“U-Elsie kanye “nezingane” zakhe

Inja yami yokuqala u-Elsie yakwazi ukuzala imidlwane eyi-10 empilweni yayo, yonke yayinhle kakhulu. Kodwa-ke, into ethakazelisa kakhulu kwakuwukubheka ubudlelwano benja yethu hhayi nezingane zayo, kodwa nezingane zokutholwa, okwakukhona futhi inala. 

“Ingane” yokuqala kwakunguDinka – ikati elincane elinemigqa empunga, elacoshwa emgwaqweni ukuze linikezwe “ezandleni ezinhle.” Ekuqaleni, ngangesaba ukubethula, ngoba ku-Elsie Street, njengezinja eziningi, ngangijaha amakati, nakuba, hhayi ngenxa yokucasuka, kodwa ngenxa yesithakazelo sezemidlalo, kodwa nokho ... Nokho, kwakudingeka bahlalisane ndawonye isikhathi, ngakho ngehlisela ikati phansi futhi ngabiza u-Elsie. Wacisha izindlebe zakhe, wagijima wasondela, wahogela umoya, waphuthuma phambili ... waqala ukukhotha ingane. Yebo, futhi uDinka, nakuba wayehlala emgwaqeni ngaphambili, akazange abonise ukwesaba, kodwa wabhokoda kakhulu, welulela kukhaphethi.

Ngakho baqala ukuphila. Balala ndawonye, ​​badlale ndawonye, ​​bahambe bayoshaywa umoya. Ngelinye ilanga kwabhodla inja eDinka. Ikati lazigoqa laba yibhola futhi lalungiselela ukubaleka, kodwa u-Elsie wabe esesiza. Wagijima waya kuDinka, wamkhotha, wama eduze kwakhe, bahamba ihlombe nehlombe bedlula inja edidekile. Ngemva kokudlula umenzi wobubi, u-Elsie waphenduka, waveza amazinyo futhi wagquma. Inja yahlehla yahlehla, nezilwane zethu zaqhubeka nohambo lwazo ngomoya ophansi.

Ngokushesha baze baba osaziwayo bendawo, futhi kwenzeka ngaba ufakazi engxoxweni eyayinelukuluku. Enye ingane, ibona umbhangqwana wethu ohambweni, yamemeza ngenjabulo nokumangala, iphendukela kumngane wayo:

Bheka, ikati nenja zihamba ndawonye!

Umngane wakhe (mhlawumbe wendawo, nakuba ngimbona mathupha okokuqala) waphendula ngomoya ophansi:

- Futhi lezi? Yebo, lona uDinka no-Elsie abahambayo.

Ngokushesha uDinka wathola abanikazi abasha wasishiya, kodwa kwaba namahemuhemu okuthi nakhona wayengabangane nezinja futhi wayengazesabi nhlobo.

Eminyakeni embalwa kamuva sathenga indlu emaphandleni njenge-dacha, futhi ugogo waqala ukuhlala lapho unyaka wonke. Futhi njengoba sasihlushwa ukuhlaselwa kwamagundane ngisho namagundane, kwaphakama umbuzo mayelana nokuzuza ikati. Ngakho sithole uMax. Futhi u-Elsie, kakade enolwazi olucebile lokuxhumana noDinka, ngokushesha wamfaka ngaphansi kwephiko lakhe. Yiqiniso, ubuhlobo babo abuzange bufane noDinka, kodwa futhi bahamba ndawonye, ​​wamqapha, futhi kufanele ngisho ukuthi ikati lathola izici zenja ngesikhathi sokuxhumana no-Elsie, isibonelo, umkhuba wokuhamba nathi yonke indawo, isimo sengqondo sokuqapha ezindaweni eziphakeme (njengazo zonke izinja ezizihloniphayo, akazange agibele ezihlahleni) nokuntula ukwesaba amanzi (uma esebhukude ngisho ewela umfudlana omncane).

Futhi ngemva kweminyaka emibili sanquma ukuthola izinkukhu ezizalelayo futhi sathenga amatshwele anezinsuku eziyishumi ubudala. Ezwa ukunswininiza okuvela ebhokisini okwakukulo amatshwele, u-Elsie wanquma ngokushesha ukujwayelana nawo, nokho, njengoba esemncane “wayenenkukhu” eklinyiwe kunembeza wakhe, asizange simvumele ukuba aye kubantwana. Nokho, ngokushesha sathola ukuthi isithakazelo sakhe ezinyonini sasingesona esokudla kwezinkanyezi, futhi ngokuvumela u-Elsie ukuba anakekele izinkukhu, saba nengxenye ekuguquleni inja yokuzingela ibe inja eyelusayo.

