SI TANGGANG

In a tiny village by the sea, there lived a very poor family; father, Si
Talang, mother Si Deruma, and their son, Si Tanggang. Life was hard, and
every day they struggled to make a living.

Si Tanggang, was unhappy with his poor life. And so one evening, he
quietly spoke to his mother.

“Mother, you and Father have sacrificed so much to raise me. Both of
you are getting old and should not work so hard. I ask for your permission
and blessings to leave home and travel to get us a good life.”

Si Deruma was saddened to hear this. However, she knew he

deserved to be happy and to have a better life. And so, with a heavy heart,
the old mother said yes.

The next day, Si Tanggang said goodbye to his parents and left the
village in his tiny sampan. He was a skillful seaman, and was able to travel
far and wide. Wherever he went, he took on any job he could find to make
ends meet.

One day, a pirate ship attacked and captured Si Tanggang. He was

forced to become a slave for the pirates. Si Tanggang was angry with this
bad luck, but he remained calm and obeyed his captors. He worked hard
and had gained the trust of everyone on board, especially the captain. He
liked Si Tanggang so much that he made Si Tanggang his right-hand man.
Together, they sailed the high seas and discovered many treasures. When
the pirate captain later died, Si Tanggang took charge of the ship and
ventured out to even more far-reaching places.

Many years after he left his parents behind, Si Tanggang has now
become a successful and wealthy merchant. He has also married the
daughter of a sultan and lived in a beautiful mansion by the sea. He never
thought of his parents anymore. He never went back to look for them like
he said he would.

As fate would have it, one fine day, Si Tanggang was sailing in his
ship with his wife when he chanced upon an old man and a woman rowing
a small sampan. Si Tanggang looked to see who they were, and was
shocked to see that it was his father and mother!

When the sampan came close to the ship, Si Deruma called out to Si
Tanggang:

“My son, do you not remember us anymore? It’s your mother! Your father
and I missed you very much!”.

Si Tanggang’s wife turned to her husband and asked, “Are they really
your parents, dear? But they looked so dirty, and the clothes they wear are
all tattered and worn-out…”

Immediately Si Tanggang’s face turned red with anger. He then said

aloud to his wife, “Of course these two are NOT MY PARENTS! They are
just old people who think I am their son because I am rich!”

“I have brought your favorite food ~ pisang salai and pais ikan! Here,
my son, take them!” Si Deruma continued as she reached out to hand over
the food to him.

Si Tanggang simply brushed the food aside and shoved Si Deruma

causing her to fall back into the sampan.

“GET AWAY FROM ME, OLD WOMAN!” Si Tanggang shouted. “I AM NOT

YOUR SON. I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I DON’T EVER WANT
TO SEE YOU TWO NEAR MY SHIP AGAIN!!”

Both Si Deruma and Si Talang were heart-broken to hear those harsh

words. They turned around the sampan and paddled slowly back to shore.
Si Deruma cried all the way, and after they landed, she fell to her knees on
the ground and prayed to God: “O Lord Almighty, let there be retribution to
my son for he is arrogant. Let him not forget that it was I who had brought
him into this world!”

Almost immediately after, the sky turned dark, the wind blew strong
as if a typhoon has come, and the waves swelled so high that Si
Tanggang’s ship was battered and nearly sank.
 Si Tanggang became very frightened and felt a sudden rush of guilt
for what he did to his mother. He knew that the stormy sea was God’s
punishment unto him for being disloyal to his parents.

“Mother…I have wronged you and father! Forgive me, please…”, Si

Tanggang cried out, “Ask God to calm the sea once more for I don’t want to
die….!!”

Si Deruma could only cry in hearing her son’s pleading, as God’s fury
continued to turn Si Tanggang, his wife and everyone on board the ship
into boulders!