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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