Cindelaras

Raden Putra was the king of Jenggala kingdom. He had a beautiful queen and
concubine. Unlike the queen, the concubine had bad personalities. She was envious
and jealous with the queen, so she planned to make the queen leave the palace. The
concubine then asked the royal healer to help her in her plan. One day, the
concubine pretended to be ill. Raden Putra called the royal healer to give the
concubine treatments. What is her disease? Raden Putra asked the royal healer.
Im very sorry, My Majesty. She is sick because the queen put poison in her
meal, the royal healer lied.
Raden Putra was shock and angry to hear the explanation. He called the queen and
asked her if the story was true. Of course the queen denied, but Raden Putra wont
listen. Please Your Majesty, have mercy. I really didnt do anything, cried the
queen in her tears. Raden Putras anger ended in a decision. The queen should be
banished to the woods and terminated. He did not know that the queen was already
pregnant. Raden Putra commanded one of his general to do the punishment. The
queen was banished to the woods, but the wise general didnt have the heart to kill
her. He built a simple house in the woods for her. On his way back to the palace, he
smeared his sword with rabbit blood, so Raden Putra would believe that he had
killed the queen.
After the general left, the queen lived by herself in the woods. Several months
later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The baby was named Cindelaras. He
grew up as a nice, healthy, and handsome boy. One day, while Cindelaras helped
her mother to collect some fire woods, an eagle dropped an egg. Cindelaras
brought the egg to be brooded by a chicken behind their house. The egg hatched
into a chick and then it slowly became a strong rooster. The rooster is no ordinary
rooster. The rooster could sing. Every morning, the rooster woke Cindelaras up
with its beautiful song, My master is Cindelaras. His house is in the woods. Hes
the son of Raden Putra. The rooster often sang that song.
Cindelaras always woke up early in the morning and listen happily to his roosters
song. He didnt realize the meaning of the song until one day, he started to think.
Who is Raden Putra? he asked his mother. The queen then told him the whole
story. She also told him why they were banned from the kingdom and lived in the
woods. Cindelaras was very surprised. He decided to go to the palace to meet the
king, his father. Cindelaras asked her mothers permission to go to the kingdom
and to tell the king what really happened. He also brought his rooster that grew
bigger and stronger each day.
On his way, Cindelaras stopped at a village. There, he met some people who were
involved in cockfighting. They challenge him to see how strong his rooster was. If
your rooster wins, youll get a reward, said the man who challenged him.

Cindelaras accepted the challenge. In a few minutes, his rooster defeated the
opponents rooster. He was challenged again by other man, and one more time, his
rooster won. He won again and again.
The news about Cindelaras rooster quickly spread to the whole Jenggala kingdom
and made Raden Putra curious. So, he invited Cindelaras to the palace. What is
your name, boy? Raden Putra asked as Cindelaras arrived in the palace. My
name is Cindelaras, Your Majesty, Cindelaras answered. He felt both thrilled and
happy to see Raden Putra.
Raden Putra challenged Cindelaras with one condition. If Raden Putras rooster
won, Cindelaras head would be cut off. But if Cindelaras rooster won, Raden
Putra would share half of his wealth. Cindelaras accepted the condition. The
competition was held in the front yard of the palace. The two roosters fought
bravely. But in just a few minutes, Cindelaras rooster won the fight! Raden Putra
shook his head and stared at Cindelaras from his seat, That rooster is no ordinary
rooster, and the boy is not an ordinaty boy either. Who is he exactly? he thought.
Raden Putra was about to asked when suddenly Cindelaras rooster sang the song,
My master is Cindelaras. His house is in the woods. Hes the son of Raden Putra.
Raden Putra was surprised. Is it true? he asked. Yes, My Majesty. My name is
Cindelaras and my mother was the queen, said Cindelaras. Raden putra called the
general who had banished the queen. The general then confessed that he never
killed the queen. Later, the royal healer also admitted his mistake. Raden Putra was
so shocked. He immediately went to the woods to pick up the queen. Ever since,
Cindelaras and his parents lived happily together. As for the concubine, she was
sent to the jail as punishment.***

