Car Rental And Tourism

ONCE upon a time, there was a village named Beldy. The men in the village really liked going to a war and fighting against other villages. They got angry easily. They felt that going to a war was a fun activity. For them, going to a war was something that they had to do.

Slowly, the number of men in the village decreased. The women tried to advise the men to stop their bad habits. Sadly, the men always ignored them.

One day, one woman in the village had delivered two baby boys. They were twins, their names were Chubak and Udoga. The men thought that Chubak and Udoga were good signs for them. They hoped Chubak and Udoga could join them to war later.
Chubak and Udoga grew as smart and wise kids. Even adults came to them for advice.

It was a hot day when a man suddenly screamed.
“My rabbit is gone! Someone stole my rabbit!“ Everybody looked carefully at the cage. One man spoke, “I think your rabbit was stolen by the men from the Zaksulis Village!“ “Yes, I thought the same. Let's fight! Let's attack Zaksulis Village!“ said another man.

“Wait!“ said one woman. She continued, “Are you sure you will attack Zaksulis Village just because of a rabbit? It's not worth it!“ The women were upset with the men's plan to attack Zaksulis Village. They went Chubak and Udoga and asked them to stop their bad habit.

The twins talked silently. They were planning something. “Yes, we will do something. Trust us!“ said Chubak.
Later, the twins talked to the men. “I heard that you will attack Zaksulis Village just because of a rabbit?“ “Yes, it's true!“
“We will join you but first you have to promise something,“ asked Udoga.

The men were extremely happy that the twins would join them. They said yes when the twins asked them to promise.
“Please promise that when you arrive at Zaksulis Village you will never eat and drink anything. You just fight then go home!“ said Chubak. “That's easy!“ said the head of vil lage. He knew they could beat people in Zaksulis easily. Why? Unlike the men from Beldy Village, the men in Zaksulis hate to fight. They love to live in peace.

Before they went to Zaksulis Village, the men brought lots of food and water. They would eat and drink on the way to Zaksulis. They would stop eating and drinking after they arrived at Zaksulis Village.

Finally, they arrived at Zaksulis Village. When the villagers of Zaksulis saw them, they were hiding inside their house.
One man of Beldy Village yelled, “Come out of your house now!“ Unfortunately, they still stayed at home. The Beldys did not want to enter their houses. They did not want to hurt women and children. Therefore, they still waited for the men to go out.
They waited for hours and still, the Zaksulis men stayed inside their houses. The Beldy men waited for the following days but still the Zaksulis men did not want to fight them.

The Beldy men were slowly hungry and thirsty. They could not eat and drink because they had promised. Finally, the head of the village ordered his people to go back home.

When they arrived, the women asked how the war was. The head of the village said, “It was the worst war. We will never have a war again!“ The women were happy. They all were grateful and said thank you to Chubak and Udoga. Thanks to them, the men stopped their bad habits. Media Indonesia, 11/30/2014, page 21

A long time ago, there lived a very beautiful princess. Her name was Amarevi.
So many men came and proposed her for to be their wives. However, she rejected them. It was because she already loved one man. His name was Mahoseth. Unlike her who came from a royal family, Mahoseth was an ordinary man.

In the palace, there were four ministers who terribly wanted to marry the Princess Amarevi. It was not because they loved the Princess Ama revi, but they wanted to get her wealth. As the only child of the king, Princess Ama revi had lots of jewelries.
Those four ministers upset when they knew Princess Amarevi would marry with Mahoseth. They came to the king and told him some lies.

“Your Majesty, Mahoseth is not a good man. He will marry your daughter only to get her wealth,“ said one minister.
“It's true, Your Majesty. I also heard that he really wants to be the new king. He wants to kill you!“ said another minister.
The four ministers kept on telling to the King about how bad Mahoseth was. Sadly, the King finally believed what they said. He cancelled the wedding and even sent Mahoseth to jail! The princess kept on crying. She could not believe that her father would believe to those ministers.

“I have to prove to my father that Mahoseth is innocent,“ thought the princess.
She had a good plan. She asked those ministers to meet her. “I hope you can come to my room at nine o'clock,“ said the princess to the ministers.

They were happy when they heard the princess invited them. They did not know that the princess had set a plan.
The princess had asked some people to dig the floor. Later she covered the hole with some rug. On the top of the rug, she put a table with some jewelries. She hoped the ministers would be trapped inside the hole when holding the jewelry.
Finally, exactly at nine o'clock, those four ministers came to her room.

