Kwasukasukela. Kwakukhona unkosikazi owayehlala nendodakazi yakhe nomyeni wayo. Zonke izinsuku babevuka bonke baye kohlakula emasimini bashiye bevube amasi abazowadla sebebuya. Babuvuba izinkamba ezimbili olunye olomkhwenyana olunye olwendodakazi. Umkhwekazi wayengawadli amasi akandodakazi wakhe.
Bavuka-ke baya emasimini bathi besashaye indima encane umkhwekazi usayochitha amanzi wanyonyoba waya ekhaya wathi angafika wakhumula isidwaba wagqoka ibheshu lomkhwenyana wathatha nesigqiki sikamkhwenyana wasibeka emsamu. Wathatha ukhezo wahlala phambi kwezinkamba waqala wadla kuzona zombili izinkamba esho ethi, “Ndi kolomntanami” “Ndi kolomkhwenyana”, wadla washaya wavala. Wathi angaqeda wabe esephindela ensimini esegqoke izingubo zakhe.
Bathi sebeqedile emasimini babuyela ekhaya beyodla bafika amasi engasekho babuza kumkhwekazi waphika walala ngomhlane wathi niyazi angiwadli amasi alapha ekhaya. Balala kwathi ngakusasa baphindela ensimini bashiya bevube amasi njengayizolo waphinda futhi umkhwekazi wenza njengayizolo bathi bayafika amasi awasekho. Kwathi ngakusasa umkhwenyana wamlandela umkhwekazi wakhe engaboni wambuka engena endlini wadla amasi washaya esentwala uthe esethi uyahamba wambhadama umkhwenyana wathi, “Hawu wenzani?”, wagwajaza umkhwekazi wabesethi umkhwenyana, “Ngizokuhlawulisa ngokuthi uye kongikhelela amanzi lapho kungakhalo xoxo khona”.
Wahamba umkhwekazi waze wafika esizibeni sokuqala washo, “Sengila akukhali xoxo la”, lakhala ixoxo wadlula waya kwesesibi lakhala futhi, waya kwesesithathu lakhala ixoxo kwathi uma esekwesesine kwathi nya. Wajabula wabe esekha ngesitsha sakhe wabe esephinda ephuza ngoba wesome kakhulu. Wabe esethi ukuhlala kancane ngoba lalilide ibanga ayelihambile. Wathi uma esethi uyasukuma kwangasukumeka wahlala engazi ukuthi uzokwenzenjani kwaze kwafika izilwane kanye nenkosi yazo zambuza ukuthi wenzani wachaza. Inkosi yathi akavunyelwe ukukha amanzi esizibeni sayo. Inkosi yasithatha isalukazi yayosivalela yathi sizodliwa kusasa.
Esinye sezilwane sadabuka savuka ebusuku saya kosikhulula isalukazi sathi asibaleke. Nempela sabaleka isalukazi saze sayofika kwandodakazi. Wajabula undodakazi wathi asingabophinde sone.
Cosu iyaphela
English Summary
The story is about an old lady who stayed with her daughter and her son-in-law. They used to go to the field every morning to plough some crops. They prepared sour milk before they left so that the will eat when they come back. The old lady was not allowed to eat sour milk from her daughter’s house, it was culture.
They closed the house and went to the field. They worked there and the old lady went back home to relieve herself. While alone at home she ate all the sour milk, after which she went back to the field pretending she had done nothing. When they finished they went back home to eat and they found that the food was gone. They asked the old lady about it but she denied any knowledge about the food. They slept and woke up the next day and went to work in the fields just the same as the previous day. The old lady also did the same, going back to the house under the pretence of going and relieve herself. The son-in-law followed her and watched her eat their food. The man punished her by instructing her to go and fetch water from the river where there are no frogs.
The lady went to the river and when she arrived there she first asked if there is a frog in the river. The frog responded with his voice, “Kwe kwe I am in here”. She went to another one and there were frogs in there too. She went to the third one and there was also a frog in there, she went to the fourth one and there was nothing there. She fetched water and put it in the bucket and she also drank because she was thirsty and tired. She sat down to rest for a while.
After resting she decided to go back home but she could not stand up. She was stuck in the mud; she tried again but couldn’t stand up. The animals and their king came to her asking her what she is doing in the king’s river. She told them that she was fetching water; the animals told her that no one is allowed to fetch water from the king’s river. The king told the animals to take her to their home so that they will cook and eat her. The king decided that she must be dealt with the next day.
The other animals felt sorry for the old lady and decided to release the old lady while the king was asleep. They asked the lady to run back before the sun comes out. The lady did as she was told; she took her bucket and went back home, her daughter and son-in-law were very happy to see her again. She told them the whole story.
The end