Folklore for Kids: The Seven Boys and the Giantess: An Inspiring Myth from Aceh, Indonesia

Chapter 1: The Great Drought

Once upon a time, in a peaceful village located in the beautiful region of Aceh, there lived a loving husband and wife. They were blessed with seven wonderful sons. They lived together in a small wooden house filled with harmony, peace, and endless laughter. The eldest brother was ten years old, while the youngest was just a sweet two-year-old toddler.

Both parents worked very hard as vegetable farmers in a lush, green garden. Every day, they sold their fresh vegetables at the bustling market to meet their daily needs, bringing home the rest for the family to enjoy together.

But one sorrowful day, a terrible, long drought struck the village. The bright sun scorched the earth. The crystal-clear rivers dried up, and the ground cracked beneath their feet. The villagers became worried as it grew harder and harder to find water and food. The beautiful green plants withered and died, including every single vegetable in the family’s garden.

The parents began to worry deeply about their children's future. Raising seven growing boys with empty cupboards was nearly impossible. Late one night, sitting by the dying embers of their fireplace, the parents discussed their heartbreaking problem. With heavy hearts and tears in their eyes, they made a tragic plan.

Mother: "My dear husband, my heart aches. I find it so incredibly hard to leave our beloved children in the dark forest."

Father: "I do not have the heart for it either, my love, but what else can we do? We have no food left, and we can no longer afford to feed them. If they stay here, they will starve."

Mother: "But if we try to leave them in the middle of the forest, won't they realize what we are trying to do?"

Father: "Listen carefully. We will invite them to look for firewood deep in the woods. When we arrive in the middle of the forest and it is time to rest, we will pretend to look for drinking water. Then, we will leave them."

Mother: "(Sighs deeply and wipes a tear) Alright, if that is our only choice to give them a chance to survive."

Little did the parents know, their whispered conversation was overheard by their third child. However, because the young boy did not want to make his parents angry or sad, he kept completely quiet. The little boy squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to sleep, even though hot tears were streaming down his cheeks. He knew that very soon, he and his brothers would be left all alone.

Chapter 2: Lost in the Deep Forest

The next morning, as the golden sun rose, the seven boys were taken by their parents to gather firewood in the forest. Usually, they were never allowed to wander into the deep, shady parts of the woods. Because they were so happy to explore, none of the brothers suspected a thing, except for the third child who carried the heavy secret in his heart.

The brothers giggled and cheered as they began collecting firewood. The forest was very dense, filled with towering, magical trees, so they quickly gathered a large pile of branches.

By noon, the sun was high in the sky. The mother gathered her seven sons under a large tree to rest. The parents stood up, looking sadly at their boys.

Father: "My brave children, your mother and I are going to walk away for a little while to look for a fresh spring. Our drinking water is running out. You boys must stay right here. Mom and Dad will be back soon."

Mother: "Yes, my sweet boys. We are leaving you just for a short while, but we will return before you know it."

The Youngest Brother: "(Waving his tiny hands) Please hurry back! Mother! Father!"

Their father and mother turned and walked away in a hurry, not daring to look back. They ignored the sweet calls of their youngest child, letting their tears fall as they abandoned their beloved sons in the middle of the forest.

After waiting for what felt like hours, the seven children finally started to get restless and scared.

The Eldest Brother: "It is getting late, my brothers. We should follow their path and help them find the water source."

The Third Brother: "(Shaking his head quickly) Do not go, big brother. It is useless if we follow them. I already know that our parents truly intended to leave us here forever."

The Eldest Brother: "(Eyes wide with shock) What do you mean by that, my dear brother?"

The Third Brother: "Last night, I overheard Mother and Father talking. They planned to leave us deep in the forest because they are no longer able to raise us. The long drought has taken all our food, and they cannot bear to watch us starve."

The Second Brother: "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?!"

The Third Brother: "(Looking down sadly) I was afraid that Mom and Dad would be angry with me. That is why I am only telling you now."

The eldest brother sighed a heavy, brave sigh. He knew that from now on, he was responsible for keeping his younger brothers safe. As the sky turned purple and the forest grew dark, they finally found a massive, ancient tree. The trunk had a giant, cozy hole in the middle—a perfect shelter for the seven tired boys.

The Eldest Brother: "My brothers, you must stay safely inside this hole. I will climb this tall tree all the way to its highest branches. If I see a puff of smoke, it means there is a village nearby, and we can ask for help!"

The six younger siblings nodded and obeyed their brave brother. Up, up, up the eldest boy climbed. Luckily, shining through the dark canopy, he spotted a thick puff of smoke curling into the sky not too far away!

Chapter 3: The Kind Giantess and the Great Escape

The boys quickly rushed through the bushes, following the direction of the smoke. When they arrived at the clearing, they gasped in amazement. Standing before them was a house so incredibly large, it touched the treetops!

