The Legend of Surabaya
A long time ago, there were two animals, Sura and Baya. Sura was the name of a shark and Baya was a crocodile. They lived in a sea.
Once Sura and Baya were looking for some food. Suddenly, Baya saw a goat “Yummy, this is my lunch,” said Baya. “No way! This is my lunch. You are greedy” said Sura. Then they fought for the goat. After several hours, they were very tired.
Feeling tired of fighting, they lived in the different places. Sura lived in the water and Baya lived in the land. The border was the beach, so they would never fight again.
One day, Sura went to the land and looked for some food in the river. He was very hungry and there was not much food in the sea. Baya was very angry when he knew that Sura broke the promise. They fought again.
They both hit each other. Sura bit Baya’s tail. Baya did the same thing to Sura. He bit very hard until Sura finally gave up and went back to the sea. Baya was happy.
The Ant and the Dove
One hot day, an ant was seeking for some water. After walking around for a moment, she came to a spring. To reach the spring, she had to climb up a blade of grass. While making her way up, she slipped and fell unintentionally into the water.
She could have sunk if a dove up a nearby tree had not seen her. Seeing that the ant was in trouble, the dove quickly put off a leaf from a tree and dropped it immediately into the water near the struggling ant. Then the ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up there. Soon it carried her safely to dry ground.
Not long after at that, there was a hunter nearby who was throwing out his net towards the dove, hoping to trap it in this way.
Guessing what he should do, the ant quickly bit him on the heel. Feeling the pain, the hunter dropped his net and the dove flew away quickly from this net.
The Story of Toba Lake
Once upon a time, there was a man who was living in north Sumatra. He lived in a simple hut in a farming field. The did some gardening and fishing for his daily life.
One day, while the man was do fishing, he caught a big golden fish in his trap. It was the biggest catch which he ever had in his life. Surprisingly, this fish turned into a beautiful princess. He felt in love with her and proposed her to be his wife. She said; “Yes, but you have to promise not to tell anyone about the secret that I was once a fish, otherwise there will be a huge disaster”. The man made the deal and they got married, lived happily and had a daughter.
Few years later, this daughter would help bringing lunch to her father out in the fields. One day, his daughter was so hungry and she ate his father’s lunch. Unfortunately, he found out and got furious, and shouted; “You damned daughter of a fish”. The daughter ran home and asked her mother. The mother started crying, felt sad that her husband had broken his promise.
Then she told her daughter to run up the hills because a huge disaster was about to come. When her daughter left, she prayed. Soon there was a big earthquake followed by non-stop pouring rain. The whole area got flooded and became Toba Lake. She turned into a fish again and the man became the island of Samosir.
Malin Kundang
A long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West Sumatra, a woman and her son lived. They were Malin Kundang and her mother. Her mother was a single parent because Malin Kundang’s father had passed away when he was a baby. Malin Kundang had to live hard with his mother.
Malin Kundang was a healthy, dilligent, and strong boy. He usually went to sea to catch fish. After getting fish he would bring it to his mother, or sold the caught fish in the town.
One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing, he saw a merchant’s ship which was being raided by a small band of pirates. He helped the merchant. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the pirates. The merchant was so happy and thanked to him. In return the merchant asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. To get a better life, Malin Kundang agreed. He left his mother alone.
Many years later, Malin Kundang became wealthy. He had a huge ship and was helped by many ship crews loading trading goods. Perfectly he had a beautiful wife too. When he was sailing his trading journey, his ship landed on a beach near a small village. The villagers recognized him. The news ran fast in the town; “Malin Kundang has become rich and now he is here”.
An old woman ran to the beach to meet the new rich merchant. She was Malin Kundang’s mother. She wanted to hug him, released her sadness of being lonely after so long time. Unfortunately, when the mother came, Malin Kundang who was in front of his well-dressed wife and his ship crews denied meeting that old lonely woman. For three times her mother begged Malin Kundang and for three times he yelled at her. At last Malin Kundang said to her “Enough, old woman! I have never had a mother like you, a dirty and ugly woman!” After that he ordered his crews to set sail. He would leave the old mother again, but in that time, she was full of both sadness and angriness.
Finally, enraged, she cursed Malin Kundang that he would turn into a stone if he didn’t apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed and really set sail.
In the quiet sea, suddenly a thunderstorm came. His huge ship was wrecked and it was too late for Malin Kundang to apologize. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship. He fell on a small island. It was really too late for him to avoid his curse. Suddenly, he turned into a stone.
Fox and A Cat
One day, a cat and a fox were having a conversation. The fox, who was a conceited creature, boasted how clever she was. “Why, I know at least a hundred tricks to get away from our mutual enemies, the dogs,” she said.
“I know only one trick to get away from dogs,” said the cat. “You should teach me some of yours!”.
“Well, maybe someday, when I have the time, I may teach you a few of the simpler ones”, replied the fox airily.
