Rose was the only child in her family and she lived with her mother because her father had left when she was two years old.

She was nine. She loved animals and had a little dog called Spoti. 

She was short and dark-skinned.

One day her uncle Peter visited. When Rose saw him arriving, she ran from the neighbour’s house into their yard. There she noticed her uncle’s donkey standing under a tree — something 

unusual.  

“Hello, Uncle,” said Rose.

Her uncle picked her up. “Hello! How are you, my little princess?” 

“I’m doing great. Are you going to take me with you for the holidays as usual?” Rose asked, looking into his eyes.

“No, my child,” her uncle replied with a smile. “This year I can’t take you. I have a lot of work, and you would be lonely because I will have to leave.”

She asked again, “Is that your donkey outside?”

Her uncle smiled and said, “Yes, it is my donkey. Do you like it?”

Rose also smiled and said, “Yes, uncle. It is very nice. It looks like a horse. Can you give it to me? I will give you Spoti instead.”

Her uncle laughed. “No, my child. You are still too young for me to give you the donkey.”

“Rose felt sad and went outside. She went to where her uncle’s donkey was sleeping. She patted and touched it. The donkey, not used to her, became angry. She teased it by pulling its tail. The donkey kicked her, and she began to cry. Her mother and uncle ran to her when they heard her crying.”

“Did you get hurt, my child?” her uncle asked as he picked her up.

He told her not to go near the donkey. Rose sat down and thought for a moment. Then she got up and climbed into the cart the donkey was pulling. She saw one empty bag while the others were full of maize meal.

She crawled into the empty bag so she could go with her uncle and see the donkey every day.

“Meanwhile, her mother and uncle were following each other in the vegetable garden. After a while, her uncle left his sister’s house.”

“On his way, the donkey walked slowly because it could feel Rose in the cart.”

“Why is this donkey walking so slowly? I am late,” Peter complained. He stopped under a tree to calm the donkey.

Inside the bag, Rose became scared and coughed softly.

Peter frowned. “Why is this donkey making a sound like a person? I have been suspicious of it since I bought it from Phillip.”

He continued his journey and arrived home safely. His wife, Lucy, met him as usual.

“Why are you walking like that? Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Because Peter was tired, he did not answer his wife.”

“She went to the cart to unload the bags of maize meal.”Suddenly, she jumped back and shouted, ‘Ahhh, Peter! Why is your load moving?’”

Peter shouted, “Hey, Lucy! What are you talking about? Don’t you see I’m tired?”

His wife became angry. “Do you think I am joking? Come and see!”

Rose came out of the bag crying. She was afraid her uncle would be angry.

“Hey, Rose, is that you? Why are you making such a big fuss?”

“You are trying to cause trouble between me and my sister!”

While they were arguing, Lucy took Rose by the hand.

“Stop crying my child. Let’s go inside,” she said.

Rose said nothing. She was too scared and kept shaking her head.

Peter followed them angrily.

“Stop spoiling my sister’s child! Can’t you see she made a mistake?”

“She doesn’t even know Rose is with us—she must be looking for her all over the village,” he said.

“Don’t worry about my sister-in-law. I will talk to her on the phone. Calm down and stop scaring the child,” Lucy said, picking Rose up.

“Rose’s mother, Merry, went around the village looking for her daughter, but she could not find her. She then went to the neighbour’s house because the neighbour’s child always played with Rose.”

“Knock… knock…”

“Oh,it's Merry, you look worried. Is something wrong?” Emily asked with a smile.

“I came to ask Beauty when she last saw Rose,” Merry replied.

“The last time I saw Rose was when she ran to greet her uncle,” Beauty answered.

Merry’s heart sank. Just then, her phone began to ring. She quickly rushed outside and answered.

“Hello?”

“Sister, Rose is here with us. She was hiding in the cart,” Lucy said.

“Ah! This child nearly gave me a heart attack. I have been walking all over the village looking for her,” Merry replied.

“Remember, Rose is still just a child,” Lucy said gently. “Do not worry. She is safe with us, and we will take good care of her.”

“Thank you, sister. Sleep well,” Merry said softly.

“You too, sister,” Lucy replied before ending the call.

Emily smiled when she heard that Rose had gone missing.

“You saw how fast Merry ran out of here,” Emily said with a laugh. “She looked so frightened.”

“Merry is always quiet. She never speaks up for herself. Even when people trouble her, she says nothing.”

“Emily continued talking about Merry because she did not like her, and she also did not like her child, Rose.

Her husband, Thomas, laughed loudly and kept speaking badly about Merry.”

 “That woman doesn’t handle things well. Now I understand why Rose’s father is no longer with her,” he said.

Beauty did not like hearing her parents speak that way. Quietly, she went to bed.

“I wish Rose would not come back,” Emily said coldly. “I want to see what Merry will do.”

Thomas frowned.

“No, Emily, you should not say that. What if it were Beauty? How would you feel?” he asked.

Emily folded her arms.

