Two short stories for kids from Malayasia.
These two stories have found their way into our blog, because we believe the stories are very relevant even in today’s context. One of them is about how and old couple relate to each other and their pet. The other one is about the importance of hardwork.
Story one- The Old couple and their pet
Pak Madi and Nenek Mariam lived in a farm in the tiny village of Kluang. Kluang was an old costal village. This village had many farms., small and large Pak Madi and Nenek Mariam owned and lived in one of the smaller farms.
They were both old. They grew rice in the farm. In those days, there were no tractors or any other machinery. All work was manual. Some of the richer farmers used animals to till the soil and used other hired help to do the work in the farm. Nenek Mariam and Pak Madi were not at all rich. They had to do all the farm work on their own.
Kluang was a very special village. The old king had panted coconut palm trees along the coast for the benefit of the citizens. It provided shade and coconut to the citizens. Many families visited the beach in the evenings.
Pak Madi had a very special monkey called Poco. Poco could climb coconut trees and pluck the coconuts. This was a very special skill. Although the coast was lined with coconut palm trees, there was no way to pluck the coconuts for the citizens to enjoy them. Poco’s skills came very handy to Pak Madi. He would take Poco and go to the beach in the evenings. Poco would pluck and drop the coconuts. Pak Madi would then sell the cool coonut water to the tourists. This was Pak Madi’s entertainment and his way to make some money.
One day, Nenek Mariam complained to Pak Madi, “ I am growing old, am not able to till the soil and do all the work in the farm. The rich merchant in Kluang has offered to buy Poco in exchange for a buffalo. A buffalo will be very useful for me in the farm.”
Pak Madi loved his wife with his whole heart and he wanted to see her happy. He agreed to her proposal. Nenek Mariam was happy. The buffalo was indeed a great help for her.
Pak Madi, on the other hand became very sad. He stopped visiting the beach. It made no sense to go there without Poco. He stopped eating and started feeling very lonely. Nenek Mariam observed this and felt bad.
One day, as Pak Madi was about to go to sleep, Poco jumped on him. Nenek Mariam had gone to the rich merchant and exchanged the Buffalo for Poco again. Pak Madi was overjoyed.
He resolved to help Nenek Mariam more in the farm. The whole year, he helped Nenek Mariam in the farm and worked harder than ever. The couple was able to save some money. With the saved money, Pak Madi bought a buffalo for working in the farm. Both Nenek Mariam and Pak Madi were happy again.
Parenting Tip:
Strike a conversation with the kid. Ask him what her take away from the story is? We believe this story beautifully brings out the importance of compromising and adjusting to be part of relationships..
Story Two: The Alchemist and His Wife
At various times in history, people have gotten fascinated with Alchemy. Alchemy was a form of science practiced before rational science came into being. Many Alchemists had a dream. They wanted to turn Mud or other metals to gold.
Tengu and his wife Saloma live in a small farming village. Tengu was an alchemist and he believed that he could turn mud into gold . He had tried many experiments and had failed. He never gave up. After every failure, he would feel bad. But in some days he would restart his experiments. Deeply involved in his whimsical pursuit, he hardly found any time for work that would pay him money.
Saloma was very upset. One day she decided to visit the village head. He was a wise old man and listened to Saloma’s troubles patiently. He told her to send Tengu to him the next day.
Tengu visited the village head, the next day. He explained a lot about what was going on in his experiments. The Village elder said, “ I will tell you a secret, I know the secret formula to turning dirt to gold.” Tengu was very happy. The village elder told him he had to collect huge quantities of dried Banana leaf dust. He couldn’t collect the dust from just about any Banana leaf. The banana plant had to be planted while chanting a special spell.
Tengu set about the work. He cleared the land he owned, tilled it and planted the bananas, while casting the spell. Many years rolled by and he had enough banana leaf dust. The village elder visited the farm. He asked Tengu how he was doing. Tengu said, “ My farm is doing well, my family is well fed. I have dried banana leaf dust. Now I need to know how to make it gold.”
The village elder summoned Saloma to the farm. He asked her what she had been doing. She said, “ I have been raising my family, working hard and saving a lot of money we make from the farm.” The village elder asked her what she had done with the money. Saloma went inside their home and returned with a bagful of gold. Tengu was surprised and understood what the village head had meant.
Parenting Tip:
Ask your kid what he understood from the story?
This Moral story is a great way to illustrate, how hard work and dedication are the only real means to achieve your dreams.
If you like our stories, do take some time out to check our Flash Cards
