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This story is brought to you by Nal'ibali, which means Here's the story in isiXhosa. Nal'ibali is a storytelling initiative that aims to establish a culture of reading for enjoyment in children.
Scroll down to download a PDF in English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga and Afrikaans.
Why the bat flies (English)
Once upon a time, many, many moons ago, there was a bush rat called Legotlo. Legotlo was a close friend of Mamanthwane – the bat. The two of them were always together. But Mamanthwane was jealous of Legotlo. Legotlo had many friends and everyone liked him more than the bat. Legotlo also had a wife who loved him very much. The bat was jealous of all these things that Legotlo had.
Legotlo and Mamanthwane always ate together. When the bat cooked, the food was always very good. “How is it that when you make the soup it is so tasty?” asked the bush rat. “I always boil myself in the water, and my flesh is sweet. That’s what makes the soup so good,” explained the bat.
But he was lying. Mamanthwane offered to show the bush rat how it was done. He got a pot of warm water that was not hot enough to burn anyone, but he told Legotlo that the water was boiling hot. Then Mamanthwane jumped into the pot and quickly got out again. When Mamanthwane served the soup, it tasted as good as usual. Legotlo was amazed. The bat’s trick really does work, he thought.
After they had finished eating, the bush rat went home and told his wife that he was going to make good soup just like the bat’s. His wife asked how he was going to do that. “It’s a secret!” said Legotlo. Legotlo asked his wife to boil some water, which she did. When his wife was not looking, Legotlo jumped into the pot. Soon he was boiling in the water!
“Help me! Help me!” he screamed. “I am burning!”
The bush rat’s wife rushed to pull him out, but the damage had already been done. Legotlo was so badly burned that he had lost all his fur. His skin was red and pink from the hot water.
“Why would you get into a pot of boiling water?” his wife asked.
“Because Mamanthwane told me that’s what makes his soup taste really good,” said Legotlo.
When Legotlo’s wife looked at him and saw how injured he was, she cried. She took him to the doctor, but the doctor wasn’t able to help him. Instead, the doctor said that Legotlo would never grow fur again. When Legotlo’s wife heard this sad news, she was very angry! She reported the matter to the king and queen. They ordered all the people of the village to find the bat so that he could be punished.
Everyone turned up to search for the bat. But Mamanthwane had already heard about what was going to happen so he had flown away into the bush and hidden himself. The people of the village looked and looked, but they couldn’t find him anywhere. The next day, the people of the village made their way into the bush to see if they could find Mamanthwane there. They were right – they found Mamanthwane hiding there in a tree. They waited until he was asleep, then they caught him and took him straight to the king and queen. When they arrived at the royal house, Legotlo and his wife were already there. Mamanthwane was ashamed to look his friend, Legotlo, in the eye.
“Why would you do this to me? We were best friends!” Legotlo said to the bat.
“Because I was jealous of you,” answered Mamanthwane. “You have everything that I don’t have and everyone loves you and hates me.”
The people of the village were shocked at Mamanthwane’s response. They wondered why Mamanthwane hadn’t just asked his friend how he had managed to get everyone to love him. Then the king said, “Well, you have just given everyone a reason to hate you even more.” The king and queen ordered the guards to take Mamanthwane to jail. The queen said, “Today we will lock you up! Tomorrow we will decide how to punish you!”
The next morning when the guards came to fetch Mamanthwane from his jail cell, he was not there. He had escaped and no one knew how. Legotlo and his wife were furious when they heard the news. The king and queen were also very angry. They ordered the people in the village to search for the bat again. All day long the people tried to find and catch Mamanthwane, but they failed. Mamanthwane had found a cave far away from the village that no one knew about. The cave was hard to find. Mamanthwane also decided to change one of his habits – from that day, he only came out to feed when it was dark.
And so, that is why even today, you will never see Mamanthwane, the bat, during the day. Only at night will you see him flying around.
Download the English PDF here.
To read the story in another language, download a PDF below:
Download the isiXhosa PDF here
Download the Xitsonga PDF here
Download the Afrikaans PDF here
Kungani ilulwane lindiza ebusuku (IsiZulu)
Kwesukasukela, eminyakeni eminingi eyadlula, kwakukhona igundane lehlathi okwakuthiwa uLegotlo. ULegotlo wayengumngani omkhulu kaMamanthwane – ilulwane. Bobabili babehlale bendawonye njalo. Kodwa uMamanthwane wayenomona noLegotlo. Ulegotlo wayenabangani abaningi futhi wayethandwa kakhulu kunelulwane. ULegotlo wayebuye abe nonkosikazi owayemthanda kakhulu. Ilulwane lalinomona ngazo zonke lezi zinto uLegotlo ayenazo. ULegotlo noMamanthwane babehlale bedla ndawonye. Lapho ilulwane liphekile, ukudla kwakuhlale kumnandi kakhulu.
