Long time ago in East
Java, there stood twin kingdoms, Jenggala and Kediri. The kingdoms were once united under Kahuripan
Kingdom. To avoid war, the kingdoms decided to reunite through a marriage of
the kings’ children. They were Raden Panji Asmarabangun and Dewi Sekartaji.
One day, Jenggala was attacked by a large number of
people. When the war broke out, Dewi Sekartaji ran away and hid out in a
desolate village. There she met a wealthy widow called Nyai Intan. Nyai Intan
had three beautiful daughters, Klenting Abang, Klenting Ijo, and Klenting Biru.
Then, Nyai Intan took Dewi Sekartaji as her child and gave her a name, Klenting
Kuning.
“Klenting Kuning, as a
good girl, you must do all the housekeeping and cooking in the house. While I
and my lovely daughters will go to the market. Bye” said Nyai Intan.
Klenting Kuning was more
like a servant than a child. Nyai Intan and her daughters often scolded her and
treated her badly.
In the meantime in
Jenggala, Panji Asmarabangun with his soldiers were looking for his wife, Dewi
Sekartaji. Then, in one afternoon, a soldier came up to him.
“I have good news for you,
Your Highness,” reported the man.
“Did you find anything?”
asked the prince.
“I saw a girl that looked
like the princess, Your Highness, in a small village. But I’m not sure yet that
she was her because she was only a village girl who worked for a rich widow.”
In the next few days,
Panji Asmarabangun and his soldiers decided to go to Dadapan, a village that
not far from where Klenting Kuning lived. Under the name of Ande-Ande Lumut,
Panji Asmarabangun stayed in a modest house of an old widow called Mbok Randa.
He soon announced to the people that he was holding a contest to find a wife.
Klenting Abang, Klenting
Ijo, and Klenting Biru were so happy to hear that. They dressed up as beautiful
as possible to win the prince’s heart.
“We should always look
pretty, sister. Mother will be glad if one of us becomes a princess,” said
Kleting Abang.
On the due day, the girls
seemed ready. They put on their best dresses and jewelry. When they were
wearing their make up, Kleting Kuning came up to them.
“Wow girls, you look so
beautiful!” said her.
“Hi, Kleting Kuning! Do
you want to take part in the contest too?” asked Klenting Abang.
“That’s unlikely. You
don’t even have a dress. You certainly can’t go out there in such a terrible
look,” mocked Klenting Ijo.
“Hahaha! That’s right. You
can’t go to the contest. You’d better stay home and finish your job. Go, do the
laundry!” shouted Klenting Biru while pointing at a pile of their dirty
clothes.
Kleting Kuning took the
dirty clothes and went to a nearby river. She actually did not want to go to
the contest because she loved her husband so much, Raden Panji Asmarabangun.
Suddenly a bird approached her. It talked like a human and grabbed a whip in
its feet.
“O princess! Quickly, go
to the contest in Dadapan. There you will meet your husband. Take this whip,
you may need it,” said the bird, putting the whip on a stone next to Klenting
Kuning.
Klenting Kuning rushed
back home and dressed up for the contest. By that time, Nyai Intan and her
three daughters reached the bank of Bengawan Solo River. But they could not get
across a river that deep and wide.
“Mother, how can we get
across?” asked Kleting Ijo in confusion.
“Yes, mother. What do we
do now?” added Kleting Biru.
“Wait, wait. Look at that!
What is that?” said Kleting Abang.
Suddenly, a giant crab
floated upon the stream. They did not know that the crab was Yuyu Kangkang,
Ande Ande Lumut’s henchman assigned to test the participants. Yuyu Kangkang
would help them to across the river if they kissed him. You know? Klenting
Abang and her two sisters agreed. One by one they kissed the crab. After that,
Yuyu Kangkang told them to get on his back and took them across.
Not long afterwards,
Klenting Kuning showed up at the river bank.
“Do you need help, girl?”
asked Yuyu Kangkang.
“Can you get me across?”
asked Klenting Kuning.
“Ha… ha… ha!! I can do
that, but I have a condition. I want you to kiss me.”
“What! Impossible! I don’t
want to kiss you because I have a husband.” refused her.
Klenting Kuning lashed the
stream with her whip, making the river water dwindle.
“Hey, don’t be angry.
Well, get on my back! I will take you across and even to Dadapan Village.”
“Thank you, sir”
In Mbok Randa’s house, the
ladies showed off their beauties in front of Ande Ande Lumut. But he did not
seem impressed by any of them. Nyai Intan went forward and got on her knees
before the prince.
“Take one of my daughters,
prince. They are all beautiful, aren’t they?” Nyai Intan begged.
“They are indeed charming.
But I am not going to pick any of them,” said Ande Ande Lumut. “Guards! Lead
that lady in yellow dress here!” commanded him, referring to Kleting Kuning.
“Am I, Your Highness?”
said Klenting Kuning.
“I will take you as wife.
Will you say yes?” asked the prince.
Everyone in the place was
surprised, moreover Nyai Intan and her daughters.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness! Why do you pick
that rakish woman instead of my daughters?” asked Nyai Intan.
“Nyai Intan! Just so you
know why I don’t choose your daughters. It is because they have been disgraced
by Yuyu Kangkang, the giant crab. I pick this lady because she is still clean.
She refused to kiss the crab.”
Afterwards, Ande-Ande
Lumut revealed to Kleting Kuning who he really was. So, they went back to the
palace and lived happily ever after.
Okay guys, what we can
learn from the story? Oh! As a good human, we have to keep our honor and never
do a cruel thing. Well, this is my story. Thanks for your attention. See you
next time and bye.
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