The Greedy Man

Once upon a time in Riau, lived a pair of husband and wife. They were very poor. The wife
was very diligent, while the husband was very lazy. He just slept and slept everyday. He did
not want to help his wife to earn a living. The wife was helpless, she often prayed to God to
help her husband.
One night the husband had a dream. In his dream, an old man came to him. He told the
husband to take his sampan and went to river. "Go to the middle of the river and wait until a
rope appears from the river. Take the rope slowly, and then you will find a golden chain. You
can cut and take it, but don't take the chain too long," said the old man. The husband then
woke up from his dream.
In the next day, the husband took his sampan and went to river. He wanted to do the old man's
advice as said in his dream last night. "Where are you going?" asked the wife. She was so
surprised to see her husband was busy preparing the sampan. "I want to go fishing, Honey.
See you later!" the husband didnt want to tell his wife about his dream. He knew his wife
would think he was crazy by following up a dream.
After the husband arrived in the river, he rowed his sampan until he reached the middle of the
river. He then looked around the water surface very carefully. Suddenly a rope appeared from
the river. "The old man was right!" said the husband to himself. He then slowly pulled the
rope and at the end of the rope he saw a golden chain! The chain was sparkling and glowing.
It was made from pure gold. "Wow! Its really made of gold. Im rich. Im rich," the husband
said happily. He kept pulling the chain. He forgot the old man's advice to take only short
chain because it was enough for him. The poor man became greedy. He wanted to take the
golden chain as long as possible.
While he was busy pulling out the golden chain, a bird came to him. It talked, "Remember
the old man's advice. Take only a short golden chain." But the poor man ignored the bird and
kept on pulling out the chain. Slow but sure, his sampan was full of the golden chain. It was
so full that finally the sampan could not hold the weight any more. The sampan started to
drown. The golden chain was sinking and went to the bottom of the river creating a big wave
in the river. The wave almost swallowed the poor man. He was so panicked. He swam as fast
as possible to the river side.
When he arrived on the river side, he felt sorry to himself. He blamed himself for being a
greedy man. But it was already too late. But then he realized that it was a lesson for him to
work hard if he wanted to earn money.***

One Thousand andOne Night's

Long ago ,there was agreat king called Shahriah. He was a good King-until he found his
wifeloved another man. Then the King was very angry with his wife and he cuthis wife's
head.
For three years King Shahriahmarried a new wife every day and every morning the
executioner cut offthe head of the King's new wife. . More than a thousand girls died.
The Wazir was very unhappyabout this .He often shut himself in his room and cried. One day,
someone heard the Wazir crying. That person was the Wazir 's daughter. Shewas beautiful,
clever and good, and her name was Sheherezade. `Why areyou so sad, Father?' she asked.
The Wazir told her allthe story about a thousand lovely young girls.
Sheherezade was sad ,too, when she heard about the poor young girls . She thought
carefullyfor a few minutes . Then she said : `Listen , father. I think I know howwe can stop
the king from killing any more young girls. Let me marry him.'
"You ? Oh , my dear daughter, do not throw your life away ! Do not leave your poor old
father alonein the world !
" Father, please do asI ask you. I have a plan.
King Shahriah was veryhappy when he saw Sheherezade. That night Sheherezade lay beside
the kingin his great bed. She began to tell him a story. Shahriah had never hearda story like it
before.
The sun was up in a pinksky, and the birds were singing their morning song.
" It is day " said theking. "I have work to do .Tonight , Sheherezade , you must come to me
again.you can finish the story then ? " .
The executioner was standingoutside the door. " Not this morning " . the king told him . "
Come againtomorrow " .
So Sheherezade lived oneday longer than all the other young girls .
The next night she finishedher story, then she started a new one.
Once again the king sentthe executioner away. He asked Sheherezade to come back the next
nightto finish her second story.
So it went on, night afternight, week after week , month after month. Sheherezade knew so
many toolong to finish before day came.
For a thousand and onenights, Sheherezade told the king her stories . She told one
wonderfulstory after another . Every morning she stopped in the middle of a newstory . Every
morning the king sent his executioner away . He had to hearthe rest of the story , and then the
next one, and then the one after that.

One day he forgot to tellthe executioner to come bake again . No more lovely young girls
died becauseof king Shahriah after that.