Just then they heard the barking of a pack of dogs in the distance. The barking grew louder and louder – the dogs were coming in their direction! At once the cat ran to the nearest tree and climbed into its branches, well out of reach of any dog. “This is the trick I told you about, the only one I know”, said the cat. “Which one of your hundred tricks are you going to use?”.
The fox sat silently under the tree, wondering which trick she should use. Before she could make up her mind, the dogs arrived. They fell upon the fox and tore her to pieces.
Pinocchio
In the past, there was a puppeteer whose name is Geppetto. He eager to have a son very much but his wife passed away several years ago. One day, he got an idea to make a puppet in order not to be lonely again. He made a puppet all day long. Finally, in the morning he had finished his work and he named the puppet Pinocchio. Soon he felt lonely again since Pinocchio couldn’t walk or talk by itself. One night, Geppetto prayed to the God to become a real boy. He always thought it on his mind in his dream.
In the next morning, he was surprised that Pinocchio was alive. He taught Pinocchio how to walk, how to read, how to speak and to do other things as human. He then studied at an elementary school. One day, Pinocchio felt bored and it made him go home late. When Pinocchio finally came home, Geppetto asked him. He said that he was on school but he wasn’t. Instantly, Pinocchio’s nose grew longer and longer and it meant that Pinocchio has lied.
The next morning, Pinocchio was kidnaped by the owner of circus. Pinocchio soon became a slave for the circus. He was so famous because he was a puppet which can talk. Geppetto worried about him because Pinocchio had not been going home for almost two days. He tried to find Pinocchio everywhere but he found nothing. When he searched him on the sea, big wave smashed him. He was then in whale’s stomach when he awoke. He couldn’t find the way to go out.
In the other side, Pinocchio finally could escape out from the circus. He came home but nobody was there. Latter on, he searched Geppetto in the sea. He got the same accident like Geppetto and he met Geppetto in whale’s stomach. Both of them got out from its stomach by making a fire. In the end of the story, they went home together and lived happily ever after.
The Lion and The Mouse
When he was awakened by a tiny Mouse running across his body, a mighty Lion was sleeping in his lair. The lion then grabbed the frightened mouse with his huge paws and opened his mouth to swallow him directly. “Please, King,” begged the Mouse, “Spare me this time and of course I will never forget your kindness. Someday I may be able to repay you. “The Lion thought that it was such an amusing idea that he let the poor creature go.
Sometimes later the Lion was caught in a net laid by some hunters. Despite his great strength, the Lion could not break free. Soon the forest echoed with angry load roars.
The Little Mouse heard the Lion and ran to see what was wrong. As soon as he succeeded to make the Lion free “There!” said the Mouse proudly, ” You laughed at me when I promised to repay your kindness, but now you know that even a tiny Mouse can help a mighty Lion.”
Snow White
One day, there was a queen sitting near a very beautiful window while tailoring and seeing the snow. Accidentally, her finger was pierced by a sewing needle so that three drops of blood dripped out. The drops of blood fell down on the snow. The red color of the blood which was stuck in the white of the snow looked very pretty. Suddenly the queen thought “If only i had a child whose skin were as white as snow and whose lips were as red as blood”.
As the time went by, finally a queen gave birth of a very pretty princess whose skin was as white as snow and whose lips were as red as blood. The queen grew up as a very pretty and kind-hearted girl. She was called Snow White. However, when Snow White was about teenager, the queen died because of an illness. After the queen’s death, the king married again. This new queen was wicked and hated Snow white. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as a servant.
Everyday the queen stood in front of her magic mirror while asking “Who is the most beautiful woman in the land?” and the mirror always answered, “You are the most beautiful one of all.” The new queen asked the same question everyday and the mirror always answered the same thing. But one day the mirror answered that the queen was so beautiful but Snow White was much more beautiful than the queen. It made the queen so angry that she gave orders to one of her Huntsmen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her.
The Huntsman had such a kind heart that he couldn’t do the deed. He told her to run away. In her fleeing into the woods, she found a place in which seven dwarfs lived. Their house was small and strange. Snow White entered the little house and found it very untidy. Then, she started to clean up the entire house. In the upstairs she found seven little beds. She was so exhausted that she stretched out on one of the beds. Not long after that, she was asleep on the bed.
When the Dwarfs came home they were surprised to find Snow White and after some argument, decided to let her stay. She promised to cook and look after them. She lived there together happily.
Unfortunately, The Queen discovered the place where Snow White was living and disguising herself as a witch. She then took a poisoned apple and set out for the Dwarfs cottage. She gave Snow White the poisoned apple to eat and as soon as she bit the apple, she sank into unconsciousness.
Thinking she was dead, the Dwarfs built a glass coffin and put her in it. For days she lay in the forest in her glass coffin. One day, the Prince was riding through the forest looking for Snow White and found her. He leaned over and kissed her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. Everyone was happy at that time. The Prince took Snow White to his palace where they were married and lived happily ever after.
