MAI KARYA…? Na Nasir Zaharradeen
‘Umma! Umma! Umma yau salla saura kwana nawa?’ Yarodan kimanin shekara bakwai ya tambayi mamarsa.
”Yau saura kwana biyar.” Mamar tasa ta ba shi amsa ba tare da ta kalle shi ba.
‘Umma yau idan na kai azumina sha biyar kenan ko,’ ya sake cewa da ita cikin zumudi.
”Ka yi kokari,” ta ce da shi, har yanzu ba tare da nunakulawarta gare shi ba.
”Umma idan na kai na yau ba zan kara ba.”
”Ba komai, ai ka yi kokari ma, na gaba kuma ai sai ka yiashirin ko?”
”Eh, amma a lokacin na kara girma, baba ba zai rika ba niNaira dari ba dan na yi azumi ba ko?”
”Zai rika ba ka mana, ai babanka yana sonka.”
”Yauwa Umma, kuma wai duk ranar da na yi azumi babanayana ba ki Naira dari kina aje min ko?”
”Eh mana, ai ka san babanka ba ya karya, in dai ya ce zaimaka abu, to zai yi maka.”
”Uhummm, Umma, wai mai karya ɗan wuta ne?”
”Ai ba wai a cikin zancen nan, ƙarya babu kyau, kada ka rikayi ka ji ko!”
”To Umma…yanzu kudina sun kai dubu daya da dari biyarkenan ?”
A wannan karon sai da ta juyo ta kalle shi, ta dan yi shiru tana nazarin dan nata na dan lokaci, sannan cikin daurewar fuska, ta ce da shi. ”E, amma dinkin salla za a yi maka da kudin!”
”Umma ai na ga Baba ya riga ya yi min dinkin salla ai…”
”To takalma za a saya maka.”
”Su ma na ga ya sayo mini ai…”
Ta kara katse shi a fusace. ”To me kake so a yi ma da kudinnaka?”
”Umma ai na ji Baba ya ce ranar salla, ranar farin ciki ce, kowa za a ba shi kudinsa ya sayi abin da yake so…”
”To na ji ya isa haka, tashi ka ba ni wuri mai surutun tsiya.”
Yaro ya fice yana murna.
(Ranar Sallah manya da yara, kowa sai harkokinsa yake cikinmurna da nishadi. Sai shige da fice ake yi cikin sababbinkaya, da warha ne,yaro ya shigo gida a sukwane.)
”Umma, Umma, Umma a ba ni kudina zan sayi biskit’
Ta dauko Naira ashirin ta ba shi.
Can da rana yaro ya dawo,”Umma a ba ni kudina zan sayiYogat.’
Ta dauko Naira ashirin ta ba shi.
Can da goshin yamma yaro ya sake dawowa, ya ce. ”Umma a ba ni kudina zan sayi Ayiskirim’
Ta dauko Naira ashirin ta ba shi.
Can da la’asar sakaliya ya rugo a guje, ya ce da ita. ”Umma a ba ni kudina zan sayi…”
Ba ta bari ya karasa ba, ta tari numfashinsa a fusace. ”Kai rufewa mutane baki, kudin naka har nawa ne? To kudinka sun kare.”
Yaro ya dubi Ummarsa da mamaki da kuma jin haushi, ya ceda ita, ”mai ƙarya?”
LIAR…? by Nasir Zaharaddeen
“Mummy! Mummy! Mummy how many days before Sallah?” A child, not more than seven asked his mother.
“In five days.” She answered without raising her eyes from what she was doing.
“Mummy, if I complete my fast today I would have done fifteen right?” He pushed on purposefully.
“You have done really well.” She said without paying much attention to the conversation.
“If I finish today’s fast, I will not do another one.”
“That’s alright, you have done well. Next year you will aim for twenty, right?”
“Yes, but then I will be older and Baba would not give me the hundred Naira he promised for each day that I fast, would he?”
“Of course he will, your father loves you.”
“Okay Mummy, and whenever I have fasted my father gives you the hundred Naira to keep for me, right?
“Of course! You know that your father does not tell lies, if he says he will do something, he would do it.”
“Okay. Mummy is it true that a liar would go to hell?”
“There is absolutely no doubt about it, lying is not good, you should not tell lies you hear!”
“Okay Mummy. So I should have five thousand five hundred Naira with you then?”
His mother lifted her head and looked at him for a few seconds trying to gauge where these questions were leading to. She frowned and said to him, “yes you do, but that is what will be used to sew your Sallah clothes.”
“Mummy, I have seen that my father has already sewn Sallahclothes for me ai…”
“Okay, shoes will be bought for you.”
“But I have seen that he bought those too ai…”
“So what do you want done with you money?” She interrupted impatiently.
“Mummy, I heard my father say that Sallah day is a day of joy, and everyone will be given his money to buy whatever he likes.”
“I have heard, enough of this talking, leave me alone you incessant chatterbox.”
The little boy left with a spring in his step and joy in his heart.
***
The little boy came back from the Sallah prayer with male adults in his new clothes and shoes, he went straight to his mother. “Mummy! Mummy! Mummy can I have my money to buy biscuits?” She gave him twenty Naira and he ran off happily to make his purchase. A while later, in the sfternoon he returned to his mother. “Mummy can I have my money to buy Yoghurt?” Again she gave him twenty Naira and he went off happily to make his purchase.
Later in the afternoon, he returned and asked, “Mummy, can I have my money to buy ice cream?” again she gave him twenty Naira and he happily went to make his purchase.
