In a quiet village of Bumbogo, there lived a cheerful girl called Kamba. Everyone liked Kamba because of her kindness, politeness, and willingness to help others in need.
If a neighbour lost his goat, Kamba helped him look for it. If a friend dropped her pencil, Kamba would immediately pick it up for her. She had a big smile and an even bigger heart. However, the funniest thing about Kamba’s life was her best friend, a rooster named Rusake.
Rusake was not a normal rooster. He was the noisiest, proudest, and most dramatic rooster in all of Bumbogo. His feathers were shiny blue and yellow. His neck glowed purple, and his tail looked like a rainbow. When Rusake walked, he shook himself as if he was always in the air. When he crowed, his voice could wake a mountain.
Every morning, before the sun came up, even before the stars went to bed, Rusake jumped onto the fence and shouted with all his heart,
“COCK-O-RIKO-OOOOOOO!”
He did not stop once.
He did not stop twice.
He crowed again and again.
“Cock-o-riko-oooo! Cock-o-rikooo-oooo!”
Soon, everybody in the village was awake and a little grumpy.
Some people liked it. “Ah, Rusake wakes us early. We will be on time for work!”
But others complained, “Oh no, that noisy rooster again. Can’t he sleep like normal birds?”
One morning, Kamba’s father said, “Kamba, my daughter, your rooster is making me lose sleep. If Rusake crows again before sunrise, we will cook him for dinner. I mean it.”
Kamba gasped. “Oh no! Poor Rusake!”
She ran to the backyard, where Rusake was busy admiring himself in a puddle.
“Rusake,” Kamba said softly, “please listen. You crow too early. My father is angry. If you don’t stop, he might cook you.”
Rusake blinked, then puffed out his chest proudly. “Ha! Cook me? Impossible! I am the most beautiful rooster in Bumbogo. Look at my feathers. Look at my wings. Look at my shiny purple neck. Everyone loves my singing!”
Kamba sighed. “You cannot be serious, Rusake. It’s not singing. It’s shouting. Very loud shouting!”
Rusake laughed. “Nonsense! My voice is music. The cows love it, the dogs love it, and even the clouds listen to me!”
Then he flapped his wings and crowed again,
“COCK-O-RIKOOO-OOOOOOO! See? Beautiful!”
Kamba shook her head. “Please, Rusake, if you love me, stop crowing so early.”
But Rusake paraded in circles and said, “A rooster must crow. It is my job. It is my pride. If I don’t crow, how will everyone know that Rusake the Great is awake?”
That night, Kamba prayed quietly, “Dear God, please help Rusake learn to be quiet, or at least sleep until the sun wakes up.”
But at midnight, when everyone was dreaming, guess what happened?
“COCK-O-RIKOOO-OOOOO!”
Rusake was back at it, louder than ever. He crowed so much that the cat fell off the roof, the goats woke up and started bleating, and even the moon looked tired.
The next morning, Kamba’s father stood up dizzy because he had not slept all night. Angry, he said, “Enough is enough. Tonight, Rusake becomes dinner!”
Kamba’s heart broke. She could not lose her friend, so she made a plan.
That evening, she whispered, “Rusake, come here. I will hide you under my bed until Father forgets.”
Rusake agreed, but only because there was a small mirror under the bed, and he liked looking at himself.
When the family went out to get firewood, some neighbours came and asked, “Where is the noisy rooster?”
Rusake thought they were calling him to perform. He fluffed his feathers, cleared his throat, and shouted,
“COCK-O-RIKOOOOOO-OOOOO! HERE I AM!”
Kamba ran out shouting, “No! Please don’t!”
But it was too late! That night, Rusake the proud rooster was eaten for dinner. Kamba cried but she couldn’t do anything. The next day, she sat under a tree and said sadly, “If only Rusake had listened. I tried to warn him but being proud and noisy only brought him trouble.”
From that day on, everyone in Bumbogo remembered the story of Rusake the Rooster. Parents told their children, “Don’t be like Rusake, who didn’t listen and ended up in the cooking pot.”
When children became too proud or refused advice, their friends teased them, saying, “Careful! You sound like Rusake the Rooster!”
They also remembered Kamba, the kind girl who cared, who warned her friend, and who learned that love also means letting others learn their own lessons.
About the Contributor
Delice Umurerwa is a Rwandan writer and legal professional whose passion for storytelling began long before she learned to read. She is married and dedicated to both family and career; she holds a bachelor’s degree in law and is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies at the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD). She serves as a committed court clerk, a role that sharpens her attention to detail and deepens her understanding of people and their stories. Delice’s love for literature dates back to childhood, when she would offer her elder sister her morning bread in exchange for evening story reading time, moments she cherishes as her earliest and happiest memories. Inspired by this, she dreams of creating delightful, memorable stories that spark imagination in young readers. Her goal is to help children experience the same joy, laughter, and comfort that stories once brought her.