“Please come in,“ said the princess.
After the ministers were inside the room, the princess told them that she had to leave for a while.
“Please stay here, i'm going to do something and i'll be back soon. “After the princess left, those ministers saw beautiful jewelries on the table.

“Look at that table! we will get jewelry!“ said one minister.
They rushed to the table and suddenly they were trapped inside the hole! “Help. . . please help us!“ cried the ministers.
Meanwhile, the princess went to the king and told him that she trapped the ministers.
“Look! Those were trying to steal my jewelries,“ said the princess to the king.

The king was furious. He sent those four ministers to the jail. He then apologized to his daughter and Mahoseth. Later, he held the wedding party and since then Princess Amarevi and Mahoseth lived happily. Media Indonesia, 11/23/2014, page 20

Kintaro Folklore From Japan
A long time ago, there lived a special boy. His name was Kintaro. He lived with his mother on Mount Ashigara.Kintaro's father died when he was a baby.

What was so special about Kintaro?
Well, he was very strong. Though he was a kid, he had a power of 100 adult men! Besides that, he was also able to talk to animals. No wonder he made friends with all animals. His mother did not know how Kintaro got his special ability. One thing for sure, she was so grateful that her son was obedient and helpful. He always helped his mother and his neighbors.

During his free time, Kintaro often played with his animals friends. He liked to have fun with them. One activity that he often did with the animals, was doing sumo. It is Japanese traditional wrestling.

Not a single animal could beat Kintaro. He was too powerful for them, however there was animal that wanted to challenge him. The animal was the bear! he was an arrogant animal. He had never met Kintaro, he just heard that there was a strong boy, who was able to talk to animals. He was curious to beat Kintaro in sumo.

“I want to challenge you in sumo!“ said the bear when he finally met Kintaro.
All the animals that heard the bear, were silent. They were so amazed to see how big the bear was. They all were wondering if Kintaro could beat the bear.

Kintaro was just smiling. “All right, I will accept your challenge!“ It did not take lots of time for Kintaro to beat the bear. He could easily win the wrestling! All the animals were cheering. They were happy that Kintaro was the winner. They did not like the arrogant bear.

Kintaro did not know that someone was watching while he was wrestling with the bear. He was a Samurai. A Samurai is a member of a powerful military class in traditional Japan.The Samurai was accompanied with his men.

“You are very strong. I'm impressed,“ said the Samurai.
“Thank you, Sir,“ replied Kintaro politely.
“Listen, I'm looking for some new members for my team. We're going to fight an ogre in Mount Oe. We don't want the beast to hurt us. Therefore, we have to kill the Ogre soon,“ explained the Samurai.
“If I join you, can I be a warrior?“ asked Kintaro.
“Sure you can.“
“Well, let me go home now and I want ask permission to my mother.“
Kintaro's mother let him go. She also told something, a secret that she never told him.
“Your father was a warrior. He was a great warrior. I'm sure you can be as great as he was,“ said the mother.
“How did he die, Mother?“ asked Kintaro.
“An Ogre killed him,“ said his mother sadly. Kintaro was angry! He knew, he had to kill the Ogre before he killed more humans.

Finally they arrived at Mount Oe.They met the Ogre. Though he was still a kid, Kintaro was brave. He finally killed the Ogre. The Samurai was happy. He asked Kintaro and his mother to live in a castle. When Kintaro adult, he finally became a warrior. His mother was right, Kintaro became a great warrior just like his father. Source : Media Indonesia, 16/11/2014, Page 20

A long time ago, there was an old woman living with her children. One of her children was Anansi. He was a lazy boy.He never wanted to help his mother.Unfortunately, he was greedy. He never wanted to share his food with his brothers and sisters.
One day, Anansi was very hungry.There was no food in the house. So he went outside, he hoped that he could find something to eat.

Anansi went to the sea. He wanted to catch some fish. Suddenly, from a distance he saw a green island.“There must be lots of food there,“ he thought.

Anansi rowed a boat and arrived in the island. There was a hut, Anansi knocked the door and an old man greeted him.
“What can I do for you, Young Man?“ I'm hungry, can you give me some food?“ asked An ansi.
“I have some thing better than food. Here, take this pot. Give this to your mother. When you and your family are hungry, just say: Dear Pot, whatever you give to the Old Man, please give it to me,“ explained the Old Man.
Anansi went home.

However he did not give the pot to his mother. Instead, he hid it in his room.
Then he silently said, Dear Pot, whatever you give to the Old Man, please give it to me.“
Amazingly, there was a lot of food inside the pot. Anasi was extremely happy. He ate all the food. After that he secretly hid the pot.

Time went by and Anansi became fatter. His mother was so suspicious.
“How can he be fatter? His brothers and sisters are thin. I think we don't have enough food to make him fat like that,“ thought the mother.

The mother wanted to find out. She had a plan. “Anansi, let's go to the market with me and your brothers and sisters.“
“I can't, Mother. I'm not feeling well,“ replied Anansi. Well, he always gave an excuse not to help his mother.
Later, the mother and his children left the house. However, the mother came back home. She carefully went inside and when she was in front of Anansi's room, she heard his son said, “Dear Pot, whatever you give to the Old Man, please give it to me.“
She heard Anansi was busy eating. “How did he get the food?“ she thought.

On the following day, Anansi left the house. The mother immediately went to his room. She finally found the pot! She did exactly what Anansi said, “Dear Pot, whatever you give to the Old Man, please give it to me.“

She was very surprised when she found lots of food inside the pot! She gave the food to his children.The mother did not only give it her children, she also gave it to her neighbors.Unfortunately, the pot stopped giving her the food. So she returned it to his son's room.

When Anansi came back, he took his pot and said, “Dear Pot, whatever you give to the Old Man, please give it to me.“ Sadly, the pot did not give him any food. Anansi was upset. So he went to the Old Man's house. He wanted to ask him to give him another pot.
“Did you give the pot to your mother?“ asked the Old Man.

“No, I didn't.“I have something better than the pot. Here, take this stick and say: Dear Stick, whatever you did to the Old Man, please do it to me.“

Anansi was impatient. He immediately said, “Dear Stick, whatever you did to the Old Man, please do it to me.“

The stick moved and hit him! Anansi asked for help but the Old Man didn't do anything. He just said, “That's your punishment for being greedy and lazy!“ Anansi was crying. He promised that he would not be greedy and lazy anymore. After that, the stick stopped hitting him. Anansi immediately went home. Since then he became a good son. Media Indonesia, 9/11/2014, halaman 21

A long time ago, there was a village. The people lived happily and peacefully. They had a leader.The village chief was a wise man. He was humble and was willing to learn from others. His people loved him very much.

It was in the morning. The Chief asked his Servant to go to the market to buy something for dinner.
“What would you like to eat, Sir?“ asked theServant politely.
“Hmm... I think I want to eat meat. Yes, please buy the best meat you find in the market,“ asked the Chief.

“And the price, Sir?“ “I don't care with the price. Buy me the best and the most expensive meat in the market,“ replied the Chief“Yes, Sir,“ said the Servant dutifully.

The Servant immediately went to the market. Later she went home and brought apiece of meat. It did not look good.

The Chief asked, “What kind of meat is this? It doesn't look good.“
The Servant answered, “It's a tongue of a cow,Sir. Don't worry, although it doesn't look good Iwill cook it and make it delicious for you.“

The Chief nodded. He knew his servant wasvery good at cooking. He fully trustedher.
Later the Servant gave him therest of the money. The Chief counted the money and said, “The meat is very expensive.“

“Yes, Sir. You said that I had to buy the most expensive meat. So, this is the most expensive one,“ explained the Servant.

Then, the meat was cooked. The Chief tasted it. He was smiling. He said, “You are right! This meat is so delicious. Thank you very much.“ The servant was smiling when her master complimented her.
On the following day, the Chief again asked the Servant to go to the market.

“I really enjoyed eating the tongue of the cow you bought yesterday. Now, go to the market and buy the best and the most expensive cow's tongue,“ asked the Chief.

The Chief gave her the money and soon the servant went to the market.
When she went back home, the Chief looked at the cow's tongue she bought at the market. It looked exactly the same as the tongue she bought on the previous day.

The Chief said, “I know it doesn't look good. But I'm sure you can cook it and make it delicious.“
The servant just nodded her head.

Later, the meat was served. The Chief immediately ate it. However, he was not happy with the meat.
The Chief asked, “I asked you to buy the best and the most expensive cow's tongue, just like you did yesterday. But why this tongue is not delicious?“ The servant politely said, “Because it's a tongue, Sir.“

The Chief looked confused. He asked, “I don't understand. What do you mean?“ “The tongue can be good or bad, it depends on the words or sounds heard by others. If a person's words are kind and sweet, the tongue is good. We are also happy to hear them. However, if the words are hurtful and painful, they can bring sadness and anger. That means the tongue is bad,“ explained the Servant.
The Chief was smiling. He was so happy to hear that.

