Pija ko kōn Tōmak
Rachel Lighthall
California, USA
Etetal ipeļaakin menkwarar ko im dipdikdikin dōkā ko ijo Rachel ekar jokwe ie, im aeet m̧ool kwojeļā ke em̧ōj an jako aolep kain. Ak jekdoon ālkin kijeek eo me ekar kakkure Paradise, California, kwoj kile wōt tōmak eo an Rachel ke ej kōnono kōn wāween an kar lo pein Anij ilo mour eo an.
Richard M. Romney, ripija eo
Ekkā ad ello kijeek ilo jikin in, kōn menin ke ikar lo an mejatoto pataata jibbon̄ōn eo, ikar jab lukkuun inepata. Ikar kāāl wōt n̄an jikin eo, ak ro me eto aer kar jokwe m̧oktaļo̧k ilo Paradise—eļaptata ro me rej jokwe epaake ļo̧k canyons eo—em̧ōj kar kōm̧akūt er m̧oktaļo̧k.
Ilo iien eo, mekarta, kōto ko reļļap rekar kōmakajļo̧k im kōļapļo̧k kijeek eo jon̄an rikun kijeek ro rejeļā n̄āāt eo enaaj tōpartok ijo kōm ej jokwe ie. Elōn̄ iaam ekar ejjeļo̧k am ļōmņak kōn ta eo ekar waļo̧k m̧ae an jikin eo kar uruur ilo aolep jikin. Jekjek eo kōm kar pād ie jān “inepata jidik” n̄an “idin̄! Diwōj!” ilowaan wōt juon awa.
Em̧m̧akūt eo ekar lukkuun poktak—im mōkaj. Elōn̄ armej rekar ettōr ikijeen kijeek ko bwe ren maron̄ diwjōjļo̧k jān jikin eo. Ilo aō kar ettōr kōn ajri ro, ekar pataat aolep jikin. Ekāke in kijeek ilo aolepān jikin eo im ekar bwil aolep jikin. Elōn̄ armej rekar etal jān mōko mōer kōn an bwil kōn kijeek ak mōko mōn ro rūtūrūer rebwil. Ikar jab jeļā eļan̄n̄e m̧weo m̧ō enaaj kar bar bwil.
Ke kōm ej ettōr, ikar bwebwenato ippān Anij. Ikar jar bwe kōm en jab jorrāān im bwe m̧weo mōm enjab jorrāān. Ej kab ruo iiō in am jokwe ilo m̧weo mōm. Āinwōt juon baam̧le, kōm kar ippān doon n̄an kōkm̧anm̧anļo̧k. Ļeo pāleeō im ajri ro rekar jipan̄ eō bar kōkm̧anm̧anļo̧k raan m̧weo im būļoor eo an. Kōm kar ņa etan m̧weo “juon jikin kakkije.” Ikar iakwe m̧weo mōm, ak ikar kajjieon̄ bwe in kajoor n̄an leļo̧k ankilaaō n̄an ankilaan Anij.
Jejjo raan tokālik, ikar lo bwe m̧weo m̧ōm̧ ekar jako. Ke kōm kar kōm̧m̧ane bweukkuun aibojooj, ak kiiō em̧ōj an bwil im jako. Ak reilikļo̧k, iien ko kōm kar joļo̧k ilo m̧weo m̧ōm̧ ekar juon iien em̧m̧an. Eļap aō kam̧m̧oolol bwe Anij ekar letok n̄an baam̧le in iien ilo m̧weo m̧ōm̧.
Juon iaan men ko relukkuun aibojooj ikar lo im ron̄ āinwōt juon tōprak in kijeek eo ej naan in kam̧ool ko an armej ro kōn ta eo ij watōke “Ļap tōmak.” Armej rein rekar lo wāween an Anij kar erļo̧ke pein ilo mour ko aer. “Ļap tōmak” āinwōt ejjab juon men eo komaron̄ bōke ilo juon wōt iien. Ebōk juon iien aeitok n̄an kalōke.
Ej kakeememej eō kōn barabōļ eo kōn virgin ro jon̄oul. Eļan̄n̄e ejjeļo̧k am̧ ļam, iien n̄an reiļo̧k n̄an Anij ej m̧okta jān jorrāān. N̄e jorrāān ko āinwōt kijeek rej waļo̧k, ejjab iien eo ne n̄an jino tein̄i ļam eo am̧. Ej āinwōt n̄e kwoj pād ilo wa eo waam̧ im kajjitōkin ajri ro n̄an kannōk seat belt ko aer. Ļōmņak mōk n̄e renkar ba, “Ijjab aikuj seat belt. N̄e iron̄ am̧ lamōj, innām inaaj kanōk seat belt eo!” Ilo iien jorrāān eban wōr aer iien.
Ālkin kijeek eo, ikar kile bwe armej ro ijin kōn “oil in ļam ko aer”ekar jab ļap aer jorrāān. Rej būrom̧ōj wōt, rej ioon apan̄, ak rej tōmak bwe Anij ej kea kōn er im ej likūt an kōjparok ilo mour ko aer. Rejeļā bwe Anij ekajoor jon̄an Emaron̄ kar kōjparok mōko m̧wōer jān kijeek eo, ak rejjab bar illu n̄e ej waļo̧k āindein. Rej m̧ōņōņō kōn Ankilaan Menin ikar ņa etan “Ļap tōmak.”
Aolep armej ro rej tōmak ilo Anij rekar lo Pein ilo iien uruur in kijeek in. Kojjab maron̄ kam̧ool n̄an juon armej bwe elōn̄ Anij im kōnke wōt juon menin bwilōn̄ elap, ak Anij ekar bōktok tarrin juon milien in menin bwilōn̄ dikdik ko ijin ilo Paradise. Eļan̄n̄e kwoj tōmak ilo Anij, komaron̄ lo Pein ilo aolep jikin. Men̄e ej juon men eo epen, ej barāinwōt juon menin bwilōn̄. Anij ekar jipan̄ kōj ekkatak ta eo jej aikuj ekkatak.
