ona baridi sana bado hawakuweza kustahimili baridi ile. Wakacheza hatta yalipokoma saa ya kumi, wakalala wale wote chini ya mtende. Yule mtoto amekaa kitako, akaondoka mtumwa wake mmoja, akamwambia, bwana, lala ati. Akamwambia, nitalalaje mimi, na mimi nimeletwa, kungojea mtende? Akamwambia, sasa saa kumi hii, na majogoi yanawika, bassi kitu gani kitakachokuja sasa penyi mtende huu, hatathubutu, hawezi kuja mtu, wala ndege. Mtoto akamwambia, mimi siwezi kwenda kulala. Akamwambia, enende kalala kumekuwa kweupe tena. Akamwambia, wajua kweli nitakwenda lala. Akaenda zake, akalala.
Muda wa kitambo kupita, akashuka ndege akila zile tende, asisaze hatta moja. Akaruka akaenda zake. Hatta kulipopambazuka, akiwa mtu msimamizi wao akiutazama mtende, hamna tende. Akiondoka mbio, hatta kwa bwana wake mdogo, akamkuta amelala. Akimamsha, Kibwana! Kibwana! Akazindukana, akamwambia, wataka nini? Akamwambia, baba yako alikuleta kuungojea mtende na ule mtende hukuungojea, na tende zimeliwa na ndege zote. Akamwambia, sema kweli. Akamwambia, maneno haya kweli, nawe ondoka ukatazame. Akiondoka mtoto, hatta akifika penyi mtende akaona tende hamna, akasangaa. Nikienda nimwambie baba yangu, nimwambie, tende zimeliwa na watu, niseme, tende zimeliwa na ndege, ao niseme imekunya mvua mkubwa jana usiku, na tofani imevuma kubwa, nimwambie, tende zimepukutika zote chini. Ataniambia, enende kazoe, uniletee, nitazame hizo zalizopukutika na tofani na mvua, na pale chini hapana, manenoye