“I am tired of hearing, ‘Rose this… Rose that…’ The whole village talks about Rose. Even at school, the principal smiles whenever he sees her. He treats Rose better than the other children. Rose is always praised. She even goes on school trips without paying. I do not like it,” Emily complained.

“Emily… Emily…” Merry called from the fence. Emily quickly went outside. It was around 7:00 p.m. 

“I want to inform you that we found Rose at her uncle’s place,” Merry said.

“Oh, that’s good news,” Emily replied, then went back inside. But she was not happy at all.

“Why do you look like something is bothering you?” Thomas asked.

“No, nothing is bothering me. I’m just feeling sleepy,” Emily lied. She did not want to show her husband that she was disappointed that Rose had been found. She went to bed with a heavy heart.

The next morning, Rose woke up happy and went to play near her uncle’s donkey. She was still afraid to touch it because it had hurt her before.

Her uncle came closer to her.

“How are you today, my child?” he asked with a smile.

“I’m fine, Uncle. I’m happy—I will always see your beautiful donkey,” Rose said, smiling.

“Later, her uncle took her to fetch water at the river. On the way, Rose began to cry.”

“Why are you crying, my princess? Are you missing your mother?” he asked.

“Rose looked at him and cried even more.”

“Why are you hitting this donkey so hard?” she asked.

“If I don’t beat it, we won’t reach the river in time,” he replied.

Rose did not speak again. She felt sorry for the donkey, and they walked home in silence.

The next day, Rose’s uncle and his wife went to a wedding. Rose was very happy because she was left alone with the donkey.

After they left, she started teaching the donkey to follow directions without being beaten. She rode it around the yard, gently guiding it. The donkey seemed calm and moved its tail from side to side.

At about four o’clock, Rose stopped. She went inside to read her English book so her uncle would not suspect she had been riding the donkey.

Her uncle and aunt returned at five o’clock.

“Oh! I knew you were not naughty. You always read your books—you are a smart girl,” her uncle said.

From then on, Rose kept spending time with the donkey whenever her uncle and aunt were away.

“Next Saturday,Rose’s uncle became very sick. His wife did not know who could take him to the hospital.”

She suddenly remembered, “Oh! John! Rose, my child, go to John’s house and ask him to come take your uncle to the hospital,” Aunt Lucy said.

“I will do that, Auntie,” Rose said and ran out quickly. But she returned a few seconds later.

“Uncle John’s wife said Uncle John has gone to the mountain,” Rose said.

Aunt Lucy then called another boy, David, who often helped them with Peter’s donkeys.

“Ma’am, I can’t control this donkey. Maybe if it was Bantu, I could ride it,” David said. (Bantu was old Peter’s donkey.

“Auntie, I will take my uncle to the hospital,” Rose said.

“Ah, my child, you are still young. You cannot control this donkey,” Aunt Lucy replied.

But Rose quickly stood up, climbed onto the cart, and began controlling the donkey with a stick. She guided it to the door where her uncle was lying.

Aunt Lucy was shocked. Her mouth opened wide.

“Rose… am I seeing things?”

They lifted Rose’s uncle and placed him inside the cart so he could lie down.

Rose rode the donkey quickly all the way to the hospital. When they arrived, the nurses immediately gave her uncle first aid.

David and Lucy could not believe what they were seeing.

“Ma’am, how old is this child?” David asked.

“She is nine years old. She is really amazing. Have you ever seen a child control a donkey like this?” Aunt Lucy said proudly.

Rose was outside talking to the donkey as usual.

“I am still surprised that this child behaves like an adult. My husband will not believe that Rose brought him here,” Lucy said.

While they were still talking, a nurse came to them.

“Ma’am, your husband will be discharged at two o’clock. We are still observing him. It looks like he does not drink enough water,” the nurse said.

“Thank you for the information,” Lucy replied sadly.

Rose was very grateful for the donkey called Stompi. Stompi was the donkey’s name, which meant “small.”

“You are a smart donkey. You helped bring my uncle to the hospital and saved his life,” Rose said.

She was still talking to Stompi when her uncle, aunt, and David came out.

“Ahh… uncle!” she shouted and hugged him tightly. “Are you better, Uncle?”

Her uncle smiled and wiped her tears.

“I am better, my child. I am still a little sick, but I will be fine soon.”

He quickly changed the topic because Rose would not stop crying.

“Who rode Stompi? I know no one can control him easily—even for me it is difficult.”

Rose’s aunt smiled. 

"Get in the cart and you will see who was riding it."

Rose's uncle was surprised when he saw it was Rose riding the donkey. They went home shortly after.

"Ahh!! Ahh!! Who taught you how to ride the donkey like this, my child?" said Rose’s uncle.

Rose laughed. 

"I taught myself, uncle," she said, looking him straight in the eyes.

Rose's uncle was still weak, so his wife ordered him to sleep. He would talk to Rose when he woke up.

Rose took the buckets, loaded them into the cart, and went to the river. Rose's aunt saw Rose already unloading the buckets.

"Oh Rose, my child, thank you for the water — as if you saw that we didn’t have any."

