The New of The Elephant Rope Story for ST2 EPST 2015

ST 2 : The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

The News of News Cast, English Public Speaking Training 2015

NEWS CAST

 

NATION

Denny Shifts Blame to Former Boss Amir

After being declared a suspect in a graft case involving the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s online passport payment system, former deputy law and human rights minister Denny Indrayana appeared to try to shift the blame to former minister Amir Syamsuddin.

 
Denny, who has been considered an antigraft activist, stands accused of abusing his power by directly appointing two online service providers, PT Nusa SatuIntiArtha and PT Finnet Indonesia, to run the payment system, also known as payment gateway.

Denny’s lawyer, DefrizalDjamaris, said on Saturday that Amir had been well aware of the project.

“This payment gateway project exists because of a minister regulation, so there’s no way that Amir doesn’t know about it,” he said.

The regulation in question is Ministerial Decree No. 18/2014 on passports issued by Amir, who is a Democratic Party politician.

Amir has admitted that he issued the decree. However, he revoked the decree after the Finance Ministry deemed the project to be in violation of the law.

“[The payment gateway] was set up because there were many public complaints about the slow service when applying for passports, but after a while we found that it wasn’t compatible,” he said after being questioned as a witness by the police early this month.

Meanwhile, Defrizal said his client had only acted as a supervisor in the project.

“He was not the head of the team; someone else acted as the head. Pak Denny only supervised,” he said.

Defrizal added that the team tasked to carry out the project always reported any developments in the project to Amir.

The online passport payment service was launched on July 14 last year when Denny served as deputy minister. It was suddenly halted in October after it was discovered that the ministry had yet to authorize the start of the project.

Defrizal said it was strange for the project to be stopped abruptly when the Finance Ministry had already given the green light to the Law and Human Rights Ministry for budget approval.

“The Finance Ministry responded by giving space [for the project to be carried out]. It never explicitly said this [project] violated the ministry’s regulation,” he said.

Several civil organizations have criticized the police for their move against Denny, calling it an effort to silence critics of the police, since Denny’s case emerged only after Denny publicly supported the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in its standoff with the police in January.

The police have denied the allegation and said there was enough evidence to charge Denny, pointing out that Denny had authorized the two companies to open a single bank account where funds from the payment gateway were to be deposited before being transferred to the state treasury.

The project cost Rp 32 billion (US$2.4 million), which the police consider state losses. Amir said the money was the total income of the project and that it had been returned to the state in full.

“The money was in that single bank account for only one day,” he said.

Reports have been circulating that Vice President Jusuf Kalla orchestrated the prosecution of Denny

SPORT

Westbrook Scores 33 as Thunder Hold Off Suns in NBA

Russell Westbrook had 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from 20 points down to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-97 on Sunday and strengthen their hold on the final playoff spot in the NBA's Western Conference.

D.J. Augustin scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder, who ended a four-game road skid. Steven Adams had 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Dion Waiters scored 18 points.

Oklahoma City pulled away with a dominant final period and stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Markieff Morris scored 24 points for the Suns, who dropped four games behind Oklahoma City.

In other games, Brooklyn topped the Los Angeles Lakers 107-99 to move a half-game ahead of Boston and Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Houston defeated Washington 99-91 to move past Memphis into the second spot in the West, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Boston 119-106 for their seventh consecutive win.

In New York, Brook Lopez had 30 points and 11 rebounds to help the Nets get their third straight victory.

Joe Johnson added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Nets, who won for the fifth time in six games to give themselves a chance at a third straight postseason berth after an underwhelming first half of the season.

Houston's James Harden had 24 points and Corey Brewer scored 15 as the Rockets won their fourth in a row. Rockets center Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes in his third game back from a right knee injury.

The Wizards are fifth in the Eastern Conference and could have guaranteed themselves a place in the postseason with a victory.

The Clippers were led by J.J. Redick, who scored 27 points, and Chris Paul, who had 21 points and 10 assists. The Clippers jumped out to a 68-47 halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 35 points midway through the third quarter.

Memphis, meanwhile, lost its third straight game, falling to San Antonio 103-89.

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs won for the 13th time in 16 games to remain sixth in the Western Conference.

Zach Randolph had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

LeBron James scored 20 points and Kyrie Irving added 17 as Cleveland hung on to beat lowly Philadelphia 87-86.

The Cavaliers earned their 16th straight home win despite being held scoreless in the final 4:04.

In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had 28 points and nine rebounds to power the Pelicans to a 110-88 victory over Minnesota.

C.J. Miles made a key 3-pointer with a minute left and finished with 28 points as Indiana beat Dallas 104-99, and Dwyane Wade scored 40 points a day after having fluid removed from his balky left knee as Miami topped Detroit 109-102. (***)

BUSINESS

BCA Evaluates Smaller Banks, May Acquire One

Private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA), the country’s third largest bank, is assessing several smaller banks and considering the possibility of acquiring one to help boost the group’s business.

