.jpg "The Cat's Magic Charm – Indonesian Folktale for Children")
Chapter 1: A Patient Family
Once upon a time, in a little village in East Java, there lived a kind and patient couple. Their names were Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar. In their language, the name Sabar means "patient," and it suited them perfectly.
One morning, Pak Sabar sighed and turned to his wife.
Pak Sabar: "Dear wife, we have not eaten for two whole days. Why don't you go and borrow a little money from your sister, Bu Mellas?"Bu Sabar: "That is a good idea, husband. I will go to her house right now."
And off she went, down the dusty village path.
Chapter 2: Borrowing from Bu Mellas
When Bu Sabar arrived, Bu Mellas was sweeping her front yard.
Bu Sabar: "Good morning, Bu Mellas. I have come to ask for your help. We haven't eaten for two days. Could you lend us one hundred or two hundred rupiah to buy some food?"
Bu Mellas looked at her sister's thin face and felt sorry for her.
Bu Mellas: "Oh, my dear sister! I'm so sorry, but I only have one hundred rupiah to spare. Please take it."Bu Sabar: "Thank you so much, Bu Mellas. You are very kind. I will never forget your help."
Bu Sabar said goodbye and started for home, holding the coin tightly in her hand.
Chapter 3: The Little Dog
On the way home, Bu Sabar saw a man pulling a scruffy little dog along by a rope. The dog's head hung low, and it looked so sad.
Bu Sabar: "Excuse me, sir. Why are you dragging that poor dog?"The Man: "Oh, this dog is mine, but I want to get rid of it. It only eats and eats, and it won't guard my house at all!"
Bu Sabar's heart melted. She could not bear to see the dog thrown away.
Bu Sabar: "Please don't throw him away, sir. He looks so lonely. May I buy him from you for one hundred rupiah?"The Man: "Well, of course! He's all yours."
So Bu Sabar gave away her only coin and took the little dog home with her.
Pak Sabar was waiting at the door. He looked at his wife, and then at the dog.
Pak Sabar: "Dear wife, where is the money from Bu Mellas? And whose dog is this?"Bu Sabar: "I bought him, husband. His owner wanted to throw him away, and I felt so sorry for him. I'm sorry, we still have no food."
Pak Sabar was not angry at all. He only smiled gently.
Pak Sabar: "It's all right, wife. You have a kind heart. Let him rest under the house."
So the dog curled up in his new home. He barked and barked, but he had nothing to eat or drink that night.
Chapter 4: The Little Cat
The next morning, their tummies were rumbling louder than ever.
Pak Sabar: "Wife, please go to Bu Mellas once more. We really must eat something today."
Bu Sabar walked to her sister's house again. Bu Mellas kindly lent her another hundred rupiah. But once again, something happened on the way home. Bu Sabar saw a man dragging a thin little cat.
Bu Sabar: "Oh, why are you dragging that poor cat, sir?"The Man: "I am going to throw her away. She keeps stealing my fish!"Bu Sabar: "Oh dear! Rather than throw her away, please let me buy her. Would one hundred rupiah be enough?"The Man: "Yes, that will do nicely. Take her!"
So Bu Sabar went home once more with no food, but with a cat in her arms.
Bu Sabar: "Husband, please don't be upset. I felt so sorry for this cat. Her owner was going to abandon her, so I used Bu Mellas's money to buy her."
Pak Sabar laughed softly and shook his head.
Pak Sabar: "That's all right, dear. Now we have a dog and a cat. Perhaps they will keep us company."
Chapter 5: The Shining Round Charm
That night, when the moon was high, Bu Sabar woke her husband.
Bu Sabar: "Husband, I need to go outside. Will you come with me?"
They stepped out onto the porch, and Bu Sabar gasped. Something round and shiny was glowing in the darkness!
Bu Sabar: "Husband, look! What is that shining, round thing?"
Pak Sabar bent down to look closely.
Pak Sabar: "Why, I think it is the Gumalana Kucing, the cat's magic charm! Let's try it and see."
They lit some incense and made a wish, just as the old stories told.
Pak Sabar: "Oh magic charm, please give us money and gold."
And what do you think happened? Shimmer, shimmer, shimmer! Coins and gold came pouring out, more than they could ever count! Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar clapped their hands and laughed with joy.
Bu Sabar: "Now we can buy plenty of food, husband!"Pak Sabar: "Yes, wife. And we shall feed the dog and the cat first!"
Chapter 6: The Clever Goldsmith
After a while, Bu Sabar had an idea.
