The Rooster and the Pearl

Scratch. Scratch. Peck. Rooster was strutting around the yard, busily looking for
good things to eat. Peck, peck scratch. He gobbled down a piece of barley-corn with greedy
satisfaction. Yum!

Rooster stretched his neck up high, and flapped his wings in delight. Then he shook
out all his feathers and strutted to the far side of the yard, eyes alert for more good food.
Several hens were scratching industriously around the fence post, but he ignored them. He
was searching for any spare barley corn that might have been overlooked by the other
chickens at feeding time.

Rooster saw something glimmering underneath the dusty straw beside the barn. Oh-
ho! What was that? Scratch, scratch, scratch! Rooster worked industriously, trying to root
out the object, which glowed in the morning sun. A moment later, he dug out a very large
pink pearl.

Rooster stared at the pearl, looking at it first through his right eye, and then through
his left. What sort of strange seed was this? He pecked it a couple of times. It rolled back
and forth under the force of his strong beak, but it didn’t break open like a seed would after
such a blow. Cock scratched at it with his claws. Still nothing.

The pearl rolled a few inches away from Rooster’s foot, and landed next to a spare
barley corn that the hens had missed. With a delighted cluck, Rooster pounced on the barley
corn and gobbled it up. Then Rooster took a step back and his foot slipped when it landed on
the pearl. Reminded once again of the strange pink seed, Rooster turned around to look at it.
He eyed the pearl suspiciously, and pecked it again. It didn’t break open. Rooster gave a
cluck of disgust. No prize there. Who could possible want a seed so hard you couldn’t eat
it? Not Rooster. He preferred barley corn.

Rooster strutted away, his keen eyes on the lookout for more barley corn. Behind
him, the lost pearl – a 200 carat natural salt-water pearl valued at over 1 million dollars --
glinted unheeded in the morning sun.
 Babe the Blue Ox

Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish
moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken
words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what
folks were talking about the night before.

Paul Bunyan went out walking in the woods one day during that Winter of the Blue
Snow. He was knee-deep in blue snow when he heard a funny sound between a bleat and a
snort. Looking down, he saw a teeny-tiny baby blue ox jest a hopping about in the snow and
snorting with rage on account of he was too short to see over the drifts.

Paul Bunyan laughed when he saw the spunky little critter and took the little blue mite
home with him. He warmed the little ox up by the fire and the little fellow fluffed up and
dried out, but he remained as blue as the snow that had stained him in the first place. So Paul
named him Babe the Blue Ox.

Well, any creature raised in Paul Bunyan's camp tended to grow to massive
proportions, and Babe was no exception. Folks that stared at him for five minutes could see
him growing right before their eyes. He grew so big that 42 axe handles plus a plug of
tobacco could fit between his eyes and it took a murder of crows a whole day to fly from one
horn to the other. The laundryman used his horns to hang up all the camp laundry, which
would dry lickety-split because of all the wind blowing around at that height.

Whenever he got an itch, Babe the Blue Ox had to find a cliff to rub against, 'cause
whenever he tried to rub against a tree it fell over and begged for mercy. To whet his appetite,
Babe would chew up thirty bales of hay, wire and all. It took six men with picaroons to get all
the wire out of Babe's teeth after his morning snack. Right after that he'd eat a ton of grain for
lunch and then come pestering around the cook - Sourdough Sam - begging for another
snack.

Babe the Blue Ox was a great help around Paul Bunyan's logging camp. He could pull
anything that had two ends, so Paul often used him to straighten out the pesky, twisted
logging roads. By the time Babe had pulled the twists and kinks out of all the roads leading to
the lumber camp, there was twenty miles of extra road left flopping about with nowhere to
go. So Paul rolled them up and used them to lay a new road into new timberland.

Paul also used Babe the Blue Ox to pull the heavy tank wagon which was used to coat
the newly-straightened lumber roads with ice in the winter, until one day the tank sprang a
leak that trickled south and became the Mississippi River. After that, Babe stuck to hauling
logs. Only he hated working in the summertime, so Paul had to paint the logging roads white
after the spring thaw so that Babe would keep working through the summer.

