I live in Kakuma village, a very hot dry place, full of thorny trees, and more goats than people. Even the market place is quiet, with only a few small shops. Most people use bicycles for transport.

One morning my mother called me and said, "Etabo, today you turn six years old. We have a present for you." "What is it? What is it?" I asked eagerly. "Tomorrow we're going by bus to the market in Eldoret," she replied, "And we're taking you with us!" My first visit to the city! I was so excited that I could hardly sleep that night.

The next day at the Kakuma bus stop, I stood between my mother and my aunt. I wore my new pair of blue jeans and a red T-shirt. I felt very small between my tall slender mother and my big round aunt.

The bus was very full, so I had to sit on my mother's lap. Tired from the heat and excitement, I slept the whole way and saw nothing.

The sun was just rising when we reached Eldoret market. At the entrance was a woman selling grains. Over in one corner there were two men getting ready to lay out their sweet potatoes. Over in another corner was a woman holding a shiny blue helicopter. "Mother, mother, look at that helicopter!" But mother pulled me away.

In the middle of the market, there was a large stall that sold different types of fruit. Some of them I had never seen before. "What are the names of these fruits?" I asked my mother. She pointed, "These are oranges, and these are guavas." I turned around and said, "And these?"

Of all the fruits at the stall, I liked the apples most. I liked their shape and colour. I wondered how they tasted. I turned to mother and said, "Could you buy one for me?"

As soon as she gave me the apple, I let go of my mother's hand, took the fruit with both hands, and bit into the juicy flesh. I had never enjoyed a fruit the way I enjoyed that apple. All I cared about was my apple.

When I finished the apple, I looked up to talk to my mother. But she was not there! My mother and aunt had gone. I looked to the right, then to the left. But they were nowhere to be seen. "Have you seen my mother?" I asked the women selling potatoes nearby. They took no notice. I started to cry.

A while later, a woman took me by the hand and led me to a place where there were other children. A big man with a thick beard asked, "What's your name, boy?" "E-ta-bo," I replied through my tears.

I wondered if children were also sold at the market. I stopped crying and looked around to see if anyone would buy the children in the room. Soon a woman came in and picked up one of the children. "I will be the next one to be taken away," I thought. "And then I'll never see home again!" I started crying once more.

When I heard the big man with the thick beard saying, "Where is Etabo?" I cried even harder. "I do not want to go with you!" I sobbed. I hid away from him.

When my mother and aunt heard my name, they rushed to the room. "Etabo, Etabo!" a familiar voice called. It was my mother.

As I got up to hug my mother, my aunt said, "Etabo, we were looking for you to give you your birthday present." And from a big bag, my aunt pulled out a shiny blue helicopter. "It's yours!" she said.

You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way: Timothy Kabare and Ursula Nafula Author - Timothy Kabare and Ursula Nafula
Illustration - Catherine Groenewald
Language - English
Level - Longer paragraphs © African Storybook Initiative, 2014 2014
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Source www.africanstorybook.org