1) nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ hw’iiw’tsusta’lum’ kws thuyt-s tthu swultun.
One day my late dad was teaching us how to mend his fishing net.
2) hw’uw’tsusthelum kwunus thuyt tthu swultun, tthu ni’ susiq’ ’u tthu swultun ’i’ ni’ tsun thuyt.
I learned how to fix the net where it had holes on it and added a square to fix the holes.
3) hay ’ul’ ’uy’ nu shqwaluwun kwunus tul’nuhw kwus hw’uw’tsusthelum kwunus thuyt tthu swultun.
I was so happy to learn how to mend his net.
4) kwus wulh hay qwal tthunu men, thut-stelum, “lheq’ut ch tthu swultun, yu sthuthi’stuhw ch kws ’uwus q’ul’q’ul’q’tul’us.”
When I was done, my father told me, “Lay it in a neat pile on the floor, so it did not get tangled.”
5) hay ’ul’ ’uy’ nu shqwuluwun kwunus ni’ tul’nuhw kwunus thuyt tthu swultun kwunut ts’ets’uw’ut. tthunu men.
I was so excited to learn and help my dad.
6) nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ ni’ heew’u tthu shhwuw’weli tst, ni’ ts’twa’ hwtsel, ’i tst ’uw’ ’al’wum’ ’ul’.
One day my parents left and went somewhere— I can’t remember where—and we stayed behind.
7) wulh lumnuhwus thunu sqe’uq tthu swultun kwus slhelhuq’ ni’ ’u tthu lhxunuptun.
My younger sister saw the net just lying there on the floor.
8) wulh thut-stam’shus, “’ilhe, shuyulh! ’ilhe nem’ ee’ qwsut tthu swultun.”
She says, “Come on, Sis! Let’s go set the net”.
9) ’i tsun ’uw’ lemut ’ul’ ’i’ ’uwu tsun niin’ hwutulqut.
I looked at her and didn’t answer.
10) tl’e’ wulh qwal thunu sqe’uq, “’ilhe nem’ qwsut tthu swultun.
And my sister says again, “Let’s go set the net.
11) tth’ihwum ’i’ ’ilhe nem’ qwsut.”
Please, let’s go set it.”
12) nus nuw’ hwtulqut thunu sqe’uq, sutst ’uw’ huliye’.
So, I agreed to go along with her, and so we left.
13) ’uwu niis tsakw kwthu sta’luw’ nuw’ stutes ’u tthu lelum’ tst.
With the river not too far from our house.
14) sutst ’uw’ kwunut tthu swultun ’i’ nem’ huye’ t’ahw.
We grabbed the net and walked down to the river.
15) sutst ’uw’ yu kwun’et tthu swultun sutst ’uw’ ’aalhstuhw ’u tthu snuhwulhs tthunu men.
We took the net and we put it on board my father’s canoe.
16) hay ’ul’ yu s-hiil’ukw thunu sqe’uq ’u yu sul’uthut tst.
My sister was very happy that we were doing that.
17) sutst ’uw’ kwunut tthu sq’umul sutst ’uw’ ’ushul nem’ hwu ’unwulh ’u tthu sta’luw’.
We grabbed the paddles and paddled in the middle of the river.
18) wulh thut thunu sqe’uq, “nii hwu tl’am [kwutst tsukwilum]?
My sister said, “Is this far enough?”
19) nusuw’ thut-stuhw, “niihw ’a’lu stsekwul’ ’i’ wuwa’ ni’ stl’atl’um’.”
I said, “I don’t know but I think so.”
20) sutst ’uw’ ’unuhw sutst ’uw’ xtsuthut kws wensh tst qwsut tthu swultun.
So, we stopped, and we decided to throw the net in the river.
21) se’t sutst ’uw’ wensh thu swultun hwthiqun kws tiqw’ ’u tthu qa’.
We threw it in and splash it was in the water.
22) ’i tst xi’xlhem’ut ’i’ ’uwu niis tl’pil thu swultun ’uw’ tsitsulh ’ul’ tthu ’u tthu qa’ ’u tthu st’a’luw’.
