Lake Toba

In the northern area of Sumatra Island, lived a young man. Everyday, he work hard as a farmer. One day in the morning, the young man went fishing in a river. Not so long after he threw the bait, it was bitten by a fish. He pulled the fishing rod and was amazed by the fish he caught. It was a golden fish. “Wait, please don’t eat me,” the fish suddenly spoke to the young man. Startled, the young man dropped the golden fish and it suddenly turned into a beautiful girl.

“I must have been dreaming,” the young man said to himself. “Don’t afraid, Sir. I was a princess cursed by the gods because a mistake I did. You’ve save me,” said the girl. “As my gratitude, I’m willing to be your wife.” The young man was so amazed to see the beauty of the girl, so he accepted her as his wife. They became man and wife but with one condition, the young man promised not to mention about the fish form of the girl. Terrible disaster will happen if the promise is broken.

A year passed, the young man and his wife already had a son. They were so happy. Their son grew up as a healthy boy. But he was a little naughty. He also had a habit, he was always hungry. One day, the wife asked their son to deliver lunch to his father. But, the son ate the food on his way to the fields. The father had been working since morning. He was so hungry. Finding that there’s no food left for him, he said angrily, “Stupid boy! You little fish boy!” He didn’t realize that he broke the promise.

After he said those words, his son and wife mysteriously disappeared. From their footstep on the ground, there’s water bursting out. The water kept coming out and started to flood the area. The whole village and the surrounding area became a lake. There’s a small island in the middle of the lake, known as Samosir Island. And the lake is known as Lake Toba. ***

The Crying Stone

One upon a time, lived a poor old widow in a small village. She lived with her daughter. Her daughter was very beautiful but also very lazy and arrogant. She never helped her mother and didn’t want to know what problem her mother had. Everyday, she put make up and wears her best clothes. She always wanted to look rich and beautiful.

One day, the mother and her daughter went to the market to buy some food. At first, the daughter refused to accompany her mother, but finally she agreed. “I’ll go with you, but you must walk behind me,” said the daughter. She didn't want to walk side by side with her mother. Although her mother was very sad, she agreed to walk behind her daughter.

On the way to the market, everybody admired the girl's beauty. But they were also curious. Behind the beautiful girl, there was an old woman with a simple dress. The girl and her mother looked very different. “Hello, beautiful girl. Who is the old woman behind you? Is she your mother?" they asked. “No, she is not my mother. She is my servant,” the girl answered. Her mother was very sad to hear that, but she didn't say anything. She could understand that her daughter was ashamed.

The girl and the mother met other people. Again they asked who the woman behind the beautiful girl. And again the girl answered that her mother is her servant. She always said that her mother is her servant every time people asked.

At last, the mother cannot hold the pain anymore. She prayed to God to punish her daughter. Suddenly, the girl's leg turns into stone. Slowly, the process continues to the upper part of the girl's body. The girl was in panic. "Mother, please forgive me! Mother!" she cried and asked her mother to forgive her. But it's already too late. Her whole body finally becomes a big stone. Until now, people can still see tears falling down from the stone. People then call it batu menangis (it mean the crying stone).***

Nai Manggale

Once upon a time in Tapanuli, lived a famous sculptor named Datu Panggana. When he got an order, he went to the forest to look for the most suitable wood and carved it according to the order. One day, he got an inspiration to carve a wood he found. He worked all day in his workshop to carve the wood into a statue of a beautiful woman. Then, he put the statue in front of his house.

Later, a young merchant passed by and saw the statue. His name was Bao Partigatiga. He was very impressed by the beauty of the statue. He then put beautiful clothes and jewelries on the statue. “It’s so beautiful,” he said to himself proudly. The statue looked like a real human. Then he left Datu Panggana’s house.

After that, a priest named Datu Partoar and his wife passed by. They were also impressed by the beauty of the statue. "I want to pray to God to make her live like a real human. I want to make her as our daughter," said Datu Partoar to his wife. The couple didn’t have any children yet. The statue changed into a very beautiful girl. Datu Partoar and his wife then took the girl home. They named her Nai Manggale.

The news about Nai Manggale’s beauty spread through out the village. All the villagers came to Datu Partoar’s house to see Nai Manggale. Among them were Datu Panggana and Bao Partigatiga. Nai Manggale honestly told the villagers that she was actually a statue which became a living woman by the grace of God.

Datu Panggana went after Datu Partoar to claim his own creation and Bao Partigatiga also claimed his right for the living statue. “It was me who carved her from a wood. So, she is mine,” said Datu Panggana. “She is wearing my clothes and jewelries. So, she should go with me,” said Bao Partigatiga. "Remember, I am the one who made her live like a human. So, she stays here," Datu Partoar also join in the argument.