This move differs from the strategies of other large banks that are most interested in expanding business in neighboring countries. But BCA president director JahjaSetiaatmadja said the lender had decided to focus on the local market through organic and non-organic growth.

“We are interested in small banks, but we don’t have a target yet,” Jahja said after the launching of branchless banking program at the Financial Services Authority (OJK) headquarters.

BCA revealed its acquisition program in its 2015 business plan (RBB) submitted to the OJK. However, the lender has not followed it up with the financial regulator, Jahja added.

According to Jahja, BCA was currently conducting a thorough study on small banks, focusing on financial performance and future prospects. However, BCA has not opened discussions with any of the small banks.

So far, the most pressing issue is the acquisition price, which will potentially be too expensive. This will put BCA in a difficult situation, he said.

“Any non-organic decision may give either good or bad results, which can create a problem for the parent company in the future due to differences in business cultures between the parent company and the new subsidiary,” Jahja said.

Jahja did not offer details on which small banks BCA was considering, even though he expected the prospective ones would be those that did business in a way similar to BAC, such as having a significant portfolio of trade loans.

Based on an OJK regulation, Indonesian small lenders are formally categorized as BUKU I and BUKU II banks, while mid-size and large ones like BCA as BUKU III and BUKU IV.

BUKU I banks are those with core capital of under Rp 1 trillion (US$76.4 million), while BUKU II banks have between Rp 1 and 5 trillion and BUKU III banks have between Rp 5 and 30 trillion. BUKU IV lenders, on the other hand, have core capital exceeding Rp 30 trillion.

As the country’s largest private bank, BCA has followed the booming trend of the country’s financial conglomerations in recent years, which was marked by business expansion in various financial sectors to attract more customers.

According to the OJK, Indonesia currently has 31 financial conglomerates — 16 of which control around 60 percent of total domestic financial assets.

As of now, BCA Group has six subsidiaries: automotive financing firm BCA Finance, Hong Kong-based remittance office BCA Finance Limited, sharia lender Bank BCA Syariah, securities company BCA Sekuritas as well as general and life insurers BCA Insurance (formerly Central Sejahtera Insurance) and BCA Life.

Jahja said BCA had allocated a total of Rp 1.5 trillion in investments to its capital expenditure, even though most of the money would be injected for existing subsidiaries. Recently, Jahja said the bank’s six subsidiaries would need Rp 1 to 1.1 trillion in additional capital.

“We have aRp 1.5 trillion budget, which includes capital injection for subsidiaries. So, I think we have a sufficient amount of money if we want to acquire small banks. We don’t have to spend so much,” Jahja added.

With the capital injection this year, Jahja said BCA was expecting more contributions from its subsidiaries. As of last year, BCA’s net profit grew 15.7 percent year-on-year to Rp 16.49 trillion, with around 8 to 9 percent coming from subsidiaries.

WORLD

Spain: 3 Generations, All Named Emma, Die in France Crash

From a lush suburban valley near bustling Barcelona, three generations of a well-heeled family set off last week for a fun trip to Manchester, England: 12-year-old Emma Solera Pardo, her mother Emma Pardo Vidal, and grandmother Emma Vidal Bardan.

They were on their way to pick up the youngest Emma's teen brother as he finished a semester abroad to hone his English, do some sightseeing and then head home together.

But the Germanwings flight 9525 taking them to Duesseldorf for a connecting flight to Britain slammed into the French Alps. Prosecutors say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and aimed the aircraft down in an eight-minute descent until it hit the ground and disintegrated.

Juan Pardo Yanez — little Emma's grandfather, the father of her mother and the former husband of the eldest Emma — was virtually speechless after returning from a trip for relatives of the 150 crash victims to the accident zone in Seyne-Les-Alpes, France, where investigators working in a ravine were collecting small pieces of the plane and body parts ahead of a painstaking identification effort.

"There is nothing that can be done or could be said to me to change the loss of these three so dearly loved ones," Pardo Yanez told The Associated Press and other journalists outside a Barcelona crisis center set up for victims' relatives.

About 400 friends and relatives of the daughter, mother and grandmother gathered for a private Mass at a monastery in SantCugat del Valles, choking up as they went inside to commemorate those lost from the family that moved to the community of about 85,000 about a decade ago.

The youngest Emma's father, Juan Ignacio Solera, is the founder and chief executive of iVOOX, a company that makes a popular software application for podcast downloads.

Emma went to a Catholic school just a five-minute walk away from the family's apartment in a cluster of buildings ringed by high brick walls. Her death hit classmates incredibly hard, said principal Maria Reina Montoro, who could only come up with one word to describe how they felt: "Destroyed."

