Bohatô's Short Story: You Must Not Leave School

Moruti told Bohatô, "You must not leave school. If you learn well, you can become a schoolteacher. Your mama isboasts about you to me; she says the school is turning you into a cleaver little piccanin. She is proud that you are learning well! Count, I want to hear."

Boat held up his fingers. "One, two, three ... eight, ten!" he counted.

Moruti smiled. "You learn well! You are going to become a good teacher!"

Because it was Sunday, Bohatô was allowed to play in the yard until his mama call him to fetch water or to chop wood. He played at being a horse, prancing and jumping around the yard. He ran: tip, tip, and tip. He kicked and jumped and made puff, with his mouth. Boraki ran with him and barked as he jumped against Bohatô’s legs.

The adults

"Watch out for the angry tiger! Beat the horses! The tiger is chasing us!"

When they were tired of prancing and galloping and neighing, they changed to being racehorses. They hit each other with sticks, but weren’t allowed to show that it hurts, since horses only run faster when they were whipped.

Bohatô’s mama called him from where she was making an outside fire. "Water needs to be fetched; the buckets are empty." He walked home slowly, because he was tired and his voice was hoarse from making all the noise.

Mama Mookodi noticed that there was no energy left in his walk. "What is it with you? Why are your eyes so red?"

But he did not answer, since fatigue has left deep footprints all over his body. He thought of the wood that had to be chopped and the water he had to fetch. The place where he had to get the water is far away from home.

Mama Mookodi tapped him on the cheek. "Did the mountain crows take your tongue? Why don’t you answer me?"

"My head hurts, Mama."

She held her hand against his forehead. "You are hot. You must rest for a while, but take some of this medicine first. Your ausi have to take care of the water and