The Bird That Made Milk
Sesotho folktale · ditšomo
Kwesukasukela... A man named Masilo had a maize field that someone kept stripping bare each night. He set a watch and finally caught the thief: a small bird. As he raised his hand to kill it, the bird cried out, begging for its life and promising that, in return, it would make milk for him. Astonished, Masilo spared it and took it home, where the bird filled his milk-vessels with rich, sweet milk day after day. The family grew fat and prosperous, but Masilo warned his children never to open the bird's basket while he was away herding. One day, curiosity overcame the children. They lifted the lid, and the precious bird escaped, soaring up and away. The children chased it, calling and weeping, but it would not return. When Masilo came home and found the milk-bird gone, his grief and anger were terrible. He set out wandering far across the veld in search of the lost bird that had made his household rich. The story is told to explain why a single careless act can scatter a family's good fortune, and why one must guard a gift and obey those who give it. Cosu cosu iyaphela.
The lesson: Guard a precious gift carefully and heed warnings; disobedience and idle curiosity can destroy a family's fortune.