Folklore for Kids: Malim Deman and the Heavenly Fairy: A West Sumatran Folktale

Chapter 1: The Boy at the Edge of the Forest

Once upon a time, there lived a young man named Malim Deman. He had no father, so he lived with his mother and his uncle in a little house near a big, green forest.

Every day, Malim Deman worked hard. He helped his uncle tend his mother's rice fields at the edge of the forest. The rice swayed in the wind like a golden sea.

Right next to their home lived a kind-hearted widow named Mande Rubiah. Her house stood beside Malim Deman's rice field, so the two families were as close as relatives. Whenever Malim Deman guarded his rice plants at night, Mande Rubiah would bring him warm food.

Mande Rubiah: "Eat up, my child. You must keep your strength while you watch the fields."

Malim Deman: "Thank you, Mande. You are always so kind to me."

Chapter 2: The Secret Pond

One quiet night, Malim Deman was guarding his rice field when he felt very thirsty. "I will ask Mande Rubiah for a drink of water," he thought, and he set off toward her house.

But as he came closer, he heard something strange. It was the sound of many women laughing and joking behind Mande Rubiah's house!

Malim Deman: "Who could that be at this hour?" he whispered.

Curious, he tiptoed quietly and peeked from behind the house. His eyes grew wide. Seven women with beautiful faces were bathing in a sparkling pond. They splashed and giggled happily.

Not far from where he hid, Malim Deman saw seven shimmering shawls lying on the ground.

Malim Deman: "Those must belong to the seven women," he thought.

Then he did something he should not have done. He crept forward, took one shawl, and hid it under his clothes.

Chapter 3: The Youngest Princess Is Left Behind

When morning came, the seven women finished bathing and hurried to put on their shawls. One by one, they wrapped them around their shoulders. But the youngest of them could not find hers.

Youngest Princess: "Oh, where is my shawl? Sisters, please help me look for it!"

Eldest Sister: "Do not worry, little sister. We will find it."

The six sisters searched high and low, under the bushes and around the pond. But they found nothing. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky.

Eldest Sister: "We must go home now, or we will be late. I am so sorry, dear sister."

With sad hearts, the six sisters flew away to heaven, because they were heavenly fairies. The youngest princess was left all alone by the pond. She sat down and cried, for she was afraid.

Chapter 4: A Kind Offer, A Hidden Secret

Malim Deman saw his chance. He walked up to her, pretending he knew nothing at all.

Malim Deman: "Dear lady, why are you crying all alone?"

Youngest Princess: "I have lost my shawl, and my sisters have gone without me. I do not know what to do."

Malim Deman: "Please do not cry. Mande Rubiah's house is very near. You may stay there until you feel better."

The youngest princess had nowhere else to go, so she nodded and accepted his invitation.

Kind Mande Rubiah welcomed her warmly and treated her like her own daughter. Then Malim Deman ran home to tell his mother everything. He gave her the hidden shawl.

Malim Deman: "Mother, please keep this safe, and please look after the princess for me."

Chapter 5: Love and a Little Boy

From that day on, Malim Deman visited Mande Rubiah's house again and again. The more they met, the more Malim Deman and the youngest princess grew fond of each other. Before long, they fell in love and were married.

Soon, a baby boy was born to them. They named him Sutan Duano. The youngest princess was very happy.

Chapter 6: The Husband Who Forgot His Duty

But as time passed, Malim Deman changed. He stopped working in the fields. Instead, he spent his days gambling and fighting roosters, and sometimes he did not come home for days.

The youngest princess felt very sad. She often cried alone, and she missed her sisters in heaven.

Chapter 7: The Shawl Is Found

One day, the youngest princess visited her parents-in-law. By accident, she found something shimmering and familiar. It was her shawl!

Youngest Princess: "My shawl! So it was here all along? Who hid it from me?"

She was very upset when she learned that her husband's family had kept it. She thought Malim Deman must have taken it from the pond on purpose.

But the youngest princess was clever. She smiled sweetly at her parents-in-law.

Youngest Princess: "Father, Mother, let me wash your clothes today."

While they were not paying attention, she took her shawl and hurried home.

Chapter 8: Back to Heaven

When she arrived home, she called for Malim Deman's guard, Bujang Selamat.

Youngest Princess: "Bujang Selamat, I now know the secret. Malim Deman hid my shawl. I am going back to heaven, and I will take my son Sutan Duano with me."

She said goodbye to dear Mande Rubiah. Then, with her shawl around her shoulders, she lifted her little boy in her arms and flew up into the sky.

Bujang Selamat ran as fast as he could to the cockfighting place.

Bujang Selamat: "Master Malim Deman! Your wife has found her shawl, and she is leaving with your son!"

Malim Deman felt as if lightning had struck him. He raced home as fast as his legs could carry him.

Malim Deman: "Wait! Please do not go!"

But he was too late.

Mande Rubiah: "Oh, my child. She has already flown to heaven with Sutan Duano."

Malim Deman cried and cried. He was sorry that he had been lazy and had neglected his family.

The Lesson of the Story

Always be honest, work hard, and cherish the people you love before it is too late.

The tale of Malim Deman comes from West Sumatra. It is similar to the story of Jaka Tarub from Central Java and Aryo Menak from East Java.

Want to relive the night Malim Deman stumbled upon seven nymphs bathing in a hidden pond? Play the interactive story below — follow the tale step by step, complete with voice narration (mute it anytime if you'd rather read in silence). Available in both Indonesian and English.

More Folklore on West Sumatra:

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Friday, 31 July 2020

Malim Deman and the Heavenly Fairy: A West Sumatran Folktale