Usuku lonke, kusukela ekuseni kuze kube kusihlwa, u-Elsie wayesemsebenzini, eqaphe izingane zakhe ezingaphumuli. Wazibuthela emhlambini futhi waqikelela ukuthi akukho muntu ophambana nempahla yayo. Zifikile izinsuku ezimnyama kuMax. Ebona kuye usongo ekuphileni kwezilwane ezifuywayo ezithandekayo kakhulu, u-Elsie wakhohlwa ngokuphelele ngobuhlobo obuseduze obabuxhumene nabo kuze kube yileso sikhathi. Ikati elimpofu, elingabhekanga ngisho nalezi zinkukhu ezinebhadi, lesaba nokuzulazula egcekeni futhi. Kwakuhlekisa ukubuka ukuthi, u-Elsie embona, waphuthuma kanjani kumfundi wakhe wangaphambili. Ikati lacindezela phansi, lamphusha ngekhala lasuka ezinkukhuni. Ngenxa yalokho, uMaximilian ompofu wahambahamba egcekeni, ecindezela uhlangothi lwakhe odongeni lwendlu futhi eqalaza ngokuthuthumela.

Nokho, kwakungelula naku-Elsie. Lapho izinkukhu zikhula, zaqala ukuhlukana zibe amaqembu amabili alinganayo ezicucu ezingu-5 ngalinye futhi zilwela njalo ukuhlakazeka ngezindlela ezahlukene. Futhi u-Elsie, ngenxa yokushisa, wazama ukuwahlela abe umhlambi owodwa, okwasimangalisa ukuthi waphumelela.

Uma bethi izinkukhu zibalwa ekwindla, basho ukuthi kunzima kakhulu, cishe akunakwenzeka ukugcina yonke inzalo iphephile futhi izwakala. U-Elsie wakwenza. Ekwindla sasinezikhukhukazi ezimhlophe eziyishumi ezimangalisayo. Nokho, lapho bekhula, u-Elsie wayeseqiniseka ukuthi izilwane ezifuywayo zazizimele ngokuphelele futhi zisebenza kahle futhi kancane kancane zaphelelwa isithakazelo kuzo, kangangokuthi eminyakeni eyalandela ubuhlobo phakathi kwazo babupholile futhi bungathathi hlangothi. Kodwa uMax, ekugcineni, wakwazi ukuphefumula.

Ingane yokugcina ka-Elsin yokutholwa kwakungu-Alice, unogwaja omncane, udadewethu, ngenxa yokungabi nangqondo, amthola esalukazini esithile esasisephaseji, kwathi, engazi ukuthi enzeni ngaye, wamletha endlini yethu yokudayisa futhi wasuka lapho. Nathi, futhi, sasingazi nhlobo ukuthi senzeni ngalesi sidalwa ngokulandelayo, futhi sanquma ukuthola abanikazi abafanelekayo kuso, ababengeke bavumele lesi sidalwa esihle inyama, kodwa okungenani basishiye ngesehlukaniso. Lokhu kwaba umsebenzi onzima, ngoba wonke umuntu owayekufuna kwakubonakala kungewona ukhetho oluthembekile, futhi phakathi naleso sikhathi unogwaja omncane wahlala nathi. Njengoba lalingekho ikheji lakhe, u-Alice wachitha ubusuku bonke ebhokisini lamapulangwe elinotshani, futhi emini wayegijima ngokukhululeka engadini. U-Elsie wamthola lapho.

Ekuqaleni, wacabanga ukuthi unogwaja umdlwane ongaziwa futhi waqala ukumnakekela ngentshiseko, kodwa lapha inja yadumala. Okokuqala, u-Alice wenqaba ngokuphelele ukuqonda zonke izinhloso zakhe ezinhle futhi, lapho inja isondela, yazama ukubaleka ngokushesha. Futhi okwesibili, yena, yebo, wayekhetha njalo ukugxuma njengendlela yakhe yokuthutha eyinhloko. Futhi lokhu kwamdida ngokuphelele u-Elsie, njengoba kungekho sidalwa esiphilayo asaziyo esasiziphatha ngendlela eyinqaba kangaka.

Mhlawumbe u-Elsie wayecabanga ukuthi unogwaja, njengezinyoni, wayezama ukundiza ngale ndlela, ngakho-ke, ngokushesha nje lapho u-Alice esendiza phezulu, inja masinyane yamcindezela phansi ngekhala layo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, ukukhala okunjalo kokwesaba kwaphunyuka kulogwaja oneshwa kangangokuthi u-Elsie, esaba ukuthi kungenzeka ulimele ngephutha, wabalekela. Futhi yonke into yaphindwa: ukugxuma - ukujikijela kwenja - ukuklabalasa - ukwesaba kuka-Elsie. Kwesinye isikhathi u-Alice wayesakwazi ukumsusa, u-Elsie wabe esegijima ethukile, ebheka unogwaja, kwase kuzwakala ukukhala okuhlabayo futhi.

Ekugcineni, imizwa ka-Elsie ayikwazanga ukumelana novivinyo olunjalo, futhi wayeka ukuzama ukwenza ubungane nesidalwa esingavamile, wabukela unogwaja ekude. Ngokubona kwami, wayenelisekile ukuthi u-Alice wathuthela endlini entsha. Kodwa kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, u-Elsie wasishiya ukuba anakekele zonke izilwane ezaziza kithi, ezishiya kuphela imisebenzi yomvikeli.