One summer, as Babe the Blue Ox was hauling a load of logs down the white-washed
road and dreaming of the days when the winter would feel cold again and the logs would
slide easier on the "ice", he glanced over the top of the mountain and caught a glimpse of a
pretty yeller calf grazing in a field. Well, he twisted out of his harness lickety-split and
stepped over the mountain to introduce himself. It was love at first sight, and Paul had to
abandon his load and buy Bessie the Yeller Cow from the farmer before Babe would do any
more hauling.
 Bessie the Yeller Cow grew to the massive, yet dainty proportions that were suitable
for the mate of Babe the Blue Ox. She had long yellow eyelashes that tickled the lumberjacks
standing on the other end of camp each time she blinked. She produced all the dairy products
for the lumber camp. Each day, Sourdough Sam made enough butter from her cream to
grease the giant pancake griddle and sometimes there was enough left over to butter the toast!

The only bone of contention between Bessie and Babe was the weather. Babe loved
the ice and snow and Bessie loved warm summer days. One winter, Bessie grew so thin and
pale that Paul Bunyan asked his clerk Johnny Inkslinger to make her a pair of green goggles
so she would think it was summer. After that, Bessie grew happy and fat again, and produced
so much butter that Paul Bunyan used the leftovers to grease the whitewashed lumber roads
in summer. With the roads so slick all year round, hauling logs became much easier for Babe
the Blue Ox, and so Babe eventually came to like summer almost as much as Bessie.
 General Sudirman

General Sudirman was born and raised in a modest family. His father, KARSID
Kartowirodji, was a worker at Sugar Factory Kalibagor, Banyumas, and his mother, Siyem,
bleary-eyed offspring Wedana Apex. Soedirman since the age of 8 months was appointed as
a child by R. Tjokrosoenaryo, an assistant district officer Apex is still a brother of Siyem.
General Sudirman acquire formal education from the School Garden Student. Then he went
on to HIK (school teacher), Muhammadiyah Surakarta but not until the end. Sudirman was
also active at the moment Scouts organization Hizbul Wathan. After that he became a teacher
at his school in Cilacap Muhammadiyah.

The knowledge gained from the Japanese military through education. After
completing his education at the MAP, he became a battalion commander in Kroya, Central
Java. Later he became the commander of Division V / Banyumas after TKR formed, and
eventually was elected Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia
(Commander TKR). Sudirman was known to have a private firm on principle and conviction,
he always put the interests of many people and nation above personal interests, even the
interests of his own health. His personality is written in a book by Tjokropranolo, bodyguard
during the guerrilla, as someone who is always consistent and consistent in defending the
interests of the homeland, the nation and the state. During the Japanese occupation, the
Sudirman been a member of the People's Food Board and a member of the House of
Representatives residency of Banyumas. In this time he set up a cooperative to help the
people from starvation.

After World War II, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Sukarno
used the moment to declare the independence of Indonesia. Sudirman and his troops fought in
Banyumas, Central Java against the Japanese and captured weapons and ammunition. At that
time the Japanese position is still strong in Indonesia. MAP Soedirman organizing his
battalion into a regiment based in Banyumas, to become the army of the Republic of
Indonesia which then played a major role in the war Indonesian National Revolution.
After the People's Security Army (TKR) was formed, he was subsequently appointed as
Commander of Division V / Banyumas with the rank of Colonel. And through TKR
Conference on 12 November 1945, was elected Soedirman TKR Commander / Chief of the
Armed Forces of Indonesia. Later he began to suffer from tuberculosis, but he still falls
within the guerrilla war against the forces who want to master the Dutch NICA Indonesia
after the Japanese surrender.

