BLUE BEARD

A Long time ago, there lived a man who was very rich. He owned a vast tracts of land, and lived in a splendid castle. But this man had the misfortune to be very ill-looking, and had a beard which from its colour, caused him to be called Blue Beard.

Not far from this castle lived a lady who who had two pretty daughters. Blue Beard wanted to marry one of them. But, both of girls refused him, because there were stories afloat that although he had already been married more than once, no body could tell what had become of his wives.

Blue Beard thinking, to overcome the objection of the sisters. Blue Beard managed so well. Before the end of the week, Fatima the youngest sisters, outgrew her dislike for him and became his wife.

A month later, Blue Beard left Fatima for a few weeks. He told Fatima many rules in this castle. Blue Beard allowed Fatima to do anything that she wanted. But, Blue Beard didn’t allow Fatima to open a Blue Closet.

Fatima promised not to forget. As soon as Blue Beard was gone. Fatima invited her brothers and sister to come to this castle. During the day, Fatima was so busy that she never once thought of the Blue Closet. But when all the guest were gone, she felt a great desire to know what is contained.

She took out the key, and opened the door. She walked into the closet a few steps, and there saw a horrible sight. She was in the midst of blood and hanging around the walls were the bodies of the former wives of Blue Beard whom he had slain.

Fatima trembled and the key fell on the floor. The key stained with the blood. She tried to wipe it offbut the blood wouldn’t come out.

The next day, Blue Beard suddenly came home. He asked Fatima for his keys, and she gave them to him all except the one to the Blue Closet. He looked them over and then asked Fatima where the key of Blue Closet.

Poor Fatima went to get the key. Before going back with it she tried once more to wash of the blood-stains. But Blue Beard same to her room because he tired of waitig for her. “How came this blood to be here?” asked Blue Beard in a voice like thunder. Then Fatima turning very pale. “I know full well. You’ve been in the Blue Closet. And since you’re so fond of prying into secret, you shall take up your abode with the ladies you saw there!”

Almost dead with terror, Fatima begged that he would at least allow her a short time to pray. Blue Beard gave her half an hour and then he left the room.

As soon as he left her, Fatima ran to her sister and asked for help. Her sister would help Fatima if their brother help them too. They waited ad waited for their brothers. But their brothers haven’t come yet.

Blue Beard now cried out so loudly that his voice shock the whole house. His poor wife came down and knelt at his feet, Blue Beard seized by the hair and was just about to cut off her head. Foot-steps were heard coming, and in a few moments Fatima’s two brothers rushed in with drawn, sword, and when they saw what Blue Beard was about, put and end to him.

Fatima thought that she was dead too. But she soon recovered her senses, and then she could scarcely believe that she was save.

As Blue Beard had no relations, all of his riches went to Fatima. She gave each of her brothers money enough to enable him to live in comfort, and to her sister, who was marry shortly afterward, she gave a large dowry. She herself became in due time, the wife of a young nobleman whose kind treatment soon made her forget Blue Beard’s cruelty.  

Romeo and Juliet's Romantic and Tragic

In the town of Verona there lived two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. They engaged in a bitter feud. Among the Montagues was Romeo, a hot-blooded young man with an eye for the ladies. One day, Romeo attended the feast of the Capulets', a costume party where he expected to meet his love, Rosaline, a haughty beauty from a well-to-do family. Once there, however, Romeo's eyes felt upon Juliet, and he thought of Rosaline no more.
The vision of Juliet had been invading his every thought. Unable to sleep, Romeo returned late that night to the Juliet's bedroom window. There, he was surprised to find Juliet on the balcony, professing her love for him and wishing that he were not a "Montague", a name behind his own. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo was ready to deny his name and professed his love. The two agreed to meet at nine o-clock the next morning to be married.
Early the next morning, Romeo came to Friar Lawrence begging the friar to marry him to Juliet. The Friar performed the ceremony, praying that the union might someday put an end to the feud between the two families. He advised Romeo kept the marriage a secret for a time.
On the way home, Romeo chanced upon his friend Mercutio arguing with Tybalt, a member of the Capulet clan. That qurreling last caused Merquito died. Romeo was reluctant no longer. He drew his sword and slew Tybalt died. Romeo realized he had made a terrible mistake. Then Friar Lawrence advised Romeo to travel to Mantua until things cool down. He promised to inform Juliet.
In the other hand, Juliet's father had decided the time for her to marry with Paris. Juliet consulted Friar Lawrence and made a plot to take a sleeping potion for Juliet which would simulate death for three days. The plot proceeded according to the plan. Juliet was sleeping in death.
Unfortunately, The Friar's letter failed to reach Romeo. Under the cover of darkness, he broke into Juliet's tomb. Romeo kissed the lips of his Juliet one last time and drank the poison. Meanwhile, the effects of the sleeping potion wear off. Juliet woke up calling for Romeo. She found her love next to her but was lying dead, with a cup of poison in his hand. She tried to kiss the poison from his lips, but failed. Then Juliet put out his dagger and plunged it into her breast. She died

