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The rainbow cloud

- Zanele Dlamini

A long time ago in the land of the Zulu people, the King Jama ka Ndaba was very powerful, wise, fair and kind.
But he had no children and he was worried that he would not have an heir.
He prayed and made offerings to the gods but nothing happened.
One night while the king was asleep, a witch came in a dream.
"The gods have heard your plea and the queen will bear twins. One will rule the Zulu nation and the other will have magical powers," the witch said.
Twins Mkabayi and Mmama were born but the queen cried for Mkabayi because the rule said that the first- born twin must be offered to the gods.
Seeing the queen's sadness, the king said, "From today, when twins are born, both babies will live."
The people celebrated but not all were happy with the king's new rule.
The little girls grew beautifully. One day Mkabayi had a stick fight and defeated a boy who bullied children.
"Go away, you cursed girl!" said the boy.
"Come back, Mkabayi!"
Mkabayi cried and ran into the forest where the frightening ghosts, Hornhead and Longtom lived.

License information: CC BY 4.0
MPAA: PG
Go to source: https://www.africanstorybook.org/

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