Story Telling

THE STORY OF IRRAWADY DOLPHIN

 A long time ago in Mahakam, there was a village inhabited by several families. Every year after harvest time, the people of the village usually held traditional feasts filled with various skills and art attractions.

In midst of society, there lived a family living in a simple hut. It consisted of a couple of a husband and a wife and a daughter and a son. Any problems could be wisely handled by this family. That’s why they lived happily for years.

One day, the mother was infected by a disease. At last she passed away. They were in deep misery since they lost their loved one. The father became stolid and depressed, whereas both children were always confused not knowing what to do. The condition of their house and farm was not  well cared anymore. This condition lasted so long.

One night, in the village there was a harvest time fiest. In a show, there was a beautiful and charming girl, so she always got a warm welcome from young men of the village. Hearing the news, the father was influenced to watch the dancing show.

That night was the seventh night of the on-going feast. The father watched the girl dancing. As the show began. The father did a different manner. He did not laugh or praise the girl. He rarely smiled. At one moment, their eyesights met for several times. It was not thought before that love grew between the girl and the father of the two children. After the show ended, they met and made an appointment. Since then the father always met the girl several times. At last last they made a deal to get married.

Based on the deal from both sides and elders, the marriage between the father and the girl dancer was held after a traditional party in the village. The marriage was the starting point of their new life. The father became enthusiastic again to work in the fields with the help of his children, whereas their step mother stayed at home preparing meals for the family. That condition lasted for months which made their life brighter again. But the harmonius situation did not last long since the step mother was getting cruel to the children gradually.

One day, their step mother made a cruel plan. She asked her both step children to look for firewood. The number of the firewood should be three times greater than they got the day before.“ Mom...,What is a lot of firewood for? There is still enough firewood. If it is almost used up, we will just look for it again.”

“What?” You dare arguing me, don’t you? I will tell about it to your father that you both are lazy! So go out right away!” shouted their step mother in anger. Both children were afraid of her anger.

After taking some equipments, they went to the jungle to look for firewood. They spent two days gathering the firewood. Towards the evening, little by little the abundant firewood was taken to their house. After all was done, they entered the house to tell their step mother, but how shocked they were to see that the house was empty. Apparently, their parents had left the house. Those two poor siblings then cried loudly.

The next day, the two siblings tried looked for their parents desperately. On the third day, they just reached a campong and saw smoke billowing from a distance. They  finally found an old hut. There was an old man sitting in front of the old hut. The two siblings paid homage and greeted him.

“Where are both of you from? What is your purpose to come to this remote place? asked the old man while coughing.

 “We are looking for our parents. Did you see  a man and a young woman passing by this way?” said the boy.

 “Hmm..., several days ago there was a couple of a man and a young woman coming here,” said the old man then, “Perhaps, they are the people being sought by you?”

” Where were they off to, Sir?” Said the boy happily.

“They said they wanted to live accros the river and built a hut and new farm. You try to seek them there.”

The old man lent his boat to the children. The two siblings used the old man’s boat until reaching the opposite side of the river and moored the boat in a rivulet. After two days, they had been walking in starvation, they just found a village with rare population.

            A few moments later they found a hut, slowly they approached the hut. After noticing for some minutes, both of them saw a torn shirt and  felt sure that the shirt was their father’s possession. Undoubtedly they entered the hut. Inside their father’s kitchen, there was a caldron of porridge on a traditional stove. Since the boy and his sister were starving, they ate the porridge ravenously. The porridge was too hot for them and the two siblings’ body temperatures rose instantly and both of them ran to and fro to find a river. Every banana tree they found along to the river they hugged until the trees withered and were burnt . Shortly after they reached the bank of the river, they plunged into the river. At the same time, when their parents just returned home, they wondered why all banana trees around their hut withered and were burnt.

            They became more surprised to enter their house and see one pack and two mandaus (traditional swords from Kalimantan). The step mother checked all properties of the hut from the front until the kitchen. She then told her husband. They soon went down the hut and tracked the footprints of their children.

            As the couple reached the river bank, two creatures were moving back and forth in the water while spraying water from their mouths. The husband remembered his son and daughter. He also startled when suddenly his wife dissapeared from his side. He just realized that his young wife was not of human kind descent.

            Not long after that, villagers swarmed by the river bank to see the ongoing oddity. Two fish with human-like head were moving back and forth in the middle of the river and spraying water from their mouths. People on the spot thought the spray from the Irawady dolphins was so hot that caused small fish died of their spray.

  

GLOSSARY

 a few moments later        : beberapa saat kemudian

abundant                        : berlimpah

accros                             : di seberang

apparently                      : rupanya

appear                            : muncul 

appointment                   : janji

approach                        : mendekati

back and forth                 : bolak balik

bank                               : tepi

be burnt                         : terbakar

be cared                          : dirawat

be handled                      : ditangani

be infected                      : terinfeksi

be influenced                   : terpengaruh

be inhabited                    : didiami

be off to                          : berangkat

be sought                        : dicari

be surrounded                 : dikelilingi

billow                              : mengepul

caldron                           : dandang besar

charming                        : mempesona

consist of                        : terdiri dari

cough                              : batuk

couple                             : sepasang

cruel                               : jahat

dare                                : berani

deal                                : perjanjian

desperately                      : dengan bersusah

distance                          : kejauhan

empty                              : kosong

enough                            : cukup

enthusiastic                     : antusias

equipment                       : perlengkapan

feast                               : pesta

firewood                          : kayu bakar

footprints                        : jejak kaki

gathering                         : mengumpulkan

gradually                         : secara perlahan

greet                               : menyapa

hug                                 : memeluk

instantly                          : dengan cepat

lend/ lent                        : meminjamkan

look for                            : mencari

loved one                         : yang dicintai

manner                           : perilaku

midst                              : di tengah

misery                             : penderitaan

moor                               : menambatkan

notice                              : memperhatikan

opposite                          : berseberangan

pass away                       : meninggal dunia

pass by                           : lewat 

pay homage                     : memberi hormat

plan                                : rencana

plung                              : melompat ke sungai

porridge                           : bubur

possession                       : kepemilikan

praise                             : memuji

purpose                          : tujuan

rare                                : jarang

ravenously                      : dengan lahap

remote                            : terpencil

rivulet                             : anak sungai

rose                                : naik

several                            : beberapa

shout                              : berteriak

sibling                             : saudara kandung

sight                               : pandangan

spray                              : menyemprot

startle                             : terkejut

starvation                       : kelaparan

starve                              : sangat lapar

step mother                     : ibu tiri

stolid                              : pendiam

to and fro                        : bolak-balik

towards the evening         : menjelang malam

track                               : menelusuri

undoubtedly                    : tanpa ragu-ragu

vanish                             : menghilang

whereas                          : sedangkan

wisely                              : dengan bijaksana

wither                             : layu

wonder                           : heran

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.      Where did the story take place?

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2.      Why did the father become stolid and depressed?

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3.      Where did the father meet his latest wife?

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4.      After their eyesights met for several times, what would happen with the father and the woman then?

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5.      Why did the father become enthusiastic anymore?

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6.      Why did the harmonious situation last shortly?

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7.      How did their father and step mother leave them behind?

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8.      What made the children’s body temperature rise up?

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9.      What clues did the parents see that attrack them to follow the footprints?

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10.  What did the father behold in the river?

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11.  Whom did the father think about his last wife?
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