The Legend of Malin Kundang

An old woman and her son lived in a little village. Her son was called Malin Kundang. They were very poor but they loved each other very much.
One day Malin Kundang told his mother that he would go to town and work there. At first his mother did not allow him but finally she let him go with tears.
Malin Kundang worked hard in a big town and in a short time he became a rich man. However he completely forgot his poor old mother.
Some years later he sailed to a harbor near his village. When his mother heard about this news she came to meet him. Malin Kundang pretended not to know her. He said, “You are not my mother. Go away!” His mother became very sad and before she went she said, “Oh, Malin Kundang, you are a wicked son. You’ll never be safe now. You and your money will turn to stone.”
Some days later his ship left the harbor. The sea was calm but when he reached the open sea there was a great storm. The ship was drowned. Malin Kundang and his money changed into a stone.
Now people call it Batu Si Malin Kundang. We can see the stone from Air Manis, a village on the coast of West Sumatra near Padang.

The Legend of Jaka Tarub

Jaka Tarub is the hero of a legend that is very popular among the people of Central Java. Although he was only the son of a simple farmer, he was handsome as well as kind, honest and brave. He liked to help other people. He was always sided with those who were weak but innocent and those who were poor but honest.
One day, a long time ago, when he was returning home from hunting, he happened to pass by a lake. How amazed he was to see several beautiful girls bathing in the lake amid a dense jungle.
Jaka Tarub had reached the age of marriage, and he thought of possibility of getting of the pretty girls as his wife.
As he was thinking hard of a way to get acquitted with any one of them, he caught sight of their clothes, which were piled up under a tree on the bank of the lake. He decided to steal one of the garments. That was what he did and then he did.
After they had finished their bath, the girls walked ashore to fetch their garments. One of them, however, screamed suddenly and wept as she found that her own garment was gone. While they were searching for the lost garment, a rainbow appeared in the sky and glided down towards the lake. Now it was time for them to go back to heaven. As the other girls climbed up the rainbow on their way back to the sky, the one whose clothes had been lost was left alone, weeping, for she could not enter heaven without her heavenly dress.
Seeing this, Jaka Tarub was astonished greatly, because he now knew that they were certainly not ordinary women but nymphs. He felt very sorry for the poor nymph and decided to approach her.
How surprised the nymph was when she saw Jaka Tarub standing before her. She at once thought that he must be the thief who had stolen her clothes, so she blamed and scolded him.
He begged her pardon for what he had done and told her the reason. The sympathetic manners of the handsome boy impressed her so much that she was at once willing to forgive him. She begged the gods as well to pardon him and the gods blessed them. The two soon fell in love with each other.
In no time Jaka Tarub and the nymph, who now had been changed by the gods into a very beautiful ordinary maiden, got married and lived happily ever after.

King's Frog

Once upon a time, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful. Close by the king’s castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest, there was a well. The day was very warm, the king’s child went out into the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain. When she was bored she took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was her favorite plaything.
Unfortunately the princess’s golden ball did not fall into the little hand and rolled straight into the water. The king’s daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. She began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. When she lamented, someone said to her, “What ails you, king’s daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity.”
She looked round to the side from where the voice came, and saw a frog stretching forth its big, ugly head from the water. “Ah, old water-splash, is it you,” she said, “I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”
“Be quiet, and do not weep,” answered the frog, “I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your plaything up again?”
“Whatever you will have, dear frog,” said she, “My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am wearing.”
The frog answered, “I do not care for your clothes, your pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown, but if you will love me and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of your little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if you will promise me this I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up
again.”
“Oh yes,” said she, “I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring me my ball back again.” But she thought, “How the silly frog does talk.”
When he had received this promise, put his head into the water and sank down. In a short time he came swimming up again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king’s
daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up, and ran away with it. “Wait, wait,” said the frog. “Take me with you. I can’t run as you can.” But she did not listen to him, she ran home and soon forgot the poor frog. He was forced to go back into his well again.
The next day when she was eating at table from her little golden plate, the frog came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up staircase, and he knocked at the door and cried, “Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me.”
She ran to see who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat down to dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainly that her heart was beating violently, and said, “My child, what are you so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry you away?”
“Ah, no,” replied she.