HORRIBLE
RAKSASAS
Anyone
who is squeamish, will you stand up and be counted and pass on to
the next chapter.
This is a gusty tale of greed and guts, so brace yourselves. Mark
you, it doesn't start off too badly, but don't let that fool you.
So, you've all swallowed your tranquilisers
O.K. Here we go - and don't say I didn't warn you.
Long, long ago, there lived a man and his wife who were so poor
they had nothing whatever of any value. Nothing, that is, except
their baby daughter, whom they loved very dearly.
Now
this poor family (who, of course, had no dole cheque to rely on)
lived in the village of Djukut Paku, near Nukuning, and every day
the mother and father, who were known as Ibu and Pak, walked across
the sawahs to the Tjampuhan River, where they collected edible ferns,
which they then took to Ubud to sell. Came one rainy season, the
river rose high, all the ferns were swept away, and Ibu and Pak
had nothing to sell - and nothing to eat.
In
despair, they went to the little temple in the forest where the
two rivers join at Tjampuhan. (Forest Certainly There were more
trees than tourists in Tjampuhan those days). Now, where was I Ah,
yes They prayed to the god in the temple by the river to make them'rich,
promising, in return, to make him a special offering - a roasted
tailless pig.
(Watch
it now - the story begins to get seamy)
From
that day on, the family's fortunes changed. Money simply fought
its way to their door. If they went to the river they found many
ferns - other people found none, so prices soared. Let Pak bet on
a cockfight - he would win at such long odds you wouldn't believe.
In a few brief months they had more wealth than most people acquire
in a lifetime.
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