The Legend of Lake Toba

There was a poor fisherman lived nearby the river in North Kalimantan. He
went fishing early every morning and always returned to his home at night
time. One day, he set up his net and caught a big golden fish. He fell in love
with the beauty of the fish that he decided not to kill the fish, and made it
as a pet instead. So, he took the fish home, cleaned a fish tank and put it in
his humble kitchen.

Starting that day, things changed slowly. Every morning the fisherman went
out for fishing, no matter how he left his home in a mess, when he returned
home, the house would be tidy again. Furthermore, there was always
delicious food served on his dining table. The fisherman never knew how it
happened, and where the food came from, and who prepared them for him.
It brought enormous curiosity to him that he decided to search for the truth.

That morning, he went out as usual, but right when he set out his feet
outside, quickly and quietly, he made a turn back to his house. Hiding
behind his own window, he took a peep of what happen in the house soon
after he left it. Suddenly from inside the kitchen, he could see a bright light
shining, and soon after the light disappeared, he could see the fish tank was
empty, and a beautiful lady was standing inside his kitchen. The lady quickly
got some vegetables and did some cooking. She even cleaned the whole
house, sweeping and washing the fisherman's clothes. The fisherman fell in
love at the first sight. Before the lady could runaway, the fisherman
grabbed her hand and proposed to marry her.

At first, the lady refused for she was just a fish rescued by him. Her deed
was a grateful act to repay the fisherman's kindness for not killing her. But
since the fisherman time and again persuaded her to marry him, the lady
could not refuse him. She agreed to become the fisherman's wife with one
condition, that the fisherman promised not to tell anyone - not even his own
family - that she was just a fish. The fisherman promised her.
 Years went by, the fisherman lived happily with his wife, and changed his work and
became a farmer. His wife soon became pregnant and delivered a baby girl that they
named "Samosir". Samosir grew up into a pretty girl and obedient as well. She loved
to help her parents working in the house or in the farm. One morning, her mother
asked her to send lunch to her father in the farm. Samosir was glad to help her
mother that she immediately got the basket and headed to the farm.
It was such a long way to got to the farm, that Samosir who had not had any
breakfast before, grew tired and hungry. So she stopped to eat a little food from her
father's lunch to ease her hunger. Afterward, she continued her journey, however,
she became hungry again and had to eat a little food again. This happened again and
again till finally her father's lunch was finished. When Samosir gave the basket to her
father, how angry her father was to get an empty basket.
"I'm tired working the whole day and expect you to bring some food from your
mother, but you finish them all without even thinking of me. How could you? You! A
daughter of a fish!" shouted her father in anger.

Samosir ran home crying and telling her mother what had happened. She even asked
her mother why her father told her that she was a daughter of a fish. When the
mother knew that her husband had eventually broken his promise, she was terribly
sad. In tears, she packed all her daughter's clothes and asked her to runaway to the
mountain, never look back, and stay there. Samosir did not understand, but she
promised to obey her mother.
"I'm tired working the whole day and expect you to bring some food from your
mother, but you finish them all without even thinking of me. How could you? You! A
daughter of a fish!" shouted her father in anger.
Samosir ran home crying and telling her mother what had happened. She even asked
her mother why her father told her that she was a daughter of a fish. When the
mother knew that her husband had eventually broken his promise, she was terribly
sad. In tears, she packed all her daughter's clothes and asked her to runaway to the
mountain, never look back, and stay there. Samosir did not understand, but she
promised to obey her mother.