“Ļap in tōmak” ekar jab kōjparok jabdewōt jān aer būurom̧ōj e men ko m̧weer me reluuji. Juon iaan men ko reppen kōn en̄jake in eļap ej lo an ro rejitōn bōro ippād būrom̧ōj. Bōlen eļapļo̧k aō burōm̧ōj ippāer jān aō būrom̧ōj ippa make. Aaet, ebwe an pen n̄an baam̧le eo aō, im elōn̄ men ko jeluuji. Ak ekar bar lōn̄ men ko jekar jeraam̧m̧an kaki.
Membōr ro ilo Chico California rekar kōm̧m̧an eļap n̄an jerbal n̄an ro jet kōn wōt kijeek eo. Aolep armej rekar itok n̄an stake center ilo raan in em̧m̧akūt eo rekar jokwe ium̧win awa ko ippān membōr ro ilo stake eo. Rekar kadelon̄ kōm ilo m̧ōko mōer im jipan̄ kōm bōk men ko jekar aikuji. Ekar juon men ekabwilōn̄lōn̄ kōn kein jipan̄ ko me jekar bōki jān Rikwojarjar ro ilo aolepān laļ in. Em̧ōj kōjeraam̧m̧an kōm im kar jipan̄ kōm, im jemaron̄ en̄jake aer iakwe. Elukkuun em̧m̧an n̄e kwoj juon eo uwaan Kabun̄ in. Inaaj lamōj jon̄an wōt aō maron̄!
Ke kijeek eo ej waļo̧k, ikar lukkuun jar kōnke ikar aikuj būrom̧ōj im ikar aikuj katakin ajri ro nejū n̄an būrom̧ōj e ro jet. Anij ewōr ippān men ko reaibojooj n̄an katakin eō. Ikar ekkatak aorōkin “ būrom̧ōj eo erreo.” Ta meļeļein n̄an eō ej bwe kwojjab pād wōt ilo jikin ko remarok kōn būrom̧ōj ko am̧ ak etal n̄an juon jikin mijak. Kojjab kōtļo̧k bwe ļōmņak ko am̧ ren etal n̄an jikin illu ak jook. Kwoj buromōj ilo wāween an Anij būrom̧ōj. Ilo wāween in, būrom̧ōj eaibojooj im ej kōmour. Ej āinwōt iakwe.
Ilo jekjek in, apan̄ eo eļaptata ej men eo jejjab jeļā kake. Elōn̄ ļo̧k kajjitōk ko me jān uwaak ko n̄an aolep Jekar jab jeļā jon̄an an mōkaj an Paradise bar ekkaļ, ak eļan̄n̄e emaron̄ bar ekkaļ kōn wōt jon̄an kakkure eo im jorrāān eo ekabwilōn̄lōn̄.
Anij ekar jerbal ippa ium̧win iiō ko n̄an kōpooj eō n̄an ioon jekjek in. Ekar bar lōn̄ “jorrāān ko” ilo mour eo aō me ekar jipan̄ eō jeļā bwe Anij eaibojooj im ej tōl mour eo aō.
Ejjeļo̧k juon men epen ij jelm̧aeiki me ejjeļo̧k an kōttōpar ko rem̧m̧an im aibojooj im ļap meļeļeier. Ikar kile bwe n̄e ij kōtļo̧k bwe Anij katakin eō, ikar ekkatak aolep iien kōn apan̄ ko aō. Anij ekar kōtļo̧k bwe jen ioon apan̄ kein bwe jen maron̄ itok n̄an E im lōke e im iakwe E. Ijeļā bwe n̄e men kein reppen, ej pojak ijeņ aolep iien n̄an kōj.
Rachel ej lale dipdikdik in ta eo ekar likūt m̧okta m̧weo imōn. Iien ko kōm kar juļo̧ki ilo m̧weo mōm̧ ekar juon iien em̧m̧an,” ekar ba. Ilukkuun m̧ōņōņō bwe Anij ekar letok baam̧le eo aō bwe en wōr aer iien ilo m̧weo mōm.
Mōn Jar eo an Paradise First Ward, ekar juon jikin kabun̄jar, ekkatak gospel eo, im jikin kōm̧m̧ani m̧akūtkūt ko, ej kiiō jikin menkwaraar. Ijoke, membōr ro rekar en̄jake eļap jipan̄ jān Rikwojarjar ro ilo aolepān laļ in. “Jemaron̄ en̄jake iakwe eo aer,” Rachel ej ba. “Elukkuun em̧m̧an n̄e jej juon uwaan Kabun̄ in. Inaaj lamōj jon̄an wōt aō maron̄!”
“Aolep armej ro rej tōmak ilo Anij rekar lo Pein ilo iien uruur in kijeek in. “Men̄e ej juon men eo epen, ej barāinwōt juon menin bwilōn̄. Anij ekar jipan̄ kōj ekkatak ta eo jej aikuj ekkatak .”
Membōr ro ilo baam̧le eo an Lighthall rekar kajjojo jibwe juon mweik eo me ekar kalbobo kōn men kwaraar in m̧weo imōer. Rekar kōm̧m̧an āinwōt juon kein kakeememej kōn kōjeraam̧m̧an ko an Anij. Kōnono kōn kijeek in, Rachel ej ba, “Aaet, ej juon men epen, im jekar luuji elōn̄ men ko. Ak jej bar bōk eļapļo̧k.”