We were both looking in the water wondering what happened because the fishing net was just floating on top of the water.
23) “’aaa,” tsuw’ sht’eewun’, “niihw ’a’lu nutsim’ ’uwu kwus tl’pil?”
“Ah,” I thought. “Why didn’t it sink?”
24) wulh m’i wil’ tthu stiwun tst yu ’i’mush ’u tthu shq’utuw’ulh.
Then our nephew (Andy) appeared walking by on the bridge.
25) hwi’ tetum’utal’hwus, “’’iii tseep ’a’lu tsukwta’mut, nu shhwum’ne’lukw?”
He shouted to us, “What are you trying to do, Aunties?”
26) sutst ’uw’ hwlam’ustul ’i’ thunu sqe’uq, ’i tst ’uw’ yuthust, “oo, ’i tst qwast tthu swultun ni’ ’u tthu sta’luw’.”
My sister and I looked at each other and said, “Oh, we are trying to set the net in the river.”
27) “ha’ ch qwsut tthu swultun ’i’ ’uw’ hay kwun’ yu st’i’am’s tthu lhqun’utun’s.”
“When you set a net, you have to attach sinkers.”
28) sutst ’uw’ hwlam’ustul ’i’ thunu sqe’uq, wulh yun’yun’talum ’u tthu stiwun tst, sus tl’uw’ huyi’num’ tun’a lhnimulh.
My sister and I looked at each other, and my nephew starts to laugh, and then we all begin to laugh.
29) aaa, nilh ’a’lu ni’ mel’q tst.
Oh, that’s what we forgot to do.
30) ’uw’ hay ’ul’ tthu sts’a’lha’ ni’ hwu st’i’am’ ’u tthu swultun tst.
All we caught was leaves.
31) ’uwu te’ tseelhtun ni’ yu st’i’am’.
We didn’t catch any fish.
32) ni’ tst ’uw’ hwkw’ast thu swultun ’aalhstuhw ’u tthu snuhwulh yu sul’its’ ’u tthu stsa’lha’.
We dragged in the net and put it back in the boat; it was filled with leaves.
33) sutst ’uw’ tsumstuhw nem’ustuhw ’u tthu lelum’ tst, nem’ t’ukw’stuhw.
And we carried it back home up to our house.
34) wulh tus tthu men tst, putum’uta’lum’, “’i ’a’lu nutsim’ shus sul’its’ tthunu swultun ’u tthu sts’a’lha’, ’e’ut sq’iq’us.
Our dad arrived and he’s asking us, “Why the heck is my net full of leaves and it’s all tangled?
35) ’i tseep ’a’lu tstamut?”
What did you do?”
36) wulh ’iwust thunu shhw’aqw’a’, sqe’uq, “’iilh p’e’ thunu sqe’uq, tswe’ shqwaluwun.”
Pointing to my sister, I said, “It was actually my little sister’s idea.”
37) tl’uw’ ’i’wusthelum, nilh p’e’ thunu shuyulh!
And she pointed at me, “It was actually my big sister!
38) ’i tst ’uw’ yey’su’lu kwutst ’i’mushstuhw tthu swultun.”
We both went to go set net in the river.”
39) sutst ’uw’ sti’ya’xween.
We got in trouble.
40) suw’ ’uwu tst tl’e’ nem’ut tseelhtun, sutst ’uw’ sti’ya’xween ’ul’ ’u tthu ni’ sul’uthut tst.
There was no more fishing for either of us, as we got in trouble.
41) nilh kwu’elh kwthey’ skweyul, ’uwus stsekwul’us kwunus tl’e’ mel’qt.
So that was a day I will never forget.
42) ’i’ ’uw’ ’iyus ’ul’ tthu ni’ sul’uthut tst ’i’ ni’ tsuw’ hekw’me’t.
But we had fun, as I remember it.
43) ni’ hay. hay tseep q’a’.
The end. Thank you.
The PDF of this story can be downloaded here.