“It's very beautiful. I just got an important lesson from you. Thank you very much,“ said the Chief. Media Indonesia, 12/10/2014, halaman 21

Folklore From Nigeria
ONCE there was a very strong man.However, he was very boastful. His name was Shadusa. He always said t that he was the strongest man on earth.He called himself as the Master Man.
His wife, Shettu, often reminded him. She often advised him not to be boastful. One day, she said, “Remember, no matter how strong you are, there must be someone stronger than you are.“
“That's impossible! No one is stronger than I am!“ said Shadusa arrol gantly.t On the following day, Shettu went to the neighboring village. On the way home, she felt very thirsty. She saw a well. She wanted to take some water.She threw in a bucket. After the bucket was full of water, she tried to pull the rope. Sadly, the bucket was too heavy.She could not pull the rope.

While she was trying to pull the rope, a woman approached her. She was carrying her baby. The woman asked,t “What's the matter? You seem to have problem.“
Shettu said, “I cannot pull this rope.The bucket is too heavy.“

The woman replied, “Don't worry.My baby will help you.“ Later she put her baby on the ground then said,t “Honey, please pull this rope.“
The baby easily pulled the rope and gave the bucket to Shettu.

Shettu could not believe what she saw. She said, “That's amazing. How can your baby be so strong?“ The woman said, “His father is the Master Man. He is very strong.“
Shettu went home. Later she told her husband about the strong baby whose father was the Master Man. Shadusa looked upset. He said, “No way! The woman was playing some tricks on you. It's impossible that a baby could pull the rope.“

“If you don't believe me, why don't you go to the well and see how strong the baby is,“ replied Shettu.,Shadusa was so curious. Later he went to the well and waited for the woman. Few minutes later, the woman with the baby came.

Shadusa asked, “I heard that the baby's father is the Master Man. Is it true?“The woman answered, “Yes, it is.“
“May I see him?“The woman shook , her head. “I don't think so. You cannot see Mas, ter Man because he will eat you.“
“I don't care! I want to see him and prove who the real Master Man is,“ said Shadusa.
“It's up to you,“ replied the woman.

Later, Shadusa followed the woman , to her home. When they arrived, a giant welcomed them. “That's my husband. He is the Master Man.“
Shadusa's body was shaking. He was so scared. He ran away. Unfortunately, the giant saw him. He chased Shadusa.

Shadusa ran very fast. He met a stranger. He asked, “Why do you look so scared?“ “The Master Man is trying to catch me. He is going to eat me.“ SENO “It's impossible. I'm the Master Man,“ replied the stranger.

Suddenly, the giant came! The stranger challenged the giant to fight to prove who the Master Man was.

They were fighting for days and still there was no winner. They fought not only on the ground. They were even fighting in the sky! The sound of the fight was so deafening.

Since then when people heard thunder they said, “Those two men are fighting to prove who the Master Man is. Media Indonesia, 21/09/2014, halaman 21

FOLKLORE FROM INDIA
IN a jungle, there lived kinds of animals. They lived in fear. They did not live happily nor peacefully. It was because of the Lion, their king.
When the Lion was hungry, he would catch and eat any animals he saw. Because of that, the animals were always in danger. They were afraid that they would meet their king when he was hungry.
One day, all ani mals had a secret meeting to solve their problem.
“We have to do something.We cannot live like this forever,“ said the deer.
“Yes, we have to find the solution. Anyone had an idea?“ asked the goat.
The Cow nodded. He had an idea. “Listen, when the Lion is hungry, he always catches any animal he sees, right? Why don't we offer to him that we will provide one of us for him to eat regularly? That way, other animals can live peacefully.“
“But how can we choose one of us to be his food?“ asked the Rabbit.
“We choose the oldest animal,“ replied the Cow.
“Who is the oldest animal now?“ asked the Goat.
“I am,“ said the Rabbit sadly.“Let's start now,“ said the Buffalo.
“No! Wait!!! Not now! Let's talk to the Lion first. We have to suggest this idea. If he agrees, we will start tomorrow,“ said the Rabbit. He hoped he would find a way to save his life.
The Cow agreed. “He is right.We should offer this idea to the Lion. Let's meet him.“
Soon, all the animals in the jungle went to the Lion's place.
The Cow dared himself to speak. “Sir, we don't live peacefully here. It's because when you are h u n g r y, you will chase and eat any animal you see.“
“It's true. When I'm hungry, I eat you and not eat grass!“ said the Lion.
“Sir, can we suggest something? Instead of you chase any animal you see, why don't we come to you regularly. That means you just stay here and eat one of us. So, the rest of us can live peacefully,“ continued the Cow.
“That's an excellent idea!“ The Lion was smiling showing off his sharp teeth and that made all the animals were so scared.
“When do we start?“ asked the Lion.
“Tomorrow, Sir.“
“Good! If one of you don't come here tomorrow, I will continue chasing any animal I see,“ said the Lion.
At night, the Rabbit could not sleep. He was thinking hard how he could save his life. He finally found a great idea.
On the following day, the Rabbit went to the Lion's place. The Rabbit pretended to be very tired. He said, “I'm so lucky that I can come here safely.“
The Lion was confused. He asked, “What do you mean?“ The Rabbit replied, “I just met another Lion. He is bigger and stronger than you are. He wanted to eat me but I said that he could not eat me because my King will eat me.He is laughing and challenging you, Sir. He said that he is the best Lion.“
The Lion was angry! “Show me where he is! I will kill him now!“ The Rabbit brought the Lion to a well. “Sir, look! He is over there!“ The Rabbit pointed at the bottom of the well. It was deep and filled with water. The Lion immediately looked at the bottom of the well. He saw another Lion. Well, actually it was his own reflection. Fortunately he did not know that.
The Lion yelled, “Who are you?“ The reflection echoed, “Who are you?“ The Lion was upset. He thought that the Lion at the bottom of the well was making fun of him. He jumped to the bottom of the well to attack him.
The Lion was drowned. He tried to climb up to the surface but the well was too deep. The Lion tried several times and slowly he was running out of breath and energy. He was so weak that he was finally dead.
The Rabbit was so happy to see that. He immediately told other animals that the Lion was dead and they could live peacefully. Media Indonesia, 7/09/2014, hal 20

