Once upon a time, there was a family with twelve children.

During the rainy season, the man planted some seeds in their garden. He said to his family, "I found these seeds and I don't know which plant they are from."

He warned them, "Don't eat the fruit until we know what it is."

The seeds quickly grew into plants. The plants looked like pumpkin plants.

Soon the round ripe fruit were ready for harvesting.

Just at this time, the father went away from his family, to work.

The mother went to the market to look for food for her children.

The children were so hungry that they couldn't wait for their mother to return. The eldest child said, "Look, I'm sure those are pumpkins, let's pick some!"

So they picked the plants. They cooked them and ate until they were full.

All the children fell down, dead!

When their mother came home, she found her children lying lifeless. She saw the pumpkin skins on a plate.

She called a dove and asked it to fly to her husband.

When the dove reached the place where the man worked, it sang this song to him:

Tsi tsi etsia mumbo,
Tsio khulola Ondieki, tsi tsi,
Maondo ki yaraka, tsi tsi,
Kamalira abana, tsi tsi,
Ekhumi na babili, tsi tsi.

The man was worried when he heard the dove's song.

He started the journey home and went as fast as he could.

On the way he stopped to ask the advice of a healer.

The healer listened to the father's story, and then gave him a magic stick.

When the man arrived home, he touched each child with the magic stick.

One by one, the children slowly came alive again.

After that day, the children never again ate pumpkins.