The first great war is a war led Soedirman Palagan Ambarawa against the British and
Dutch NICA which lasts from November to December 1945. In December 1945, forces led
by Sudirman TKR fought against the British army in Ambarawa. And on December 12, 1945,
Sudirman launched simultaneous attacks against all top notch British Ambarawa. Famous
battle which lasted for five days to end with the withdrawal of British troops to Semarang.
The war ended on December 16, 1945. After victories in the Sudirman Ambarawa Theater,
on December 18, 1945 he was appointed as General by President Soekarno. Soedirman
gained the rank of General is not through the military academy or other higher education, but
because of his achievements.
 General Sudirman still plunge into battle during the second Dutch military aggression
in the capital Yogyakarta. When the capital was moved to Yogyakarta, Indonesia as Jakarta
has mastered Belanda.Soedirman led his troops to defend Yogyakarta from the Dutch attack
was on December 19, 1948. In opposition, the health condition of General Sudirman was in a
very weak state of tuberculosis he suffered for a long time. Yogyakarta was then controlled
by the Dutch, although Indonesia was ruled by the army after General Offensive March 1,
1949. At that time, President Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta and several cabinet members
were also arrested by the Dutch army. Because of the precarious situation, Soedirman
crutches left with his troops and return to guerrilla warfare.

He moved around for seven months from one forest to another forest, and from
mountain to mountain in sickness almost without treatment and medical care. Soedirman
home of guerrilla because his health condition does not allow her to lead the Armed Forces
directly. After that just a figure Soedirman planners behind the scenes in a guerrilla campaign
against the Dutch. After the Dutch surrender as the Indonesian archipelago States in the 1949
Round Table Conference in The Hague, General Sudirman back to Jakarta with President
Sukarno and Vice President Mohammad Hatta. At the date January 29, 1950, General
Sudirman died in Magelang, Central Java illness suffered severe tuberculosis. He was buried
in the Heroes Cemetery in semaki State Kusuma, Yogyakarta. He was named the Defender of
Independence hero. In 1997 he was awarded posthumously to Major General of the five-star
rank possessed only by a few generals in Indonesia until now.
 The Figure in the Window
Late one evening the three of us were hanging out when Alec said he wanted to go up
to Peapack to check out a house for sale. Once in the car, Alec said it was an old, run-down
Italianate mansion with twenty-six fireplaces that used to be owned by nuns but had been
abandoned. It sat on fifty acres of property, including beautifully terraced grounds. By this
time, I was feeling a little nervous about the whole thing. It was a funny time of night to be
checking out houses, and I was convinced Alec was more interested in adventure than in real
estate!

We pulled off the road and parked the car near a wooded area, at the back of the
property. The mansion itself was at the top of a hill, still quite a distance away. Of course, it
was a cloudy, dark night and the roadside was pitch black with no streetlamps. I shivered as I
followed Alec and Steve into the woods.

It was a fairly long and spooky walk. Finally, we came out onto an overgrown lawn
looking up toward several terraces that stretched up, and up.

I nervously followed Alec and Steve up the stairs to the first- and then the second-tier
terrace. The mansion loomed tall and ominous in the darkness, and the wind shook the
treetops and moaned through the overgrown shrubbery.

When we reached the top terrace, Alec and Steve moved toward the back doors of the
mansion, determined to find a way inside. I hung back. There was no way I was going any
closer to that creepy monstrosity. I glanced up at the third story. The dormered windows
gaped like dark eyes. I trembled.

Suddenly, a ball of light appeared in the window. I blinked in surprise; I was sure
Alec had said the house was abandoned. The light seemed to float, and before my astonished
gaze, it expanded and formed into a glowing feminine figure. I gasped in shock, my heart
pounding so hard in my chest that I thought it would explode. I tore my gaze away from the
window, calling out to Alec.

“Alec,” I whispered urgently. “Let’s get out of here!”

Something in my tone penetrated his thick head, and he and Steve loped over to where
I was standing. As soon as they reached me, I took off at a pace that the best Olympic athlete
would have had trouble matching. I had the engine running and the car turned around by the
time Alec and Steve made it back to the road. They leapt inside, and I took off.

“You said the mansion was abandoned,” I said accusingly.

“It was. It is,” said Alec.

“Except for the killer nuns,” Steve added from the back seat.