FOLKLORE FROM SWITZERLAND - A long time ago, there lived a young king who loved hunting. He could spend days in the jungle to hunt the animals. The king did not go hunting alone. His soldiers and some dogs always accompanied him.
It was a beautiful day. The king was getting ready to go hunting. He prepared his weapons.His soldiers also brought their guns filled with some bullets.
The king arrived in the jungle. Suddenly, his dogs were barking at a big tree. It had a big hollow. The king carefully checked what was inside the tree. He was so surprised! He found a very beautiful girl! “Who are you? What are you doing here?“ asked the girl.
She said, “This tree is my home. I live here. I don't have any parents.“
The king felt sorry for her. He brought her to the palace.
Time passed by and the king fell in love with her. He finally got married with her. Unfortunately, the king's mother secretly hated the girl.She actually did not want her son to marry the girl. However she could not say it to her son.
After they got married, the king continued his hobby to go hunting. At the time, the girl was pregnant. The king's mother was getting angry with her. She planned to do something bad.
The girl delivered a healthy baby boy. The king's mother silently poisoned the baby. She gave some food that made the baby grew lots of hair in a l l over his body.
When the king came home, the king's mother said, “Your wife has given birth to an animal.Look, the body is full with hair!“ The king was angry and shamed. He asked his wife and the baby to leave the palace.
The king's wife was so sad. She did not know where to go. She finally brought her baby to the hollow tree in the jungle.
Slowly, the son grew as a young and strong boy. Amazingly, he was very strong and had lots of power.
The hairy boy one day asked his mother about his father.
“Your father is the king, but don't you ever go to the palace to meet him. He hates us!“ “But I want really want to see him, Mother.Please let me go there,“ begged the hairy boy.
The hairy boy's mother did not have the heart to see her beloved son begging. She finally let him go to the palace.
When he arrived at the palace, the hairy boy immediately met the king. He said, “Your Majesty, I'm your son!“ The king was shocked. He thought his hairy son had died in the jungle. Sadly, the king did not want to accept him as his son. He even asked him to leave.
“No, you're not my son! Go away and leave this palace!“ “All right, I will leave now but I will be back tomorrow,“ replied the hairy boy.
After the hairy boy left, the king ordered his soldiers. “Follow him, then shoot him in the jungle!“ The soldiers carefully followed the hairy boy.
When he was in the jung le, the soldiers shot the hairy boy! Surprisingly, the hairy boy did not die! He plucked the bullets from his body and threw them to the soldiers. Those soldiers were dead! The hairy boy returned to the palace. The king was so upset. He thought the soldiers had killed him. “They failed to kill him,“ thought the king.
He grabbed his gun and shot the hairy boy. Again, the boy easily plucked the bullet and threw it to the king. He instantly died! Meanwhile, the king's mother saw the whole incident. She was so scared. She said, “Please don't kill me. I have the cure to remove your hair in your body.“
She gave the cure to the hairy boy. Amazingly, all the hair was slowly gone. Well, his power and strength was also gone. Since the king had died, the boy then became the king. He and his mother lived happily. Media Indonesia, 24/08/2014, halaman 20