Those three men were arguing. They claimed to have the rights of Nai Manggale. To calm them, an elderly of the village gave a solution. His name was Aji Bahir. "You all can have her and have a relationship with her. Datu Panggana, you’re her uncle. Bao Partigatiga, you’re her brother. And Datu Partoar, you’re her father." The three men accepted Aji Bahir's advice. And they were happy because now they were related.***

The Unicorn And The Maiden

Long ago on the edge of the forest of Brochhande, there lived a King called Boron who was hated by his people. He was also hated by all the people of the neighboring kingdoms because he was constantly at war with them. He was a sour man who trusted no one and always suspected plots against his life. This wasn't an unfounded fear because the more bellicose he became the more his people longed to he rid ot him.

Boron had not always been a bad man but disappointment and grief had poisoned his soul. In his youth he had been known as Boron The Blessed, but now he had come to be called Boron the Bitter. The only soft spot remaining in his heart, it seemed was for his daughter Therese. This was not just the special bond between father and daughter; she inspired love in everyone. She was one of those people who can only see the good in others and in fact many of her father's excesses were forgiven for her sake.

It happened one day that a Unicorn was seen in the forest near Boron's kingdom. As news ot this spread from huntsman and forester to peasant md burgher many people recalled the circumstances when a Unicorn last appeared. It had coincided with the death of Boron's grandfather - whom he was rapidly coming to resemble - and was believed to signal the end of an evil reign. This inspired a mood of hope in the people and smiles were seen on faces that had not known joy for many years.

The King was the last to hear the news of the Unicorn. Oblivious to the significance of the Unicorns presence, he thought only of acquiring the beast's precious horn. So he gathered all of his wisest advisors together to plan how the desired object could be taken.

"It cannot be accomplished by force", they told him. "Neither the stealthiest of hunters nor the bravest of pack of hounds can catch the Unicorns. It is the wisest and strongest of beasts and in either forest or mountain it can disappear like the mist. It only comes in reach of humans it trusts and they are none but the purest maidens."

"Then find me a pure maiden and we will set a trap with her." said the King impatiently.

"But if she knows the plan, my lord," they replied, "the Unicorn may sense it and keep away."

"Then we won't tell her, you fools," Boron roared, "and if any of you breathe a word of this without my leave, your heads will go to feed the crows down on the gatehouse."

Boron was not a completely bad man so when it was pointed out to him that the purest maiden in all the kingdom was undoubtedly his own daughter, even he had qualms. He could have perhaps chosen some other maid but this seemed an insult to his daughter's honor, besides lowering the chances for success. So in the end, after wrestling with a conscience well used to defeat, he decided to go ahead and use poor Therese as unwilling bait for his Unicorn trap.

The next day Boron and his daughter set off on horseback, accompanied by a dozen of his truest knights. The king told Therese he wished only to watch the Unicorn from a distance, should it choose to approach her.

"Surely we do not require so much company to meet the peaceful Unicorn?" the princess asked her father.

"Of course not, my dear, but the world is full of our enemies so bear with them for my sake. Besides, they too would like a glimpse of this marvel."

As they neared the forest they met a pleasant young Knight riding towards them bearing a shield of pure white. The King asked if he had any tidings of the Unicorn.

"I have been seeking the creature all night in vain," the Knight replied, "and many other nights and days past. There is nothing in all the world I wish to find more than the holy Unicorn.

"You mean it no harm, do you?" asked the princess.

"I would stake my life against any who wish to harm the creature, my lady, and have done so many times in this quest."

"Then you must come with us," she declared, "for we too seek the Unicorn in peace."

To the King's private rage the Knight accepted and in due course the party came to a clearing in the forest. A mighty oak grew in the center and a steep mountain overlooked it. The princess settled herself to wait on silken cushions amid the roots of the oak while the King and his knights withdrew to the forest. There they overpowered the Knight and left him tied to a tree before dispersing to lay their trap.

All that day princess Therese waited with no sight of the creature. Then as the sun set and the full moon rose, and both planets ruled the sky jointly for awhile, she caught a faint glimpse of the Unicorn. It stood in the shadows beneath the nearest trees, as pale and insubstantial as a ghost.

For a long time the Unicorn watched Therese in silence and she too dared not stir for fear of frightening it away. Then with the cautious grace of a deer it stepped into the open and trotted towards her, it's snow-white mane tossing like waves, it's slender, spiraled horn flashing against the sky. Therese could scarsely breathe for wonder and when the Unicorns deep, wise eyes looked into hers she was filled with love and awe for the creature. She felt herself drifting on the edge of a swoon and thought she could hear strains of heavenly music in the far distance.

The Unicorn hesitated until it was sure of the purity of her heart then the holy creature knelt and laid it's head in her lap. As she cradled it, the princess was filled with immeasurable bliss. Her tears of joy fell on to the Unicorn and sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight.

Suddenly with a roar, a thundering of hooves and a clash of weapons, the King and his knights burst from the trees. The Unicorn sprang to its feet, but already it was too late. The creature was surrounded and as it desperately sought a way out through the ring of steel, it let out a pitiful scream of terror. Finally it was lay low by the crushing blow of a mace and Boron leapt down to strike off its horn.;

Therese finally came to& her senses and realized what was happening. With a cry she ran across the clearing between the flashing hooves of the circling horses and threw herself on the fallen Unicorn and cradled its head in her white arms.