While somewhat quiet and timid, the youngest Emma was a dedicated tennis player who regularly practiced at a club, said Manu Navas, director of the club's tennis academy. Emma's mother also played paddle tennis there.

"She wasn't a player who stood out, but what I would highlight about her was her attitude. She never took no for an answer," Navas said of the girl.

Pardo Yanez didn't say how he would try to help rebuild his life and family now that his ex-wife is gone along with one of his daughters and a granddaughter.

But he was sure of one thing: "I will return with all my children to the site where all of them have died."

___

 
 ARCHIPELAGO

Govt to Revive Nias Tourism After Earthquakes 10 Years Ago

The central government has made a pledge to revive the tourist industry in Nias Islands, North Sumatra, which has been declining since the earthquakes that hit the region 10 years ago, a minister said.

Tourism Minister ArifYahya said Nias had competitive advantages in natural, marine and cultural tourism. However, tourists seldom visited because of limited access.

Providing an example, Arif said the airport in Nias was not yet able to accommodate big planes, saying that the runway currently was only 1,600 meters.

“The runway has to be lengthened to 2,500 m at the least so that it will be able to accommodate bigger planes from a number of countries,” Arif said in Nias on Saturday.

Arif was on the island for the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Nias Earthquake Monument and the commemoration of the 10th anniversary
of the earthquake at the reclamation site on Jl. SusurPantai, GunungSitoli.

The quake, which struck the island on March 28, claimed the lives of 685 people in Nias regency and 165 in South Nias regency.

About 28,000 houses were destroyed by the 8.7-magnitude quake in Nias and another 17,326 houses in South Nias.

The most damaged tourist spots were Sorake and Lagundri beaches, famous surf spots, particularly popular with Australia surfers, as the waves at Sorake and Lagundri can reach a height of seven meters. Surfing competitions are often held at Sorake beach.

The other famous tourist destination affected by the quake in BaoMatoduosubdistrict, South Nias, are the traditional houses, some of them over 400 years old.

According to a decree issued by President SusiloBambangYudhoyono at that time, the government had earmarked Rp 2.097 trillion (US$284 million) to carry out reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Nias.

Arif said that to improve tourism in Nias his office would synergize with a number of other related ministries to develop the needed infrastructure and facilities on the island, including a proper airport.

He expressed confidence that a proper airport and other supporting facilities would increase the number of foreign tourists in the region.

Nias, according to Arif, currently received some 25,000 tourists annually. With the planned improvements of infrastructure and facilities, he said, by 2019 the figure was expected to increase to 100,000 tourists.

The figure is expected to continue increasing such that by 2024 it is will be 1 million, Arif said.

“I am optimistic the target will be achieved because the Nias Islands have extraordinary potential for natural, marine and cultural tourism,” he said, adding that his ministry had included Nias architecture as a candidate for the best national architecture.

Meanwhile Law and Human Rights Minister YasonnaHamonanganLaoly, who is a native of Nias, said the move to grant free visas to 45 countries was made to help increase foreign tourist visits to Indonesia, including to Nias.

He asked regional administration leaders in Nias Islands to prepare a special program aimed at making local people welcoming and understanding of tourists.

The Story Of Story Telling, English Public Speaking Training 2015

ST 1 :
Struggles of our Life

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer”, he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

The End

ST 2 :

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread in another person’s tapestry.

 

The End

ST 3 :

Nobody Laugh At A Lion

In the cool of the morning, on the edge of the jungle, the animals were busy as can be. They were running and racing, climbing and clambering, crawling and creeping all over the place. Pa Lion sat and watched. “You can see why I’m crowned as the jungle’s king,” he said. “The reason is, I’m the best one in doing this difficult task.”

“Do stop boasting,” said Ma Lion. “I ask you, if you are the best one, I just want to know where are you best at?” The question made Pa Lion thought hard for a second.

“Well, running for a start. You just watch this.” Soon after that, Pa Lion jumped into the high grass, causing all animals fear.

As Pa Lion ran, the sleek, long-legged cheetah raced past him with ease, and Cheetah laughed. He laughed quietly, because nobody laughs out loud at a lion. But Pa Lion heard him.

“All right,” said Pa Lion, rather annoyed.

“Cheetah might be just a little bit better at running. But I’m best at… at climbing trees. Look!”

Pa Lion dug his great claws into the nearest tree and scrambled and scartched and scrabbled, and slowly heaved himself up on to the lowest branch.

Monkey was swinging by his tail in the highest branches of the tree, and he saw Pa Lion climbing and he sniggered. He sniggered quietly, because nobody sniggers out loud at a lion. But Pa Lion heard him. “All right,” said Pa Lion, grumpily. “Monkey mught be just a little bit better at climbing trees. But I‘m the best at… at creeping through the long grass, quiet as quiet.”

