Name : Aisha Dzakira Qurratu’ain

School : SMP Progresif Bumi Shalawat

THE CRYING STONE (BATU MENANGIS)

Once upon a time in West Kalimantan , there lived an old widow with her daughther, Darmi.
The husband died years ago so she had to worked hard for their live. Because of that, her skin
became darker and her weight decreased dramaticly but in return Darmi didn’t do anything to
helped her mother. She just dressed up everyday and was reluctant to left the house because she’s
afraid that her skin would became darker like her mother.

One day, the harvest season had arrived. Darmis’s mother would worked in the rice field all
day long so, she said to Darmi “Darmi can you cook for today, dear? I can’t go home this afternoon
because I have to finish our harvest and sell it to the market and if you have finished cooking,
could you take it to the field for me?”

Darmi, who was combing her beautiful hair was shocked “What?! I.don’t.wan’t.it.mom! If i
cook, my hair will smell like the stove! I just washed it! And, if I bring foods to the field, my skin
would become darker, I just scrubbed it ugh!”

Hearing that, the mother could only shake her head sadly and prayed in her heart,

“O God help me, release my daughter from her laziness”

The mother worked hard, regardless of her hungry stomach. After collecting the harvest and
sold it to the market, she went home. What a surprise! there was no food to eat. Darmi didn’t cook
at all!

Darmi: “Mom! Where have you been huh?! Why there’s no food at all! I’m hungry, I haven’t
eaten all day long!”

Mom: “Darmi, mom already told you to cook”

Hearing that answer, Darmi left her mother who was tired and hungry. In the next day, the
mother counted the money that she got from selling the harvest in the market. Darmi who saw it
immedietly approached her mother

Darmi: “Mom, my face powder is finished, could you but it for me mom, please…”

Mom: “Yes, I will buy it for you, but you have to come with me so I don’t buy the wrong
powder.”

Finally darmi was forced to go with her mother to the market, but she whispered to her
mother

Darmi: “Mom, don’t walk side by side with me, just walk behind me.”
 Mom: “Eh? why Darmi?”

without giving a reason, darmi still forced her mother to walked behind her. She’s acctually
ashamed to walked with her mother who was ugly and dirty.

Suddenly in the middle of the way there was one of Darmi’s friend

Darmi’s friend: “Hey Beautiful! Where are you going?”

Darmi: “Hi there, I’m just going to the market. How about you?”

Darmi’s friend: “Oh nothing and who is that behind you? Is that your mother?”

Darmi who didn’t want her friend to know that her mother was ugly and dirty immedietly
replied “Hahah... No! This is just my maid, definitely not my mother.”

Hearing that, the mother heart’s shattered into pieces. She couldn’t hold back her tears. She
couldn’t stand what her daughter had just said about her. So she prayed “O Lord, I cannot stand
the attitude of my daughther anymore. Please punish her so she become deterrent.”

Suddenly, the sky was getting dark, thunders struck, and rains started falling from the sky,
seem like the God had answered her prayers.

Darmi: “Ahhhhhh!! Mom, my leg! I can’t move it! what’s happening with me?”

Mom: “I’m sorry, my daughther, but this is all happen because how you treat me! Your own
mother”

Darmi: “Mom...mom. I’m sorry mom! I won’t do it again I promise, please forgive me
mom..!”

Unfortunately, things couldn’t go back, she had to bear the punishment and became a stone.
Darmi’s stone always crying while asking for forgiveness from her mother, so people named it as
The Crying Stone or Batu Menangis.

Moral Value: A child should not be disobedient to their parents, especially a mother who cares and
looks after us until we grow up, or the calamities in the future will be felt very painfully.