A Bin Smɔl (A short story in the Krio language of Sierra Leone)
By Ngozi Cole, Freetown, Sierra Leone*
A bin smɔl
We dɛm tɛl mi se
a dɔn gɛt bɛlɛ
...a nɔ bin no sɛf
Na so a timap nia di nɔs in tebul, na wan kɔna
Mi mama de ala ɛn kray, de tɛl mi se i go bit mi
If a nɔ tok udat a go lidɔm to.
Di wan nɔs se "mama, u nɔ kray fayn yet o, dis smɔl smɔl pikin, insɛf de kam bɔn pikin, aaa dɛm pikin ya, luk aw i mek in mama de kray".
Fambul dɛm, wan krismɛs ɔlide, ɔnkul Joko, naim bin sɛn mi
Fɔ go bay dayamint fɔ am.
We a bring am kam, naim e say mek a kam na im rum, i want fɔ gi mi krismɛs prɛzɛnt, bikos mi bɔbi dɔn bigin kɔmɔt, ɛn mi na big uman naw.
A bin gladi so, bikɔs a bin lɛk ɔnkul Joko bad, lɛkɛ miyon papa.
A bin gladi bak bikɔs Ɔlman bin lɛk am, bɔt na mi nɔmɔ i bin wan gi prɛzɛnt, bikɔs a dɔn tɔn big uman.
Di prɛzɛnt we i gi mi bin at smɔl. Di fɔs tɛm, a kray bɔku. Bɔt ɔnkul Joko tɛl mi se mek a nɔ tɛl nɔbɔdi o, bikɔs na spɛshal prɛzɛnt i de gi mi so, ɛn pipul dɛm go jɛlos mi ɛn bit mi if dɛm no . A biliv am... a bin smɔl.
Krismɛs kam en go, ɔnkul bin stil de kɔl mi fɔ gi mi prɛzɛnt. A ask wetin du? I se na bikɔs i lɛk mi pas Ɔlman. A biliv am... a bin smɔl.
We di nɔs tɛl mi mama se in pikin we ol tɛn yia dɔn gɛt bɛlɛ, naim mama fɔdɔm na grɔn ɛn bigin kray. I ask udat tɔch mi, a fred fɔ tɛl am.
Naim i bigin bit mi. I bit mi sotay i bit mi. Di nɔs dem beg fɔ mi, but mama nɔ bisin, i bin vɛks bad.
Wetin mɔna mi na way e se na Sisi Maraya in bɔbɔ Albat, naim i shɔ se go dɔn tɔch mi ɛn i go kil Albat fɔ di wan we bɔn am.
A fred fɔ Albat, bikɔs na bin kwayɛt bɔbɔ ɛn a bin lɛk am, na bin mi lɛk big brɔda . Naim a ala se "mama noto Albat, na ɔnkul Joko". Mi mama se na lay a de lay, aw in wangren brɔda nɔ go du inyon sista pikin so.
Naim di ɔda nɔs se "Nafi, tɛl wi wetin yu ɔnkul du yu."
Bɔt aw fɔ ɛksplen fayn, bɔt dis prɛzɛnt we ɔnkul Joko se i bin de gi mi? A nɔ bin sabi usay fɔ bigin,a nɔ bin no wetin fɔ se. A bin de fred, a bin de shek, a bin kɔnfyus...
a bin tu smɔl.
*Ngozi Cole (pictured) is a writer and Communications Consultant based in Freetown. She is the Founder and Editor of Poda-Poda Stories, an online journal for Sierra Leonean Literature.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published on https://poda-poda.com/
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