I shrieked. “Killer nuns?”

 “Sure,” Steve said, leaning forward between the two front seats and glancing from me
to Alec. “Didn’t Alec tell you about the crazy Mother Superior who became a pagan and
tortured and killed her fellow sisters when they refused to join her evil practices? She
chopped them up and scattered pieces of their bodies throughout the mansion. There was
blood everywhere when the police came to investigate! The Mother Superior’s ghost is
supposed to haunt the terraces at the back of the house. They say she tries to lead you into the
mansion in order to torture and kill you.”

Shivering, I dropped off the boys and went home. For the rest of the night, my
dreams were filled with the glowing figure of a homicidal nun, who chased me down the
endless terraces of an Italianate mansion, holding an axe.
 The Bear Prince

Once upon a time there was a very poor woodcutter who had three beautiful
daughters. Of the three girls, the youngest was the most beautiful. One day the woodcutter
went into the forest and was chopping down an oak tree when a very large and horrible bear
wrenched the axe from his hands.

"Who gave you permission to cut the wood in my forest?" growled the bear. "You
have been stealing my timber and now you must pay for it with your life."

"Please forgive me, Senor Oso," said the poor woodcutter, "I was only cutting the
wood to sell it and thus support my three little daughters. If you kill me, my little girls will
starve."

The Bear remained thoughtful and then said,

"There is only one way in which you life may be saved. You have to give me one of
your daughters in marriage."

The woodcutter didn't know what to say or do. Finally the thought of dying and
leaving his daughters destitute forced him to agree to the Bear's proposal.

The woodcutter returned home and told his daughters what had happened.

"Father," said the two eldest girls, "we would rather die than marry that Bear."

Ninfa, the youngest, said. "Father, I will marry the Bear."

Next day Ninfa and her father went into the forest where the Bear was waiting for
them. After seeing the beautiful maiden, he was satisfied.

Ninfa, however, said to the Bear, "Senor Oso, my mother always taught me that in all
things I should always follow God's law. If I must marry you, I want to be married according
to the Catholic rites."

The Bear agreed, provided a priest could come to the forest. The woodcutter went in
search of a priest and soon returned with one. Ninfa and the Bear were then married.

The Bear took Ninfa to his cave, and when it grew dark he chanted:

"Bear so hairy, Bear so alarming,

Change into a prince handsome and charming."

In an instant the Bear changed into a handsome prince. He then told Ninfa, "I am an
enchanted prince, cursed by a witch into being a bear by day and a man by night. You do
anything you want around here on one condition, that you never reveal that I am an
enchanted prince."
Ninfa, happily promised that she would never reveal the secret.

The next morning they arose from bed, and the prince said:

"Prince so handsome, prince so charming,

Change into a Bear, hairy and alarming."

In an instant the prince had changed back into a bear.

Days followed days and Ninfa felt a desire to go and visit her family in the village.
However, she didn't know how to ask the prince for permission. Finally she mustered enough
courage and said to him.

"Aside from you, husband, I don't have anyone with whom to talk. I wish you would
let me go to the village to see my father and sister. It isn't far, and if I leave early enough I
will be back before it gets dark."

The prince did not want to let Ninfa go, but the girl insisted so much that he finally
consented. However, he make her repeat her oath never to reveal the prince's secret.

Next day Ninfa got up early. She dressed herself richly and went to see her father and
sisters, who welcomed her joyously. However, the devil, who never sleeps, soon filled the
sisters with envy. They began to poke fun at Ninfa, jealous of the fact that she was wearing
rich jewels and costly garments.

"You married a bear, what shame!" the sisters repeatedly told her.

So many times did the sisters repeat this, that finally Ninfa lost her temper and
revealed her husband's secret. The sisters were deeply amazed to hear Ninfa's tale. The eldest
one then said:

"Look, Ninfa, why don't you disenchant the prince? What you have to do is easy. Get
him drunk tonight. When he goes to sleep, tie him up and gag him. As soon as day breaks and
the prince wakes up, he will not be able to say the magic words and the enchantment will be
broken. Then you will have a husband with a human form forever."

