ee tokko figichan faggate deeme.
Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.
Yeroo inni figicha dhabu, halkan wantureef harreen kara bade. “Hii haaw,” jedhe dukkanti iyye. “Hii haaw?” jedhe dukkani itti debisee. qophaa isaa ture. Otto figgu bolla kessati kufe.
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.
Harren olka’ee nama dulooma ija itti basu arge. Gara jarsa kana ilaale abdi xinno argate.
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.
Harriche deeme jarsaa wan bayee isaa barsisee kan wajjiin jirachuf murtesse. Harrichis bayee dhagefate, barates. Walgargarin wajiin kolfaa jiratan.
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.