“Kungani njalo nje uma wena wenze umhlunzi unambitheke kangaka?” kubuza igundane lehlathi. “Mina ngiyazibilisa njalo nje, futhi inyama yami isashukela. Yilokho okwenza umhluzi wami ube mnandi kakhulu,” kuchaza ilulwane. Kodwa lalisenga ezimithiyo. UMamanthwane wazicelela ukukhombisa igundane lehlathi ukuthi kwenziwa kanjani. Wathatha imbiza enamanzi afudumele nje, angashisi ngendlela yokuthi angashisa othile, kodwa watshela uLegotlo ukuthi amanzi ayeshisa lokhu okubilayo. Emva kwalokho uMamanthwane wagxumela phakathi embizeni, wayesephuma ngokushesha futhi. Ngenkathi uMamanthwane esephaka umhluzi, wawunambitheka kamnandi njengokwejwayelekile. ULegotlo wayemangele. Leli su leluwane lisebenza ngempela, ecabanga.
Lapho sebeqedile ukudla, igundane lehlathi laya ekhaya latshela umkalo ukuthi lizokwenza umhlunzi omnandi ofana nje nowelulwane. Umkalo walibuza ukuthi lokho lalizokwenza kanjani. “Lokho kuyimfihlo!” kusho uLegotlo. ULegotlo wacela umkakhe ukuthi abilise amanzi, wenza kanjalo. Ngenkathi umkakhe enganakile, uLegotlo wagxuma wangena embizeni. Kungekudala wayesebila emanzini! “Ngisize! Ngisize!” ememeza. “Ngiyasha!”Unkosikazi wegundane lehlathi waphuthuma ukumkhiphela ngaphandle, kodwa umonakalo wawusuwenzekile. ULegotlo wayeseshe kabi ngangokuthi bonke uboya bakhe base busukile. Isikhumba sakhe sase sibomvu, futhi siphinki ngenxa yamanzi ashisayo.
“Ubungenelani kodwa embizeni enamanzi abilayo?” kubuza umkakhe. “Ngoba uMamanthwane ungitshele ukuthi yilokho okwenza umhluzi wakhe unambitheke kakhulu ngempela,” kusho uLegotlo. Kwathi uma unkosikazi kaLegotlo embuka futhi ebona ukuthi ulimele kangakani, wakhala. Wamthatha wamhambisa kudokotela, kodwa udokotela wehluleka ukumsiza. Kunalokho, udokotela wathi kuLegotlo ngeke buphinde bumile uboya bakhe. Wathi uma unkosikazi kaLegotlo ezizwa lezi zindaba ezibuhlungu, wathukuthela kakhulu! Wabika lolu daba enkosini nasendlovukazini. Bathumela umyalelo kubo bonke abantu bomuzi ukuthi bathole ilulwane ukuze lijeziswe.
Wonke umuntu weza waqala ukucinga ilulwane. Kodwa-ke uMamanthwane wayevele esezwile ukuthi kuzokwenzekani ngakho wandiza waya ehlathini wazifihla. Abantu bomuzi bacinga, bacinga, kodwa abazange bamthole ndawo. Ngosuku olulandelayo, abantu bomuzi bathatha indlela ebheke ehlathini ukuze babone ukuthi bangamthola yini uMamanthwane lapho. Babeqinisile – bamthola uMamanthwane ecashe lapho esihlahleni. Bamlinda waze walala, base bembamba bahamba baqonda naye enkosini nasendlovukazini.
Lapho befika esigodlweni, uLegotlo nomkakhe base bevele bekhona lapho. UMamanthwane wayenamahloni okubuka umngani wakhe, uLegotlo, emehlweni. “Ukwenzeleni kimi lokhu? Ingani besingabangani abakhulu!” uLegotlo esho elulwaneni. “Yingoba benginomona ngawe,” kuphendula uMamanthwane. “Unazo zonke izinto engingenazo futhi wonke umuntu uyakuthanda, kanti mina bayangizonda.” Abantu bomuzi yabamangalisa kakhulu impendulo kaMamanthwane. Bamangala nje ukuthi kungani uMamanthwane engazange abuze umngani wakhe ukuthi wenza kanjani ukuthi wonke umuntu amthande.
Emva kwalokho inkosi yayisithi, “Hhayi-ke, usunikeze uwonkewonke isizathu sokuthi akuzonde ngokwedlulele manje.” Inkosi kanye nendlovukazi bayalela onogada ukuthi bathathe uMamanthwane bamfake ejele. Indlovukazi yathi, “Namuhla sizokuvalela! Kusasa sizonquma ukuthi sizokujezisa kanjani!” Ngakusasa ekuseni lapho onogada befika bezolanda uMamanthwane egumbini lakhe ejele, wayengekho. Wayeseqile kanti akekho owayazi ukuthi kanjani. ULegotlo nomkakhe bathukuthela uma bezwa lezo zindaba. Inkosi kanye nendlovukazi nabo babethukuthele kakhulu.
Bayalela abantu bomuzi ukuthi bacinge ilulwane futhi. Usuku lonke abantu bazama ukuthola nokubamba uMamanthwane, kodwa behluleka. UMamanthwane wayethole umhume kude nomuzi, owawungaziwa muntu. Lo mhume kwakunzima ukuwuthola. UMamanthwane waphinde wanquma ukuguqula omunye wemikhuba yakhe – ukusuka ngalelo langa, wayesephuma ukuze athole ukudla uma sekumnyama kuphela.
Yingakho-ke nanamuhla, ungeke uze umbone uMamanthwane, ilulwane, ngezikhathi zasemini. Ungambona ebusuku kuphela endiza ezungezungeza.
The story was created by Kgosi Kgosi (author), Mdu Ntuli (illustrators) and translated to isiZulu by Dumisani Sibiya.
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