Kyai Jegod

Once upon a time there was a king
who ruled Mataram Kingdom. His name is
Amangkurat IV. He was the grandfather of
Sultan. He often meditated in a nearby forest,
called Garjitawati.
One day, when a gardener was gathering
grass for his cattle in the forest, he looked for
some water because it was so hot. He found a
small pond and when he was going to drink some water from it, a dragon came out of the underwater,
but it was so friendly to him. The dragon said that if Sultan wanted to build his palace, it
was supposed to be located in that forest. Then it disappeared.
Then Sultan started to build the palace in that forest. He demanded strong and old woods
and the forest where those woods lied was said to be home of genies and spirits. His lumberjacks
could not nd anything to eat and the only thing they could have were some rice and water for
three days, or sometimes they could not have anything.
Then Sultan ordered that the main pole in the palace’s hall had to be built from special
wood, which would give strong impression. One night, a servant who was sleeping in the forest
heard loud and deep voice. The voice introduced itself as Kyai Jegod. The servant saw that Kyai
Jegod was an old, tall, and massive tree. He said that he would voluntarily let himself be cut to
make the main pole so that he could stay inside it forever.
The servant told it to Sultan and Sultan let Kyai Jegod stay inside it forever, while Kyai Jegod
became the protector of that palace since then.

I’m Delighted to Hear That.

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The Chipmunk That Ran Away

Once upon a time, there was a nervous little chipmunk. She was always afraid

that something bad happened to her.

One day, she heard a little noise. It was really only an apple that fell to the ground.

But the little Chipmunk was afraid and said “The sky is falling in.” Then she ran

away as fast as she could go.

Soon she met an old brother Chipmunk, who asked, “Where are you running

to, little Chipmunk?”

And the little Chipmunk answered, “The sky is falling in, and I am running

away.”

“The sky is falling in?” said the old brother Chipmunk. And he told the story

to his brother chipmunk, until at last there were a hundred brother Chipmunks

shouting, ”The sky is falling in.”

Soon the larger animals heard what the Chipmunks were saying. The Deer,

Unit 8 - Long, Long Time Ago, There Was ... 127

the Sheep, the Pig, the Camel, the Tiger, and the Elephant began to say, “The sky

is falling in.”

Then the wise Lion heard all the noise and wanted to know what was

happening. He stopped all the animals and asked, “What are you saying?” The

brother Chipmunks said, “Oh we heard it from that little Chipmunk!” And the

Lion said, “Little Chipmunk, what made you say that the sky was falling in?”

And the little Chipmunk said, “I saw it there near the tree.”

“Well,” said the Lion, “Come with me and I will show you how something”.

“Now get on my back.” The Lion took her on his back, and asked the animals to

stay where they were until they returned. Then he showed the little Chipmunk

that the apple had fallen to the ground. This made the noise that had made her

afraid. The little Chipmunk said, “Oh, I see. The sky is not falling in.”

The Lion said, “Let’s go back and tell the other animals.”

So they went back. At last all the animals knew that the sky was not falling in.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

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Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Ali Baba was such a poor man that he had only one shoe for his two feet. Even the mice in his house were hungry.
One day, his wife said, "We have no food in the house. No rice. No potatoes. Go and collect leaves in the forest so that I can make a soup."
Ali was a lazy man. He looked for leaves for about ten minutes and then he climbed a tree to sleep. He was afraid of wolves. When he woke up, he was surprised to see forty thieves on forty horses. They stopped in front of a big rock.
"Open Sesame!" shouted the leader.
A door on the rock opened. The thieves carried sacks full of gold into the cave. When they had finished, the leader shouted.
"Close Sesame!" and the door closed. As soon as the thieves had disappeared Ali Baba jumped down from the tree, said, "Open Sesame" and went into the cave.
There were shelves all around the walls. The shelves were full of sacks. And the sacks were full of gold. Ali took a sack home with him.
Unfortunately, one of the thieves saw Ali's footprints on the sand. He followed them to Ali's home. He took out his knife and made a cross on the door.
"Now I shall know which house it is," he said.
He rode off to get the other thieves. But Ali had seen the thief.                 
He and his wife took brooms and swept away the footprints. Then he made crosses on every door at the street. When the forty thieves arrived they had their knives between their teeth. But they couldn't fi nd either Ali – or the gold. And Ali and his wife lived happily ever after.
Taken from Addison–Wesley Kids 4, 1990

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The Little Girl and the Wolf James Thurber

One afternoon, a big wolf waited in the dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally, the little girl came along and she was carrying a basket of food. "Are you carrying that basket to your grandmother?" asked the wolf. The little girl said yes she was. So the wolf asked her where her grandmother lived and the little girl told him and he disappeared into the woods.