ONCE upon a time, there lived a turtle with two swans in a pond. They were best friends. They always helped each other.
Well, there was something that the swans did not like about the turtle. She loved to talk. When the turtle was talking, no one could stop her. The swans actually hated this turtle's bad behavior.
They had suggested the turtle to speak less. Unfortunately, the turtle could not change it. She still talked and talked.
It was drought season. Rains had not fallen for months. Slowly the pond dried. The swans and the turtle were restless. The pond was their home and also their place to eat. They had to find a new place.
“What should we do?“ asked the turtle.
“We cannot stay here. You can see that the pond has dried. We cannot live here any longer,“ said one swan.
The turtle and the swans were silent.
They did not know what to do. Suddenly, one swan had an idea.
“I will fly and look for a new place for us to live. After I find it, I will come back as soon as possible,“ said the swan.
The turtle and the other swan agreed.
Soon, the swan flew and left them.
Several days later, the swan came back with good news.
“I found it! I found a new place to live.
The pond is beautiful,“ said the swan.
The turtle and the other swan were completely happy.
“That's wonderful! Let's go there now!“ said the turtle cheerfully.
The swan looked sad. “The problem is that the place is very far from here.
We can fly to go there, but what about you?“ “I can walk,“ responded the turtle.
“The place is too far for you to walk. I don't think you can make it. You will be very tired before you get there,“ said the swan.
The other swan said. “I have an idea.
You can join us. You will fly with us.“
“How?“ asked the turtle. She looked confused.
“Each of us will hold one end of a long stick. You must hold onto the middle of it with your beak and never let it go.
You must not talk while we are carrying you! If you open your mouth, you'll fall to the ground.“
The turtle understood. Later the swans grabbed a long stick. They each held the end of the stick and later the turtle bit the stick with her beak.
Slowly the swans flew. At first the turtle was scared. However she began to enjoy it. She was so amazed to see everything from the sky.
She wanted to say something but she remembered what the swans said. She must not open her mouth otherwise she would fall to the ground.
The swans were flying above a village.
Some people were surprised to see a flying turtle.
“Hey look! The turtle is flying!“ More and more people were looking and pointing their fingers.
The turtle saw what the villagers were doing. She was thinking to herself, “Why don't they mind their own business?“ Well, the turtle could not stand it any longer. She yelled, “Shut up!“ The moment she opened her mouth, the turtle fell down to the ground. She landed on her back, and her shell cracked into a thousand pieces.
People then talked about it. They then learned something from the incident.
Keeping our mouth shut can save our lives. Media Indonesia, 3 Agustus 2014, Halaman 19

A long time ago, there lived a husband and his wife.
They were rich. They lived in a big house. What did they do so they became very rich? Well, the family had a golden ring. It was a magic ring. Whoever had the ring, they would become very rich.
The family had a dog and a cat. It was the time when dogs and cats were best friends. They never had arguments and always helped each other.

One night, a thief came to the house. He stole the magic ring! The family was sad. They knew slowly they would be poor.
Well, it finally happened. They became poor.

They no longer had happy lives. They even did not have enough food.
The dog and the cat were sad to see their masters' condition.
“We have to help our masters. They are very kind to us. Now it's time to pay back,“ said the dog.
“I agree. We have to help our masters find the magic ring,“ replied the cat.
The dog and the cat started to find the magic ring. They asked other animals if they had heard about the ring.
They asked a mouse. He answered, “Yes, I've heard about the ring. Unfortunately it is kept in a house across the river.“
“Can you show it us?“ asked the cat.

“Yes, I can. But I cannot cross the river. The current is too strong,“ said the mouse.
The dog answered, “Don't worry. I will help you both.“
The cat was not able to swim while the dog was a good swimmer. So, the dog took them on his back and slowly started to swim.
They found the house! The thief kept the ring in a drawer. It was too small for the dog and the cat to reach the ring. Well, it was only the mouse that could do the job.
He got it! They carefully left the house and went back home. Again, the dog took the cat and the mouse on his back and started to swim.

When they arrived at the other side of the river, the dog was very tired. He said to the cat, “You go now and give this ring to our masters. I want to get some rest. I'm too tired to walk.“
The cat nodded. He immediately ran to their masters' house. The family was so excited when they saw their golden ring.
“You're very clever. Thank you very much,“ said the husband.
The wife gave the cat some food.
“Here, eat this food. You must be hungry after going to find this ring.“
The cat immediately ate it. Yes, he was terribly hungry.
While the cat was enjoying his food, the dog finally came home. He was also hungry. He asked, “Can you share your food?“ Before the cat answered, the husband yelled.

