tthu ne’nuts’uw’t-hwum – The Visitor

tthu ne’nuts’uw’t-hwum
The visitor

hay ni’ heew’u tthunu shhwuw’weli ’i’ ni’ nem’ustalum ’u kwthu shushiyulhtst, ni’ ’u kw’i’ sht’un’uxuntst.
When our parents would leave to go somewhere, my older siblings and I would be taken next door.

ni’ tst nets’uw’t-hwum ’u kwthu sht’un’uxuntst, sutst ’uw’ huluw’a’lum’ ’u tthu kwe’kwulool’ ni’ ’u kwthu snet.
We went to visit next door and played hide and seek in the dark.

suw’ xwchenum ’utl’qul kwthunu shuyulh.
Then my brother went running outside.

nusuw’ nem’ ’utl’qul, suw’q’t kwthunu shuyulh.
And I went outside to look for my brother.

nusuw’ hwu ’un’ne-e-ehw, hwuhwiyun’eem’, wulh ts’elhum’ ’u tthu shts’ushtutsus welhts’um’.
And I stopped still, listening, and I heard a branch rustling.

’aaaa, ’i tsun wulh sii’si’, hwsaw’q’us ’uw niis tun’untsu tthu ni’ welhuts’um.
Oh, I was afraid, looking around for where the rustling was coming from.

hay ’ul’ ’uw’ xwumxwum tthunu tth’ele’.
My heart was beating really fast.

wulh hay’ ul’ ’uw’ hwu hwthiqun thu welhts’um’.
The noise got louder.

nusuw’ lemut.
And I looked.

“’eeenuneee’! spe’uth!”
“Eek! A bear!”

nusuw’ kwe-e-etseem, “’eeenuneee’! spe’uth!”
I screamed, “Eek! A bear!”

nusuw’ hwu’alum’, nuw’ilum ’u kwthu lelum’, yuxwan’chunum’.
So I ran back inside the house.

“’i’ spe’uth p’e’!”
There’s a bear!

hay tsun ’ul’ ’uw’ yusii’si’.
I was really scared.

’i’ wulh tl’kwatus tthunu shuyulh thunu swetu.
My brother grabbed me by the sweater.

sutst ’uw’ huliye’ yuxwun’xwan’chunum’’u kwthu lelum’, yuxwun’xwan’chunum’ tst, yukwun’etsustham’shus tthunu shuyulh, tsulel ’uw’ yuhwukw’ustham’shus.
We took off running to the house, running and running, my brother holding my hand and almost dragging me.

hay ’ul’ hwthiqun kw’unus yuhe’tth’um’ ’i’ tsilhus tthu yushxwan’chunum’ tst.
I was breathing hard as we were running uphill.

hay ’ul’ ’uw’ hwe’hwe’ tthunu shuyulh kwus yuxwan’chunum’, q’eq’ul’ ’ul’ kw’unus yuq’uthum’shun’.
My brother was running so fast, I could barely keep up.

“’aaah sha!! nus ni’ hwi’ ’ukw’shun ’u lhunu qwlhey’shun.
“Ah shucks!! I’ve lost my shoe!

lhunu qwlhey’shu-u-un, ni’ tsun ’ukw’nuhw!”
My shoe! I’ve lost it!”

’uwu tst niit ’unuhw kwutst yuxwan’chunum’ ’u kwthu hay ’ul’ tsilhus shelh.
But we didn’t stop running up the steep road.

’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ tus ’ul’ ’u kwthu lelum’.
And we reached the house.

’aah! ni’ tst ’uw’ hun’umut.
Oh, we made it home.

kwus wulh hulun’umut kwthunu shhwuw’weli, yuxut’u niihw ’uw’ thuluthi’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh.
And when our parents got home, they were saying that the children must be okay.

sutst ’uw’ yuthust kwutst hay ’ul’ ’uy’iyus ’u kwthu snets’uw’t-hwumtst.
So we told our parents we had an exciting visit.

suw’ qul’et kweyul, nem’ hwi’ suw’q’t lhunu qwlhey’shun.
Next day, I went to look for my shoe.

’aah sha!! ’uwu’te’ qwlhey’shun! niis tstamut lhunu qwlhey’shun?
O my! No shoe! What happened to my shoe?

nusuw’ yu-u-u-num.
And I laughed and laughed.

huwa’ nilh kwthu spe’uth ni’ kwunut.
Maybe the bear took it.

’uw’ niihw lumnuhw kwthu spe’uth ’i’ lhu qwlhey’shun ni’ ha’kwushus tthu spe’uth, nilh nuswe’.
If you see a bear wearing a shoe, it might be mine.

ni’ hay.
The end.

CREDITS

Story by Carol Louie
Hul’q’umi’num’ translation by Carol Louie and Delores Louie
Edited by Donna Gerdts
Voice Delores Louie
Sound and Video by Donna Gerdts

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Story: TheVisitor