When the little girl opened the door of her grand mother's house, she saw there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on. She had approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she saw that it was not her grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap a wolf doesn't look anymore like your grandmother than Metro-Goldwyn lion looks like Calvin Coolidge. So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead.

Taken from Readings to Remember, 2004

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The Wolf and the Dog

Once there was a wolf who was nearly dead with hunger. He was very thin, so that the outline of his bones could be seen clearly beneath his thinning coat of hair. With hardly enough energy to walk, the wolf had little hope of finding food. As he lay beneath a large tree, a dog out for a walk noticed him. Seeing how thin and hungry looking the wolf was, the dog felt sorry for him and said, "You are in terrible shape! You look as if you haven't eaten for many days."

"You're right," said the wolf. "I haven't eaten because you and your friends are doing such a good job of guarding the sheep. Now I am so weak that I have little hope of finding food. I think I will surely die."

Then why not join us? Asked the dog. "I work regularly and I eat regularly. You could do the same. I will arrange it. You can help me and the other dogs guard the sheep. In that way, we won't have to worry about your stealing the sheep any more and you won't have to worry about going hungry any more. It's a good deal for both of us."

The wolf thought it over for a few minutes and then decided that the dog was right. So they went off together toward the ranch house where the dog lived. But, as they were walking, the wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the dog's neck was very thin. He was curious about this, for the dog had such a beautiful coat every where else. Finally, he asked the dog about it.

"Oh, don't worry about that," said the dog. "It's the place where the collar rubs on my neck when my master chains me up at night."

 "Chained up!" cried the wolf, "Do you mean that you are chained up at night? If I come to live with you, will I be chained up at night too?"

That's right," answered the dog. "But, You'll get used to it soon enough. I hardly think about it anymore."

"But, if I am chained up, then I won't be able to walk when I want to take a walk or to run where I want to run," the wolf said. "If I come to live with you, I won't be free anymore." After saying this, the wolf turned and ran away.

"The dog called after the wolf, saying, "Wait! Come back! I may not be able to do everything I want to do, but I'm healthy, well-fed, and I have a warm place to sleep. You are too worried about keeping alive to enjoy  life. I'm more free than you are."

Taken from Opportunities Elementary, 2003

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The Legend of Beowulf

Once upon a time, there was a horrible monster called Grendel. He was half-man and half-monster. He lived in Denmark. One day, he went to the King's castle. The king and his men tried to kill the monster but their swords were useless. A knight called Beowulf heard about the problem and went to Denmark to help the king.

That night, Beowulf and his men took off their armour and put away their swords and went to sleep. The monster came into the castle and killed a knight. Beowulf woke up and fought the monster-he pulled off an arm! Grendel went back to his home in a lake and died. Grendel's mother was very angry and the next night she went to the castle and killed a knight.

In the morning, Beowulf went to the lake. He killed Grendel's mother with a special sword. When he came back, the king was very happy and he gave Beowulf presents and money.

Beowulf went back to his country and became a king. He was king for fifty years. But one day, a dragon came to his country, and it attacked people. It lived in a cave with treasure. The dragon was very big and breathed fire. The knights were afraid and they did not want to fight the dragon. King Beowulf was an old man but he put on his armour again and went to the dragon's cave with his men. …

Taken from Opportunities Elementary, 2003

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The Fortune Teller

In the great city of Taipei, there lived a man called Lin and his wife. They had no children. Because of this, they were very unhappy. One day, they found a baby boy outside their door. He was wrapped in a blanket and crying. They took the baby into their house and called him Sau Ling. They loved him very much.

 When Sau Ling was a young man, a fortune-teller came to the house. "You must send your son away," he said. "One day he will become a thief and cause you a lot of trouble."

Mr and Mrs Lin were very sad to hear this. They believed what the fortune-teller said. They gave Sau Ling some clothes and money and sent him away.