"Kill me first," she cried, "for I cannot live knowing I have betrayed so noble a trust." Boron was furious. Pull her away he screamed at his men, but none of them dared lay a hand on the princess so great was the love she inspired.

The King was enraged. He tried to pull her away himself and when that failed he very nearly struck at the horn anyway, not caring if he hit her. But in mid-stroke he realized what he was doing. In a flash of insight the King suddenly saw what he had become. He realized he was on the verge of destroying the one person in the world he cared about more than himself. Boron threw his sword to the ground and sank to his knees, sobs of shame and remorse wracked his body.

At that point, the Unicorn awoke and with trembling legs struggled to his feet. Boron's knights withdrew and huddled under the trees, for they too were now ashamed of what they had tried to do. The Unicorn rose and let the maid sooth him awhile, then it turned to face the King. The creature moved towards Boron and lowered it's horn until it's point touch his neck. The repentant King neither flinched nor tried to defend himself.

"Please," begged Therese, "for my sake, spare my father."

The Unicorn turned towards the princess with an enigmatic look in his eyes and then, with a few swift bounds, was gone like a flash of silver under the moon.

From that night forward Boron was a changed man. Or rather, he reverted to being the man he used to be, open-handed and honest and no more suspicious of others intentions than the ways of the world demand.

So just as the people had thought, the Unicorn's coming did indeed presage the end of an evil reign. However, on this occasion the King did not die. He was simply transformed into the good and honest ruler the people wanted.

The next time the Unicorn showed itself in his country it was to signal Boron's death, or perhaps to lead him from this life into the next. But this time love of the Unicorn in that place by the forest of Broceliande was matched only by sorrow in the King's passing period.

The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could she get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.

One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

Well, we'll soon find that out, thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

The Ass and the lapdog

Once a farmer owned an ass and a lapdog. The ass worked hard all day, hauling heavy loads. But he was well looked after, and had a warm, comfortable stable, with plenty of fresh hay to eat and water to drink. The lapdog stayed with his master all day, and lived in the house with him. He did no work, but was made much of, and even allowed to sit on the master's lap. The ass saw the lapdog leading a life of leisure, being petted by the master, and being given choice tidbits of food from the master's own plate, and the ass grew jealous of the lapdog.

“I wish the master would love me as much, and give me as much attention as he does the lapdog,” sighed the ass. “I work hard all day, much harder than that lapdog who does nothing at all except wag his tail and fawn on the master, and yet it seems the master cares more for the dog than for me. Perhaps if I too behave like the dog, and wag my tail and jump on the master, the master will start loving me as much as he does the dog.” The ass decided to wait for his chance.

One day, when he was left unattended while the farmer and all the farmhands were at their midday meal, the ass broke his halter and ran into the farmhouse kitchen. There the farmer sat at table. The ass rushed up to him and began wagging his tail vigorously, and knocked off all the china from the table. He then started jumping around and frolicking like a little dog, and finally plonked himself down on the farmer's lap. The shocked farmer yelled for help. The farmhands came running in and dragged the ass off to his stable, and gave him a beating he did not forget the rest of his life.

It is best to be contented with one's lot.

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

Once, as a lion lay sleeping in his den, a naughty little mouse ran up his tail, and onto his back and up his mane and danced and jumped on his head so that the lion woke up.

The lion grabbed the mouse and, holding him in his large claws, roared in anger. “How dare you wake me up! Don’t you know that I am King of the Beasts? Anyone who disturbs my rest deserves to die! I shall kill you and eat you! “

The terrified mouse, shaking and trembling, begged the lion to let him go. “Please don’t eat me Your Majesty! I did not mean to wake you, it was a mistake. I was only playing. Please let me go - and I promise I will be your friend forever. Who knows but one day I could save your life?”

The lion looked at the tiny mouse and laughed. “You save my life? What an absurd idea!” he said scornfully. “But you have made me laugh, and put me into a good mood again, so I shall let you go.” And the lion opened his claws and let the mouse go free. “Oh thank you, your majesty,” squeaked the mouse, and scurried away as fast as he could.

A few days later the lion was caught in a hunter’s snare. Struggle as he might, he couldn’t break free and became even more entangled in the net of ropes. He let out a roar of anger that shook the forest. Every animal heard it, including the tiny mouse.

“My friend the lion is in trouble,” cried the mouse. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of the lion’s roar, and soon found the lion trapped in the hunter’s snare. “Hold still, Your Majesty,” squeaked the mouse. “ I’ll have you out of there in a jiffy!” And without further delay, the mouse began nibbling through the ropes with his sharp little teeth. Very soon the lion was free.

“I did not believe that you could be of use to me, little mouse, but today you saved my life,” said the lion humbly. “It was my turn to help you, Sire,” answered the mouse. Even the weak and small may be of help to those much mightier than themselves.