As the sun went down, Rose began to feel lonely.

"What are you worried about, my child?" asked Rose’s aunt. 

"Tomorrow I have to go back home. Schools will open on Monday," said Rose sadly.

"Ohh… I forgot that schools are reopening on Monday. Let me wash your clothes.

Don’t you miss your mother and your friend Beauty?" Rose smiled.

"I miss them. But I will miss Stompi too." 

"You will visit us every weekend — then you can see Stompi too." 

The sun came up on Sunday. Rose was done taking a bath and went to sit under the tree where the donkey was resting. 

She was sad because she was going to miss Stompi. She started to cry. Her aunt went to her and held her hand.

"Let's go inside the house, my child." 

Rose wiped her tears and went inside. 

"Don’t worry, my child, I’ll visit you next Saturday with Stompi," said Rose’s uncle.

Rose’s aunt came with a very heavy load of bags full of potatoes, oranges, and bananas.

"Oh auntie, your bags are going to break me — they’re too heavy!" said Rose.

"I’ll accompany you to the bus stop, and I’ll tell your mother to wait for you there."

"Ohh… that would be better. Let me go, the bus will be coming soon. “Uncle, I’ll see you at the end of the week. Don’t disappoint me — please come with Stompi."

"I won’t make a mistake, my child. I will come with Stompi."

Rose left her uncle’s home and took a bus back to her village,it was 2p.m.

Rose’s aunt called Rose’s mother so she could wait for Rose at the bus stop.

When Rose arrived at the village, she found her mother already waiting. Her mother quickly took the bags from her and put them down.

"Ah,my child, I missed you so much!" she said and hugged her daughter.

 Rose was shy and couldn’t look her mother in the eye. 

"I missed you too, Mama. Where is my friend Beauty?" said Rose with a smile.

Beauty saw them on their way home, and she quickly ran towards them.

 "How are you, my friend?" said Beauty with a smile. 

Rose smiled even more.

"I'm good, thanks — and you?" "I'm doing great."

Beauty said also with smile.

Rose’s mother was watching them with a smile. 

The girls held hands and talked about what they were going to play.

But Beauty’s mother, who didn’t like Rose, was not happy when she saw them together — though she pretended to be.

"Who came with you, my child?" asked Emily, Beauty’s mother. "I came alone by bus."

Rose replied with smile.

"You are smarter than Beauty. You came by bus alone — Beauty doesn’t know anything, and she doesn’t even want to try." 

Beauty became angry at her mother and ran home quickly. Her mother followed her.

"I'm sorry, my girl. I was only joking. Rose is not better than you. 

Look how beautiful you are with your light skin and your cute face — that’s why I named you Beauty," said Beauty’s mother, trying to deceive her  daughter. 

She knew very well that both girls were pretty in their own way.

"Don’t! Don’t ever compare me with Rose — she is my best friend!" said Beauty angrily .

Beauty was about to leave — she was already at the gate — when her mother shouted:

"Beauty! Come back, I want to talk to you." 

Emily whispered in Beauty’s ear, "Don’t eat anything from Rose’s home, you hear me?"

Beauty agreed by just nodding her head, still angry at her mother. She walked out of the gate and found Rose waiting for her. 

"See what I’ve got for you, friend!" said Rose. "Show me, friend — what is it?"

"These are the oranges I brought from my uncle’s house." 

Beauty remembered her mother’s warning: don’t eat anything from Rose’s house.

"Oh friend… don’t you like my oranges?" said Rose, disappointed.

"Let’s go to our tree and play," Beauty said quickly. 

She didn’t want her mother to see her eating the oranges that Rose brought, because she loved oranges so much.

The tree was took about it was front of their gates.

Beauty was eating the oranges in a hurry. She kept looking toward her mother’s yard to check whether she was watching them.

"Your oranges are sweet, friend." 

"Ahh… friend, why are you eating so fast?" asked Rose, confused by how quickly Beauty was eating.

"I want to play with you — it’s been a while since I played with you." At five o’clock, they both went to their home. 

Beauty’s mother smell her daughter's hands.

"Why do your hands smell like orange? Who gave you an orange?" Beauty’s mother asked.

Beauty took her time to answer. 

"Hey! I’m talking to you — are you deaf?!"

Beauty’s mother was so angry she was shaking, as if she wanted to grab her and beat her.

Beauty think fast.

"Ohh… an orange? Elisha’s mother gave me one," said Beauty with a smile. 

Beauty’s mother immediately started smiling, because she loved Elisha’s family.

"Okay, I’m happy to hear that Elisha’s mother gave it to you. I thought it was Rose. I want Elisha to be your best friend, not Rose," Beauty’s mother said, still smiling.

"No, Mama. Elisha is just a friend. Rose is my best friend," Beauty said and walked away, leaving her mother standing alone.

When the sun rose, Beauty’s mother woke up early to prepare her daughter for school. She was holding Beauty’s hand.

“Today, are we not going with Rose as usual?” Beauty asked.