Several years later, Sau Ling was having a meal in an inn several miles from Taipei. He put his bag on the floor near his table. After finishing his meal, he picked up his bag. "That's strange!" he thought, "It feels so heavy." He looked inside. It was full of small gold bars. Then he realised that someone had taken his bag by mistake and left another bag, in its place.

 That evening, a young man came to the inn, "Has anyone seen my bag?" he asked. Sau Ling was very honest. He returned the bag to him. The young man thanked him. "You are really very honest," he said, "I shall ask my Read the following words taken from the text. Then find their synonyms. father to give you a job." The young man's father was a rich merchant. He gave Sau Ling a good job. "But go home first," he said, "and take a holiday." Sau Ling returned to Taipei. Mr and Mrs Lin were delighted to see him again. The fortune-teller was also present. Sau Ling told them what had happened. The fortune-teller did not know what to say. He left the house without saying a word. Mr and Mrs Lin never believed in fortune-teller after that. Sau Ling took them to live with him and they were very happy and contented until the end of their lives.

Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000

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Shadow Puppet Show: Durna's Trap

The story started with Durna who was teaching the art of archery to the children of Hastina Kingdom at the palace's yard. From far away, a young man watched the practice. He was Ekalaya, the crown prince of Parang Gelung Kingdom.

Ekalaya wanted to study with Durna but was rejected, since the man promised only to teach children of Pandawa and Kurawa. Still Ekalaya was neither angry nor revengeful. His strong will to study from Durna influenced him go to the forest and create a statue of Durna as a symbol of Durna's presence. With this statue as his ima ginative teacher, Ekalaya learned how to shoot arrows by himself. The result was astonishing; Ekalaya turned very skillfull in shooting arrows just like Arjuna, Durna's favourite student.

Ekalaya finally encountered Arjuna, who was hunting in the forest. Arjuna was surprised to find that an arrow struck the animal he was hunting. It turned out the arrow belonged to Ekalaya. Innocently, Ekalaya said he was Durna's student.

Durna was surprised when Arjuna told him about Ekalaya. When he met Ekalaya, Durna trapped him saying he would admit Ekalaya as his student if he cut off the thumb of his right hand as evidence of his loyalty to his master.

 Ekalaya followed the request but then rea lised he had been cheated. Angry and disappoin ted, he knew Durna did not want anybody to rival Arjuna. Ekalaya became angrier when he was told by his wife that Arjuna was in love with her and challenged Arjuna to a duel.

Taken from Childcraft: World of Colour, 2003

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The Miser

A miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements.

He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, "Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there.

 It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it."

Taken from Readings to Remember, 2004

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Mantu’s Little Elephant

        Little Mantu lived in a village deep in the jungle where elephants helped the men with their work. These elephants were so big and strong. They could lift up the heaviest logs with their trunks and toss them high in the air.

        Now, Mantu had an elephant of his very own. His name was Opie. He was just a baby and Mantu loved him very much. Mantu whispered to Opie’s ear that someday he would become the biggest, strongest and bravest elephant in the jungle. The other elephants heard this. They began to laugh and made rude noises with their trunks. “We’re so big and tall, but you’re so small. You’re nothing at all,” said one of the big elephants. It is about the opening paragraph where the characters of the story are introduced.

        Mantu looked up at the huge elephant with a mishievous glint in his eye. “You’re so tall and can see far away. We can see what is happening down here in the jungle. In fact, we would be the first to see any slithering snakes that may be a danger. “After hearing the word snakes, the elephants screeched and off they gwents thundering in fright.

         “Did I say there were snakes?” giggled Mantu. “No, I don’t think so,” smiled Opie. Mantu then climbed upon his little friend’s back and went home to the village to tell everyone about the foolish elephants.

Taken from : English in Focus Grade VIII

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The Prince and His Best Friends

Once upon a time, there lived a kind young prince named Jonathan. He was loved, and adored by his people. His two close friends were Peter Piper, the servant of the palace and Franklin Greedy, the son of an Aristocrat. One day, The Prince, Peter Piper, and Franklin Greedy were walking through the forest. Suddenly a group of bandits attacked the three boys near an old house. They entered the old house and blockaded the gate and doors. The three boys were trapped inside the house.