“Hey, don't disturb the cat. The food is his reward after finding this ring. Go now!“ They beat and scolded the dog. The dog grew angry at the cat, because the cat had stolen his reward. The dog chased and tried to bite him.
Since then dogs and cats are enemies. - Media Indonesia, 20 Juli 2014, Halaman 20

THERE was a poor little girl in the village. Her parents had just died.
She then had to live alone in her house. She could not eat properly.
At night, she was hungry. She had to sleep with her empty stomach.
The villagers felt sorry for her.

They wanted to do something to help her. However, they were also poor. They could not adopt her.
The villagers were discussing how to help the little girl.
“One of us has to adopt her. She is too young to live alone. She cannot take care of herself,“ said one villager.
“Yes...but who can afford to adopt her? We are poor,“ replied another villager.
“We are not equally poor. There must be the richest family among us,“ said another.
They all nodded. They then discussed who could take care of the poor little girl. They finally found one man. They all thought that he was the richest in the village. Well, the man could not say no. He finally brought the girl to his home.
The man's wife was so unhappy to see the little girl.

“We have to feed our own children and now we have to feed her?“ she asked her husband.
“You can ask her do things to help you,“ replied the man.
The woman could not argue her husband. After all, it was not his decision to take care of the girl. It was all the villagers' decision.

The girl thought that her life would completely different after she moved to the man's house.
Sadly, she was wrong. Her life was worse. She still could not eat properly and she still had to work hard.
After the girl stayed there, the man's wife did nothing. She always asked the girl to do the household chores.
The girl often cried. Her tears rolled down her beautiful face.
She had no one to talk about her problems.

At nights, the girl looked at the moon and told her about all her miserable life. The moon heard the girl's problem. She also felt sorry for her.

In one cold winter night, the woman asked the girl to get some water from the river. The little girl said, “Can I get it tomorrow morning? It's dark and also very cold outside.“

The woman was angry. “I don't care! If you don't get me some water, you have to leave this house now!“ The woman forced the girl to go out. The girl had no other choice.
She was terribly scared of her.

The little girl went to the river. She felt very cold and also hungry. She had not eaten all day. The woman always asked her to do things.

The little girl started to cry. She could not take the pain any lon ger. She looked up the moon and said, “Dear Moon...
P l e a s e t a ke m e now. I cannot live h e r e a ny m o r e . I cannot hold this pain.
Please take me. You are the only friend I have. Please, Moon...
take me away now.“

The moon looked down and heard the girl's cry. She really felt sorry for her. The moon slowly came down to the little girl and picked her up.

Since then the little girl lived happily in the moon. Parents in the village then told their children about a little girl who used to live on earth but then she lived happily in the moon. The story was passed down to generations until now. Media Indonesia, 13 Juli 2014, Halaman 20

ONCE upon a time, there lived two frogs. They lived in different cities.
One frog lived in Osaka and the other one lived in Kyoto. The frog living in Osaka was tired living in his city. He got bored and wanted to have a new life. He asked some animals about the best place to live.

“Why don't you go to Kyoto? It's a beautiful place,“ said a rabbit.
The frog was curious. He asked other animals and their answer was the same, “Kyoto is a beautiful place.“
The frog then made up his mind.
He would leave Osaka for Kyoto.

Meanwhile, there was a frog living in Kyoto. He also felt bored living in his city. He wanted to go to other city and stay there.
He asked a goat about the best place to live. The goat answered, “The best place is Osaka. Why don't you go there?“ The frog was not satisfied. He asked other animals, the answer was the same. They all said, “Osaka is the best place.“
So, those two frogs left their hometowns at exactly the same time. The frog living in Osaka left for Kyoto and the frog living in Kyoto left for Osaka.

Those two frogs did not know each other and they had n e v e r met. However, strangely they had the same plan.
They wanted to leave their own cities. The two frogs finally started their journeys. It was very tiring. They never thought that their journeys would be very difficult. They almost gave up. However, their dream to visit the other city was so big that the two frogs suddenly had extra energy to continue their journeys.

After spending for days, the two frogs finally met face to face. They greeted each other.
“Good day. How are you?“ asked the frog living in Osaka “I'm fine, thank you. Where are you going?“ “I'm going to Kyoto. How about you?“ “I'm going to Osaka. Hey, you know what? I live in Kyoto.“
“That's strange. I live in Osaka.

