Mr. Mendong and Mrs. Mendong: A Magical East Javanese Folktale for Kids

Chapter 1: A Very Poor Family

Once upon a time, in a small village in East Java, there lived a very poor family. Because they were so poor, they often had no money to buy food, and their tummies rumbled at night.

The father was called Mr. Mendong, because his daily job was making mats from mendong grass. His wife helped him weave the mats. Every few days, they carried the mats to the city to sell.

They had one little child named Sumi. Poor Sumi was thin because he did not get enough food, and his clothes were tattered. The family lived in a tiny hut with a very narrow yard.

Even so, Mr. Mendong and Mrs. Mendong were kind and honest, and they never stopped working hard.

Chapter 2: The Dream

One morning, Mr. Mendong woke up with a puzzled look on his face.

Mr. Mendong: "Mbokne, I had a strange dream last night."

Mrs. Mendong: "What did you dream about, Pakne?"

Mr. Mendong: "I met my great-grandmother. She told me to hold a feast, slaughter an ox, and invite all the poor people in the village to eat."

Mrs. Mendong: "Oh my! But we are poor ourselves, Pakne. Where would we find the money for a feast?"

Mr. Mendong: "That is what worries me. Should we sell our house?"

Mrs. Mendong: "Our house is so small, Pakne. Even if we sold it, we would get very little money."

Mr. Mendong scratched his head and thought for a long time. Then his eyes lit up.

Mr. Mendong: "I have an idea, Mbokne. What if we pawn something to the rich man in our village? When we have money again, we can redeem it."

Mrs. Mendong sighed softly. In the end, with heavy hearts, they decided to leave their beloved son Sumi with the rich man for a while, until they could bring him home again.

Chapter 3: The Great Feast

With the money they received, Mr. Mendong bought an ox, rice, a big cauldron, and everything else they needed. Mrs. Mendong cooked all day long, and the delicious smell drifted through the whole village.

Mr. Mendong: "Come, everyone! Please come to our home and enjoy the food!"

The poor villagers came happily. Mrs. Mendong was a wonderful cook, so in no time at all, every dish was gone.

Villager: "This food is so delicious! But how can the Mendong family hold such a big feast?"

Another Villager: "I do not know! They are as poor as we are!"

Chapter 4: The Golden Surprise

When the feast was over, everyone went home. Mr. Mendong and Mrs. Mendong sat quietly on the bench, feeling sad.

Mr. Mendong: "How will we ever bring our dear Sumi home?"

Mrs. Mendong: "I miss him so much, Pakne."

After a while, Mrs. Mendong went inside to tidy up. Suddenly, she saw something shining in the kitchen. The big cauldron was glowing and sparkling! She looked closer, and her eyes grew wide.

Mrs. Mendong: "Pakne! Pakne! Come quickly! Look at our cauldron! It is full of gold and silver, and it came from nowhere!"

Mr. Mendong rushed in and gasped.

Mr. Mendong: "Oh, thank you, Great-Grandmother! Thank you, God!"

The next day, Mr. Mendong sold some of the gold and silver in the village. With that money, he redeemed his little son Sumi. Oh, how happy the three of them were when they hugged each other again!

Chapter 5: The Greedy Rich Man

Soon, the whole village was buzzing.

Villager: "Have you heard? The Mendong family is suddenly rich!"

There was a rich man in the village who was very stingy. He was curious about the Mendongs' new fortune, so he went to visit them.

Rich Man: "Mr. Mendong, tell me, how did you become so rich?"

Mr. Mendong was honest and innocent, so he did not hesitate. He and his wife told the rich man everything, from the very beginning to the very end.

Rich Man: "Hmm, so I only have to hold a feast for the poor, and I will get gold and silver too."

He hurried home and began to prepare a big feast, hoping to get treasure just like Mr. Mendong.

Chapter 6: The Stingy Man's Feast

The rich man went to the market to buy an ox. But because he was so stingy, he bargained for a price that was far too low.

Rich Man: "This ox is too expensive! I will pay half of that price!"

Seller: "I am sorry, sir. I cannot sell it for such a small price."

The rich man could not buy an ox. Instead of thinking of a better way, he went home and slaughtered his pet dog. He cooked the dog's meat and invited the poor people to eat.

But then, while everyone was praying before the meal, something miraculous happened. By the will of the Almighty, the dog that had been cooked came back to life! It jumped up and bit the rich man!

Villagers: "Aaaah! Run! Run!"

Everyone was frightened and ran away in all directions, leaving the feast behind. Only the stingy rich man remained, crying out in pain from the bite of his own dog.

The End

From this story, we learn that kindness and honesty bring blessings, while greed and stinginess only bring trouble.

That is the folktale of East Java about Mr. Mendong and Mrs. Mendong.

Play through the story of Mr. Mendong and Mrs. Mendong interactively! Help weave a mat, listen to a great-grandmother's message in a dream, uncover the secret of the golden pot, and see how one greedy man's stinginess comes back to bite him. Tap, drag, and play through each scene while listening to the narration, available in both Indonesian and English.

Source: I.B. Mantra, Astrid S., Susanto, B. Susanto, & S. Wibisono. Cerita Rakyat Daerah Jawa Timur [Folk Tales of East Java]. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Ministry of Education and Culture).

More folklore on East Java:

• Mr Mendong and Mrs Mendong
• Hi, I already know
• Sandhekala
• The Origin of Why the River Meanders