The Fourth Brother: "(Whispering in awe) Look at the size of those doors... maybe this is a giant's house!"

Everyone was stunned. Suddenly, the giant front door creaked open, and a towering female giant stepped out.

The Giantess: "(Looking down in surprise) Oh my goodness! Why are you here, little sons of men?"

The Eldest Brother: "We are brothers, kind lady, and we were abandoned by our parents in the dark forest because we have no food."

The Giantess: "(Smiling gently) You poor, sweet children. You may enter my house. Come inside and eat all the delicious food you like!"

The seven boys happily ran into the giant’s massive dining room. On the table lay mountains of magical, delicious food. They ate voraciously, filling their empty tummies.

But just as they were finishing their sweet desserts, the giantess looked out the window and gasped.

The Giantess: "Hurry up and finish your food, children! My husband will be coming home from his hunt very soon, and he loves the taste of human flesh! You had better hurry up to the attic to hide and save yourselves!"

The seven boys scrambled up the giant stairs as fast as their legs could carry them. They had barely reached the dark attic when the heavy footsteps of the male giant shook the floorboards. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Giant Husband: "(Sniffing the air loudly) Fee, fi, fo, fum! I smell delicious meat! It is human flesh! Where did you hide the humans, my wife?!"

The Giantess: "Oh, don't be silly, my husband. Yes, they are up in the attic, but they are still very small and their flesh is nothing but bones. We should wait until they have grown much bigger before you eat them."

The foolish giant husband agreed, rubbing his huge, hungry belly.

Chapter 4: A New Journey and Golden Success

The very next morning, the giant husband picked up his huge club and went back into the forest to hunt. As soon as he was gone, the kind giantess called the seven children down from the attic.

She packed them a large sack of delicious food for their journey. But that wasn't all! She also gave them a magical pouch filled with glittering gold and sparkling diamonds.

The Eldest Brother: "(Bowing respectfully) Thank you for your wonderful kindness and for saving our lives, Mother Giant."

They waved goodbye and ran as fast as they could away from the giant's house. They traveled for many days until they reached the sparkling blue coast. Using strong wood from the beach, the brothers built a sturdy boat and bravely crossed the wide ocean.

When they arrived safely in a new, prosperous country, the seven boys sold the gold and diamonds the giantess had given them. They became incredibly wealthy! With their new fortune, they bought huge areas of beautiful land. Through hard work, tenacity, and brotherly teamwork, they turned the land into grand plantations and built beautiful houses.

Years passed by like a magical breeze. The little boys grew into strong, handsome, and successful men. The seven brothers lived in absolute prosperity, peace, and harmony. Their lives were filled with more than enough joy and wealth.

Chapter 5: A Heartwarming Reunion

One beautiful evening, as the brothers were sitting on the porch of their grand mansion, a gentle wind blew, bringing back old memories.

The Youngest Brother: "My dear older brothers, the wind makes me think of Mother and Father. I miss them so very much."

The Eldest Brother: "It is true, my little brother. We all miss them deeply. Even though they left us behind in the forest, after all, they are still our parents."

The Sixth Brother: "How about we build a great ship and try to find them?"

All Brothers: "(Cheering loudly and in unison) We agree! Let's go bring them home!"

And so, just as the ancient Aceh folklore tells, the seven brave brothers went on a grand journey to find the parents they had missed for so long. They sailed across stormy oceans, searching from one beautiful island to another, and from one quiet village to the next.

Their hard work was not in vain. One sunny afternoon, they finally found their old village. There, in a small, broken-down hut, lived their parents. The old couple was frail, poor, and living in deep sorrow.

When the sons revealed who they were, the reunion was incredibly magical. With tears of pure joy and immense affection, the seven boys hugged their parents tightly. The mother and father could not stop crying, for they had regretted their heartbreaking decision every single day.

Father: "(Crying and holding his sons' hands) Please forgive us, my beautiful children! We left you in the forest because we were so poor and couldn't feed you. We are so sorry!"

The Eldest Brother: "(Smiling warmly) Do not be sorry, Father. We are just so lucky that we can still meet and be a family again. We know that Mom and Dad loved us very much, and that you did what you thought was best."

Finally, the parents and their seven magnificent sons were brought back to the grand estate. They lived together in harmony, wealth, and absolute peace for the rest of their days.

The Moral of the Story

This Acehnese folk tale, entitled "The Seven Boys," teaches us a beautiful lesson. No matter how hard life gets, we must never hold grudges in our hearts. We should always forgive, try our best to do good wherever we are, work hard, and rely on ourselves to build a bright and magical future.

Join the interactive adventure of seven brothers from Aceh! Help them gather firewood, climb a tree to spot smoke in the distance, hide from a man-eating giant, and finally find their way back to their parents. Tap, drag, and hold your way through every stage of the story!

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Monday, 9 August 2021

The Seven Boys and the Giantess: An Inspiring Myth from Aceh, Indonesia