Em kam painim mi na tok stori mitupla ibin raitim na salim igo, ol glasman na ol jas, itok em ino gut tumas.  Mi okay tasol wantok blo mi ya mi sorre long em.  Em traim traim hat tru long raitim stori igo long ples bilong Misis Kwin.

He came looking for me to tell what happened to the story that we wrote and sent to the scrutinizers and judges, who said it did not make it.  It was not good enough.  I’m okay but my friend, I feel so sorry for him.  He tried his best to send that story along to the land of the Misis Queen.

Na ol bekim tok em ino sindaun gut long bel bilong mi.

And they replied that it didn’t go well with them.

Mi bekim olsem mi gat bilip olsem ol les tumas long glasim gut stori bilong mitupela.

I retorted that I was convinced they did not properly consider our story.

Long mipela ol bus kanaka, ol waitman ya ino bin skulim mipla long raitim stori.  Ol lukim olsem mipla igat planti stori tumas na ol les moa long lainim mipla long hau long raitim stori wantaim pen na pepa.  Ol laikim mipla ritim Sino Wait na ol Sevenpla Duwof blong em. Ol I laik mipela mas tellimautim stori bilong mipela long wankain pasin.

To us bush kanakas, the white men did not teach us how to write stories.  They saw that we had very many stories; too many for them to teach how to write the stories properly. They wanted us to read Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Igat displa tingting olsem hau ol raitim stori na tokaut long stori bilong ol em moa gutpla na stret.  Raitim stori long weh bilong ol em ol stori tru tru.  Ol ting olsem ol weh mipla save tellimautim stori em ino rait weh.  Ol igat displa wan sait tingting olsem na ol ino lukim stori bilong mitupela.

They wanted us to tell our stories that way, to them the proper way to write a story. They did not see a story as we do. They have a bias and they cannot see beyond it to understand our stories.

Ol tru tru bus kanaka, ino mipla na ino wantok blo mi ya.

They truly are ignorant of us, and not like us or like my friend.

Wantok blong mi traim traim. Mi tu save stori long em na em traim raitim stori bilong mi igo long ples blo Misis Kwin ya. 

My friend tried his best. I would tell him stories and he tried writing these for us to send to the Queen.

Ol longlong long hap ol laikim kaksi stori ol raitim wantaim kaksy inglis.  Bus inglis bilong mi, em blo mi, em inglis ol lainim mi o mi lainim long ol, em mi ting em gutpla inglis na mi tok stori long em.

Those philistines over there want kaksy stories written in kaksy English.  Our bush English is mine and that is the English I learned or was taught by them. I thought this was good English and good enough for me to write our stories.

Tasol toksave ikam na wantok ya toksave long mi.  Mi kros tasol bai mi mekim wonem.  Ol lain ya igat namba na samting ol tok, em ol tok nau.

But the notice came, and I was informed.  I’m annoyed but what will I do.  They in the Queen’s place have the authority and what they say goes.

Yu husat salim stori, mi laik tok yu ken hamamas sapos ol longlong ya tok stori blo yu ino gutpla.  Yu bin mekim pasin blo raitim stori bilong mitupela na em bikpla samting.  Mitupela igat moa stori yet so yu no ken slek long raitim stori.   Mi save mi gat namba i pas long laif bilong mi.  Ino long taim bipo mi bai go lus. Lain olsem na mi laikim poro bilong mi long harim ol stori bilong mi na raitim down.

If you had submitted a story, I’d say you can be happy if those philistines say your story is not good.  You tried to write our stories and that’s a good thing.  We have many more stories to tell so don’t slack off in your writing. My days are numbered.  It won’t be long before I’m gone. That’s why I want my friend to listen to my stories and record them.

Mi tokim wantok ya tu long noken pilim pen na sorre sorre long em yet tasol em ken apim het na rait moa yet.

I told my friend here that he should not be upset or feel sorry for himself.  He can hold his head high and keep writing.

Mi givim em bikpla tok nau long em noken lukluk moa long Commonwealth Short Story Prize, em ken lukluk long First Nations Writers Festival.  First Nations Writers Festival ino save wari tumas sapos stori em ino kaksy tumas. 

I told him to forget the Commonwealth Short Story Prize but look to the First Nations Writers Festival, which doesn’t mind if you don’t write kaksy stories so long your story is in passable English. 

Na tu em ken lukluk long self pablis sapos em igat planti stori.

And he can look at self-publishing if he has a good collection of stories.

Sem kain tok mi laik tok long olgeta yu husat save raitim ol stori.

I would repeat the same message to all you who write stories.

Em ya tok English toksave blong ol, em bai kilim paia stret….

Here again is their ego crunching English announcement that really extinguishes the spirit…..

“This year, we received 7,920 stories from across the globe, a new record. After careful reading and thoughtful deliberation, we’re sorry to let you know that your story was unsuccessful this year. With sincere thanks” – Message to a new contestant in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize