An Obedient Cat [EF#16]

Bismillaah…

Talking about Indonesian traditional tales is very interesting. There are lots of urban legends, fable, folklore, folktales, myths, and any other contemporary stories which had so many noble values. When I was a child, I was always interested in those stories. My father was really good at story telling. He frequently used to tell me about some classic fables, such as a story of clever mouse deer, the legend of golden snail, or a story of turtle race. Besides, there were famous children magazines at that time whose contained various contemporary tales. You must be heard about Bobo and Mentari Putra Harapan, right? They were pioneer for high-quality kids’ contents and stories.

If I am not mistaken, I do remember one of Bobo’s part of stories. This was not a traditional Indonesian tales though. It was more likely a contemporary story. And I do not even remember where it was originally came from. The story itself was somewhat sad indeed. But there was a great value contained I believe. So, let’s read the story. Do not worry, this time I would just write the essential parts only.

Indonesian tales – An Obedient Cat

Plot

A long time ago, there was a happy couple. They lived in their small hut, in a very large forest inside a very secluded island. There was no single human being around 4 to 5 miles, except them. They were very grateful for anything they’ve got. Their food, their home place, and even their feelings for each other.

They were married for more than 10 years. But they were not blessed with a child yet. They felt that their life would be meaningless without the presence of a child. Then the husband prayed to the God intensively. It seemed his prayer has been granted. God gave him a message trough dreams, “I will give you a child. But, as a proof of your gratitude, please raise this kitten with your kindness until it can walk properly. By then, in the next two years your wife will get pregnant. And then by the end of the third year your child will be born.”. Then he woke up and found a kitten in front of his door.

The days turned, and the time passed. The kitten has become a very dutiful and obedient cat. They named it Buru. They were happy because Buru was very helpful. Catching a fish, bringing the firewood, guarding the farm against anything that interferes, and any other helpful roles could be served by Buru. They trusted almost everything to Buru. It was a best gift from the God, they believed.

The time has come. The wife finally gave birth to a child, a healthy boy with such a beautiful eyes. But, unfortunately, she could not survive. She left Buru, her son, and her husband into a deep sadness. The husband promised to her that he will take care their son with everything he could.

One month has passed. The husband lived peacefully with his son and of course with so many bits of help from Buru. He made a daily routine. When he went outside for fishing on the river or getting some foods, he left the boy at the hut guarded by Buru. There was no one around, after all. So he put a 100% trust to Buru. But, one day, when he was fishing on the river, suddenly he saw Buru coming after him with so many traces of blood on its claws and around its mouth. He shocked. He thought his son was eaten by Buru. And then he came up with beating Buru without mercy until died. He felt so stressful and worried about his son. And then he runs to his hut as fast as he could. But, the boy was alright without any scratches left. He saw a dead snake near his bed. He realized that Buru was the one who killed that snake and saved his son’s life. He cried. He blamed himself for not trusting Buru, an obedient cat who always helped him for the past three years.

After that, he brought his son out of the island. He hoped for a better life outside there. He named that island after the most obedient cat’s name he has ever known, Buru.

Moral of The Story

For me, this story has a very valuable lesson. Please be careful when making a critical decision. We need to check the validity first. Do not be so careless. We can not think logically unless we can make our own emotions neutralized. If we can not guarantee the validity of our knowledge, that means we do not know at all. Remember, we are responsible for each action we did.

That’s it…

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This post is a submission for BEC’s English Friday, theme: Childhood Memories, 16^th topic: Values From A Tale. If you want to know more, please join us! 😀

My other English Blogging Club posts:
[EF#15] Behavioral Study of Board Games
[EF#14] Sketching My Favorite Manga Character – Conan Edogawa
[EF#13] Bad Bad Bad Badminton
[EF#12] My Bio-Cycle Story
[EF#11] Eager to Wear Eiger
[EF#10] Indonesian Traditional Pastry and Cakes
[EF#9] Photography 101 Solitude Meet-up
[EF#8] Please Check Your Whensapp
[EF#7] The Story of Romance
[EF#6] ALTERnativE GOd given
[EF#5] Connecting the Dots
[EF#4] What if Nobita was a Genius
[EF#3] Gadget in a Pervasive World
[EF#2] The Wildest Dream: Becoming a President
[EF#1] Moving-On