Bu Sabar: "Husband, wouldn't it be lovely if we each had our own magic charm? Then we could both make wishes at the same time."Pak Sabar: "What a wonderful idea! Let's ask the goldsmith, Akhmad, to make a copy."
They took the charm to Akhmad's workshop.
Pak Sabar: "Good day, Akhmad. Can you make another charm just like this one?"Goldsmith Akhmad: "Of course I can! It will cost fifty thousand rupiah, and I will need one week. Please leave this one with me so I can copy it."
The couple agreed and went home, feeling happy.
But Akhmad was not an honest man. When the door closed behind them, he rubbed his hands together and grinned.
Goldsmith Akhmad: "Hee hee hee! This is a real magic charm. I shall keep it for myself and give them a fake one instead!"
One week later, Bu Sabar returned to the workshop.
Bu Sabar: "Good day, Akhmad. Are our charms ready?"Goldsmith Akhmad: "Yes, indeed! Here are both of them. They look exactly the same, don't they?"
Bu Sabar thanked him and hurried home. She and Pak Sabar lit the incense and made their wishes with both charms.
Pak Sabar: "Magic charms, please give us money and gold."
But nothing happened. They tried again and again, but not a single coin appeared.
Bu Sabar: "Oh no, husband. What has gone wrong?"Pak Sabar: "I think Akhmad has tricked us. The real charm is still with him."
The two of them sat down, feeling very sad and confused.
Chapter 7: The Cat and the Dog Set Out
Now, the cat had been peeking through the door, and she had heard everything. She felt very sorry for her kind masters.
Cat: "Dog! Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar were so good to us. We must get the magic charm back from that tricky goldsmith!"Dog: "Woof! You're right. Let's go together!"
The two animals trotted off to Akhmad's house. When they arrived, a little mouse scurried across the floor. Quick as a flash, the cat pounced on it.
Mouse: "Squeak! Please don't eat me, Miss Cat!"Cat: "Then you must help me. Somewhere in this house is my masters' magic charm. Will you help me find it?"Mouse: "Yes, yes, I promise! I will call all my friends!"
The mouse squeaked, and soon many mice came running. They chewed and chewed until they made a big hole in the goldsmith's wooden chest.
Cat: "Now, Dog, it's your turn. Bark as loudly as you can to lure Akhmad outside!"Dog: "Leave it to me! Woof! Woof! WOOF!"Goldsmith Akhmad: "What a terrible noise! Go away, you noisy dog! Shoo! Shoo!"
Akhmad rushed outside to chase the dog away. And while he was busy, the cat slipped through the hole, found the shiny magic charm, and snatched it up!
Chapter 8: The Charm in the River
The cat and the dog raced away from the goldsmith's house. To cross the river on the way home, the cat climbed onto the dog's back, and the dog carried the charm in his mouth.
But in the middle of the river, the dog opened his mouth to pant, and splash! The magic charm slipped out and sank to the bottom. Then the dog swam to the other bank and ran away without a word.
Cat: "Dog! Come back! How could you do such a thing?"
But the dog was already gone. The cat was very angry, but there was nothing she could do. She sat down sadly under some leaves by the riverbank and tried to think.
Just then, a slippery eel swam by. Quick as a wink, the cat caught it.
Eel: "Oh, please don't eat me, Miss Cat! I will help you, I promise!"Cat: "Then dive down to the bottom of the river and bring me the round, glittering charm."Eel: "Right away, Miss Cat!"
The eel wriggled and swam down, down, down into the deep water. Soon he came back with the magic charm, shining and safe.
Cat: "Thank you, kind eel. You may go free."
Chapter 9: A Happy Ending
The cat was overjoyed. She carried the magic charm all the way home, as fast as her four paws could go. Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar were sitting on their porch when she arrived.
Bu Sabar: "Husband, look! It's our cat, and she's carrying the magic charm!"Pak Sabar: "Oh, clever cat! You are truly wonderful!"
They hugged her tightly and thanked her again and again.
From that day on, Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar never went hungry again. They shared their good fortune with their neighbors, and they always gave the cat the tastiest fish. The cat loved them dearly and stayed by their side forever.
And the dog? He never came back to Pak Sabar and Bu Sabar's house again.
Try the interactive version of "The Cat's Magic Charm" below! Help Bu Sabar calm a frightened dog and cat, and follow the loyal cat's adventure to rescue her family's magic charm from a cunning goldsmith.
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).
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