Ninfa returned to the bear's cave and that night did everything her sister had
suggested. The prince awoke the next morning, and imagine his surprise at finding himself
tied and gagged!

He could not say the magic rhyme and the enchantment was broken.

"Wife," the prince later said to Ninfa, "you have broken you promise; now you must
bear the consequences. To break the enchantment and live happily ever after, we two had to
live happily married a year and a day. Since you have disobeyed me, you are going to have to
look for me. You will not find me until you locate the Castle of Faith."

Saying this, the prince vanished and Ninfa was left alone. She cried and was sorry, for
she truly loved the prince. Then, determined to be reunited with her husband, Ninfa decided
to go and look for the Castle of Faith. Tying a few belongings together, she slung them on her
back and left on her search.

She walked and walked and finally arrived at a forest where a wizard lived.

"Nina," said the wizard, "what do you want here in this forest?"

"I am looking for the Castle of Faith," answered Ninfa, "do you happen to know where it is?"

"I don't know where that castle is located." said the wizard, "but follow this road until
you reach my father's house. He may know where the castle is. Take this nut and if you ever
find yourself in trouble break it."

Ninfa thanked the old man, and left, finally reaching the house where the wizard's
father lived. She asked him if he knew where the Castle of Father was. The old man didn't
know but said:

"Look, walk along this road until you come to the house of my eldest brother. He has
traveled much, perhaps he can tell you where the castle is. I am going to give you another nut
just as my son did. If you find yourself in trouble, break it and it will help you.

Ninfa walked and walked and finally came to the house of the third wizard. He also
didn't know here the castle was. However, he told her what to do:

"The Moon probably knows. Follow this road and soon you will come to her house.
But be careful, the Moon may be angry. I am also going to give you a nut. If you find
yourself in trouble, break it."

Ninfa left. The poor girl was very, very tired, but at last that night she arrived at the
moon's house. She knocked on the door and a little old lady, who was the moon's
housekeeper, came out.

"Merciful God! Daughter, what are you doing here?" asked the old lady. "Don't you
know that if the Moon finds you here she will eat you?"

Ninfa tearfully told the old woman all that had happened.

"Look," said the old one, "you hide behind the stove. When the moon comes, I will
carelessly ask her if she know where the castle is."

At dawn the moon came in, angry because she had stuck in her finger a thorn from a
prickly pear.*

The moon came into the kitchen and said, "Human flesh I smell here. Give it to me or
on you I will feast."

"Go on," said the old woman, "you're crazy. Just because there is a roast in the oven,
you think it's human flesh. Sit down and eat so that you can go to bed. You are very tired.
 The moon sat down to eat and the old lady began to talk. "The other day an owl went
by, and I got to taking with her. She told me she had heard talk about the Castle of Faith.
You, who know so many things, surely know where this castle is."

"To tell you the truth," said the Moon, "I don't know." The one who probably knows is the
Sun."

The moon went to bed and the little old lady whispered to Ninfa, "Quickly, leave
before the Moon wakes up. Go along this road and soon you will arrive at the house of the
Sun."

Ninfa left and she walked and walked, until finally she came to the Sun's house. She
knocked on the door and another little old lady answered.

"Valgame Dios, nina!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" Don't you know
that if the Sun finds you here he will burn you?"

Ninfa began to cry, and between sobs told her story to the little old lady. They were
both gloomily taking when the house suddenly filled with light and the Sun came in. Poor
Ninfa. She crossed herself and prepared to die. But the little old lady yelled.

"Wait, Sun! Wait! this poor child is looking for the Castle of Faith."

"Ah!" exclaimed the Sun, "so you are looking for the Castle of Faith."

Tearfully Ninfa told the Sun what had happened to her.

"I know where the castle is," said the Sun. "But it is very far from here. I could take
you, but it is getting late and you know that I am not allowed to go out after dark. But look!
Near here lives my good friend, El Aire, the Wind. He can take you. You walk along this path
and when you get to El Aire's home, you tell him that it was I who sent you."