Please tell me, is Kyoto far from here?“ “Yes, it is. How about Osaka? Is it far from here?“ “Yes, it is. It's far from here.“
Well, those two frogs were hesitant. They did not know whether they would continue their journey or not.
The Osaka frog had an idea. “Since the city that we will visit is still far from here, why don't we stand up on our hind legs and hold onto each other. Then we can each look at the town we are traveling to.“

The Kyoto frog agreed. He immediately jumped up and put his front paws on the shoulder of his friend, who had risen also. There they both stood, stretching themselves as high as they could and holding each other tightly, so that they might not fall down. The Kyoto frog turned his nose towards Osaka, and the Osaka frog turned his nose towards Kyoto.
Unfortunately, they forgot that when they stood up their great eyes lay in the backs of their heads, and though their noses might point to the places to which they wanted to go, their eyes were looking at the places from which they had come.
Therefore, the Osaka frog was still looking at Osaka and the Kyoto frog was still looking at Kyoto.

“Wow!“ yelled the Osaka frog, “Kyoto is exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey. I will go home!“ “If I had known that Osa ka looks like Kyoto, I would never have traveled all this way,“ said the frog from Kyoto.
The two frogs then said polite farewell and went home again. They still believed that Osaka and Kyoto, though they were very far apart, looked exactly the same. Media Indonesia, 6 Juli 2014, Halaman 9

FOLKLORE FROM NORWAY
A long time ago, bears had long tails and they were also friendly. However, now bears have short tails and they are not friendly. They always growl at almost every animal they meet. How did this happen? Well, let's read story to find out.
Back in the old days, Bear had long and beautiful tail. He was very proud of it. He always showed off his beautiful tail to other animals. He often wagged his tail and that made other animals amazed to see its beauty.
The Fox was so jealous to see the Bear's tail. Unlike the Bear's tail, his tail was shorter and not beautiful. He hated when he saw the Bear was wagging and showing off his long and beautiful tail.

The Fox really hated the Bear. He was thinking how the Bear lost his tail. He had a bad idea! It was winter. The river was frozen. Its surface was covered by thick ice. The bear had not been eating fish for days. He was so hungry.
The Bear had broken some spots on the surface and tried to grab the fish with his paw. Unfortunately, he could not catch any fish. While he was trying to grab the fish, the Bear saw the Fox was carrying a big fish.

He asked, “Mr Fox, how did you get the fish?“ The Fox smiled. His plan was working. The Bear wanted to know how he got the fish.
The Fox said, “If I tell you how to catch the fish, will you follow my instructions?“ The Bear wagged his tail. He always did that when he felt very happy. On the contrary, that made the Fox became more jealous.
The Bear said, “Sure... I will do anything you say.“

“Listen, I caught the fish by making a small hole in the ice,“ said the Fox.
The Bear could not believe what he heard. He asked, “A small hole? It's impossible, I broke a large spot and still could not catch any fish.“

The Fox explained, “Your technique is wrong! You just have to make a small hole. Later, place your tail inside the hole. Let your tail hang in the water for a moment. If you feel any pain, it's because the fish is biting your tail. The more pain you feel, the bigger the fish you will get.“

The Bear was happy. Again, he wagged his tail. “I understand. Thank you for your advice, Mr Fox.“ Soon, the Bear made a small hole on the surface of the river. After that, he placed his tail inside the hole. He waited for a moment. Slowly, he felt some pain in his tail. He remembered what the Fox said.

“It is not really painful. I'm sure the fish is small. I want to catch a big fish. I will wait,“ thought the Bear. Well, what actually happened? The hole was slowly frozen. The pain that Bear felt was because the hole started to squeeze his tail. Finally, the Bear could not hold the pain any longer.
With his big power, he stood up and tried to jump. He was screaming in pain! “Ouch!“ He yelled loudly.
It was so painful. He thought he caught a very big fish. When he looked at his tail, he did not see any fish! Instead, he lost his long and beautiful tail. It became very short! “Oh no! Where's my tail?“ He saw his tail slowly drowning into the bottom of the river.

The Bear was so angry! He just lost his long and beautiful tail.
He growled loudly and looked for the Fox! “ M r Fo x ! W h e r e a r e you? You just fooled me! Come here!“ The Bear screamed loudly. He was terribly angry and wanted to kill the Fox. He l o o ke d e v e r y where but the Fox had gone. Since then, bears have short tails and they are not friendly any more. They always growl at any animals. SENO - Media Indonesia, 29/06/2014, halaman 20