Franklin was very terrified and asked the Prince to surrender immediately, but Peter was not afraid. He urged and supported the Prince not to give up. The Prince decided not to surrender because he realised that he would become a hostage for the bandits to ask for ransom to his father, but Franklin was scared and wanted to make a deal, it made Peter suspicious about Franklin’s behaviour. So he quietly made up a plan for him and the Prince to escape. Early at dawn, Franklin opened the front gate and unlocked the doors. The bandits entered the house in search of the Prince. When they came to the room where the Prince was supposed to be sleeping, no one was there. Suddenly they heard a horse running outside the house and saw over the window that Peter Piper and the Prince were riding away on one of the bandit’s horses. It turns out, Peter Piper sneaked out of the house

and waited in the yard, while the Prince was hiding behind the house. The bandits were very angry at Franklin and took him with them while the Prince and Peter went safely going back to the Capital.

Taken from: English in Focus Grade VIII

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Cupid

Cupid is the chubby little boy with wings that we see on Valentine’s day cards. He carries a bowl and arrow and is a symbol of romance. In ancient Greece and Rome, Cupid (The Greeks called him Eros) was the God of love. He was invisible and flew around shooting people with his arrows. The people who he shoot fell in love with the first person they met. Sometimes, Cupid played cruel jokes on people and made them fall in love with animals or the people they hated.

Once Cupid cut himself with his own arrow by accident and fell in love with a human named psyche. She became his wife, and after many problems they had a child called Pleasure.

Today, Cupid is still making people happy and sad, breaking hearts and causing problems. Just the same, most of us think that love is worth all the trouble.

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Momotaro

           Once upon a time, there lived in Japan a peasant and his wife. They were sad couple because they had no children. They kept praying to their God to give them a child.

While cutting wood by  a stream one day, the man saw the large peach floating on the water. He run to pick it up. His wife excited because she had neever seen such a large peach before. They were about  to cut the peach when they heard a voice from inside.

The couple were too surprised to do  anything. The peach then cracked, and there was a beautiful baby boy inside. The couple were very happy, of course. They named the baby Momotaro, which meant  ‘Peach Boy’.

Momotaro grew up to be a clever, courageous young man. His ‘parents’ loved him very much.

One day, Momotaro told his parents that he was going to fight the pirates who always attacked their village. These pirates lived on an island a few kilometers away. Momotaro’s mother packed his food, and his father gave him a sword. Having blessed Momotaro, they sent him off of his journey.

Sailing on his boat, Momotaro met an eagle going n the same direction. They became good friends, soon, both of them arrived on the island of the pirates.

Momotaro drew out the sacred sword his father had given him and began to fight the pirates. The eagle flew over theves’ heads, pecking at their eyes. Finally, the pirates were defeated.

Momotaro brought home all the goods that pirates had stolen. His parents were proud of him. And they were overjoyed at his victory and safe return.

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The Legend of ‘Lau Kawar”

           Once upon the time, there was a big feast in ‘Kanwar’ village, Tanah Karo. The villagers celebrated their successful harvest. They were singing and dancing during the feast.

Meanwhile, an old woman was alone at home. She didn’t go to the party because she was sick. When she felt hungry, she went to the kitchen. But there was no food there. She was very sad.

In the party , the son remembered his mother was at home. He wrapped some rice and a fried fish for his mother. Then he asked his daughter to give the food to her grandma.

The little girl ran home. But on her way, she stopped and ate the food. After eating the food, she wrapped the food again. When she arrived home, she gave the food to the old woman.

The old woman unwrapped the food and felt very disappointed. There was only very little rice and a fishbone.

She cried and prayed to God, ‘Oh God! I beg you to eliminate this place and all the people her because they have forgotten an aold woman, like me!’

Suddenly, thunder came. The sky turned dark. The land was shaking and then turned into a big crater. The rain was pouring on it. It didn’t stop for several days. When it stopped, the village disappeared. There was a large lake replaced it. People called it ‘Lau Kawar’. It means Kanwar lake.

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Calon Arang

Once, there was a beautiful girl lived in one of the Kingdoms in Bali. Her name was Ratna Manggalli. No young man wanted to marry her. Why? Because her mother was an evil witch. Her name was Calon Arang. The witch cursed the land and the people. She spelled them. The people became sick and the land became dry. No plant could live there. Everybody was hungry. A priest knew it. He asked his son to marry Ratna Manggali. After they got married, the son asked his wife about her mother scret. Ratna Manggali told him that the mother had a witch book. They stole the book, then. Calon Arang was very angry. A battle happened between Calon Arang and the priest. Finally, the priest won the battle. 

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