Ninfa left and, after walking a good while, arrived at the Wind's house. She knocked
and the Wind screamed, "Come in whoever it is!"

Ninfa entered and told El Aire that the Sun had sent her with a request.

"Granted," said El Aire, "no matter what it may be."

She told Senor Aire all that had adversely happened to her and that she wanted to go to the
Castle of Faith.

"Do not worry," said El Aire, "I myself, will take you."

Ninfa straddled El Aire's back, and in less time than it takes to wink an eye, they arrived at
the castle.

"Look," said El Aire, "it seems that there is a fiesta in the castle."
The whole castle was brilliantly lit and the sound of violins and guitars could be heard
everywhere.

"I have to leave," he told Ninfa. "With the help of God, everything will come out all right."

And turning into a whirlwind, he rushed away.

Ninfa knocked on the door of the castle, and a servant come out.

"In what may I serve you?" asked the servant.

"I would like to see the prince."

"Senora," answered the servant, "you cannot see him at this moment. He just got married and
now is dancing with the new princess."

"Well, if that is the case, Senor, at least let me come in and see this baile. I have never seen
such a magnificent baile."

The servant told Ninfa, "I am going to let you come in, but one condition, that you be
careful and not let the bride see you. Since you have not been invited, the bride would be
angry at seeing you here."

Ninfa entered the castle and saw her husband, the prince, eating at a table and surrounded by
his guests.

She flattened herself against the wall. From there she began trying to attract the
prince's attention. He kept on taking; he had not seen the poor girl.

Ninfa tried so hard to get the prince's attention that the bride saw her. She was an evil
witch who with her magic had blinded the prince and made him marry her.

The prince then saw Ninfa and recognized her immediately. He yelled at the servants.
telling them to bring Ninfa to him, but with the noise nobody heard him.

The witch screamed at her servants, "Run that beggar out!"

The servants were about to lay their hands on Ninfa when the girl broke one of the
magic nuts the wizards had given her. In an instant Ninfa turned into a little rat which ran
hither and yon. When the witch saw this, she turned into a huge cat which began to chase the
rat. The rat sprang atop the prince's table, and onto his plate. There Ninfa broke another nut
and turned into a grain of rice which became lost among many on the prince's plate. The cat
also jumped on the table, turning instantly into a chicken which began to eat the rice.

Ninfa then broke the other nut and turned into a coyote which ate the chicken in one bite.

Ninfa then was transformed back into human form to be reunited with the prince and
both lived happily ever after.
 Adventure On the Rogue

We were up-river with a tour group looking at all the natural beauties here on the
Rogue River when I spied a young sasquatch hiding in the shadow of a tree near a gravel
bank. I swung the tour-boat around so we could get a better look, and all the tourists
exclaimed and took pictures. It’s not too unusual to see a sasquatch in the spring. That’s the
time they migrate through here to their summer stomping grounds up North.

We were in for a treat today. The sasquatch jumped out of the shadows suddenly,
leapt into the river, and wrestled a seven-foot sturgeon onto the gravel bank. I blinked in
astonishment. I didn’t know sasquatch liked sturgeon. As we watched, the sasquatch belted
the big fish with a rock to stop its flopping.

Right at that moment, a big black bear came stomping down the bank on the opposite
shore looking for a snack. The bear took one look at the sasquatch with the sturgeon, sitting
on the opposite shore, and leapt into the water. In the blink of an eye, that ol’ bear was across
the river and wading out of the water, while the tourists babbled and took pictures. The bear
shook itself dry like a dog, and then jumped onto the back of the sasquatch, beating on him
until he ran away from the sturgeon, leaving the bear to sniff in triumph over the large fish.

Well, I thought that was the end of it, until the sasquatch came running back down the
hill holding a dead tree in his hands. He started beating on the bear and the bear was
whomping back at him something fierce. Fur was flying everywhere; blood spurted out like a
geyser. I don’t know where it would have ended if I hadn’t waded in there and broke it up.