Pa Lion dropped into a low crouch, then, crawling and creeping, slow as slow quiet as quiet, he moved through the long grass. Snake was slipping through the grass, smooth and silent as a high. He saw Pa Lion crawling and creeping, and he smiled. He smiled to himself, because nobody smiles at a lion. But Pa Lion saw him. Pa Lion began to feel angry. “Okay,” he said. “I think, snakes are the animal that may have a better ability in creeping through the long grass, quiet as quiet. But I am the best at… at…” “You are very good at sleeping,” said Ma Lion. “It shouldn’t be counted, “said Pa Lion.

Then he said, “I am the strongest. Watch me.” He pushed his great head against the trunk of a small tree, bending it until it broke with a loud crack! Elephant was plodding past, leaving a trail of flattened bushes and broken trees in his path. He saw Pa Lion and he lifted his trunk and trumpeted. He trumpeted softly, because not even an elephant trumpets out loud at a lion. But Pa Lion heard him.

Now Pa Lion was furious. “Okay,” he said. “I know that.. Elephant is an animal that just a little bit stronger. But I am the best at… the best at… Oh! I can’t think of anything! “It really makes me want to… ROAR!”

And the sound of Pa Lion’s roar rolled and rumbled and grew and grumbled and echoed and thundered through the jungle. Pa Lion was the very, very best at roaring. Cheetah stopped laughing, and Monkey stopped sniggering, and Snake stopped smiling, and Elephant stopped trumpeting. And Pa Lion was happy at last… because nobody laughs at a lion.

 

The End

ST 4 :

Bulding Bridges

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.

Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said.

"Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?"

"Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor, in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll go him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence - an 8-foot fence - so I won't need to see his place anymore. Cool him down, anyhow."

The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."

The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.

The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.

About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.

There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge... a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work handrails and all - and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done."

The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.

"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but, I have many more bridges to build."

The End  

ST 5 :

Why The Frog's Eye Bulge

Once upon a time, the only fire on earth was guarded by two giants. No one dared ask them for any of it.

At long last, a brave man thought of  a plan. He called together all his animal friends and asked them to help him. He told a frog to wait just outside the village where he was living. A little beyond the frog, he placed a horse; beyond the horse, he placed a cat; beyond the cat, he  placed a dog and beyond the dog, he placed a lion. Beyond the lion was the house where the giants lived.

The man then went to call on the giants. They were pleased to see him as they felt rather lonely living by themselves.

“Can you please let me have some of your fire?” he asked them. “No one else has any fire at all.”

The giants shook their heads. “the fire belongs to us and we can’t give any of it away.” They replied.

The man then made a sign out of the window to the lion. The lion began to roar; the dog to bark; the cat to meow; the horse to neigh and the frog to croak. The giant rushed out to see what was the matter.

As soon as they did so, the man pick up a piece of burning wood from the fire. He ran away with it as fast as he could. The giant saw what had happened and chased after him. The man gave the piece of burning wood to the lion. It was soon passed on from animal to animal until it reached the frog. The frog hopped straight for the village. But the giant caught him by the tail. The poor frog was so frightened that his eyes almost fell out, he jumped once more and landed in the middle of village. Carrying the fire with him. But he left behind his tail in the giants’ hands. So the people in the village were able to obtain fire for the first time. but the poor frog lost his tail and his eyes have bulged ever since.

 

The End

ST 6 :

The Legend Of Rawa Pening

Once upon a time, there was a little boy, who was poor, dirty, and smelly, came into a little village. He was very hungry and weak. He knocked at every door and asked for some food, but nobody cared about him. Nobody wanted to help the little boy. Finally, a generous old woman helped him. She gave him shelter and a meal. When the boy wanted to leave, the old woman gave him a “lesung”, a big wooden mortar for pounding rice.

She reminded him, “Please remember, if there is a flood you must save yourself. Use this “lesung” as a boat”.

The little boy was happy and thanked the old woman. The little boy continued his journey. While he was passing through the village, where he had asked for food, he saw many people gathering on the field. The boy came closer and saw a stick stuck in the ground. People challenged each other to pull out that stick. Everybody tried, but nobody succeeded.

“Can I try?” asked the little boy.

The crowd laughed mockingly. The boy wanted to try his luck so he stepped forward and pulled out the stick. He could do it very easily. Everybody was dumbfounded. Suddenly, from the hole left by stick, water spouted out. It did not stop until it flooded the village. And no one was saved from the water except the little boy and the generous old woman who gave him shelter and meal. As she told him, he used the “lesung” as a boat and picked up the old woman. The whole village became a huge lake.

It is now known as Rawa Pening Lake in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia.

 

The End