Once upon a time, there were two sisters, Bawang and Kesuna, who lived with their parents in a village. The two girls were very different. Bawang was lazy and disobedient. She didn't like working hard or helping her parents to do anything. She was also envious person and terrible liar. To the contrary, Kesuna was a quiet, honest and diligent girl. She did almost all the household chores. In spite of her diligence her parents seemed to love Bawang more for she was a great pretender and her parents believed whatever she said.
One day, their parents were both away from home. Their father had gone to the rice field and their mother to the market. Bawang and Kesuna were assigned to do the cooking. "Bawang, Bawang", said Kesuna to her sister after her mother's departure. "Please pound the grain first." "You do the pounding first and let me sieve it later", answered Bawang. After pounding the grain, Kesuna asked again Bawang to do the sieving. "Bawang, Bawang, please sieve the grain now." "sieve it first Kesuna and let me do the cooking later," said Bawang. After Kesuna had finished sieving the grain she said again : "Bawang, Bawang, rice is ready to be cooked, go in the kitchen. "
"You go first, i will put the fire out later," answered Bawang. Bawang didn't want to cook either. Bawang kept refusing to do any jobs. Her answer was just the same and she always asked Kesuna to do the job first. Finally Kesuna did the cooking alone in the kitchen. She didn't want to ask any help from Bawang. After finishing all the household chores Kesuna went to the river to take a bath.
Just before their mother got home, Bawang hurried to the kitchen and the rubbed ashes all over her body. She pretended to be busy boiling water and feeding the fire wood into the clay stove. That was not all. She even made up a story about what Kesuna had done during her mother absence. She lied, telling her mother that Kesuna had done nothing at all. She claimed that it was she who had done all the jobs alone. When Kesuna returned from the river, her mother got angry at her and grabbed a broom and started to beat Kesuna with until Kesuna's body turned black and blue. She cried out in pain, but her mother would not listen to her. She drove her away and told her never to come back home again.
Broken-hearted, she left the house. She wandered about alone, not knowing which way to turn. She cold only trust herself to fate. Finally she arrived to the middle of a forest. She sat under a shady tree to have a rest. Suddenly a yellow cerukcuk bird was singing on a branch of the tree. She was in such despair that she wished the bird would put an end to all her suffering. Then she started to lament.
"Yellow cerukcuk, Yellow cerukcuk, peck your beak on my head; Till I die."
The cerukcuk bird flew down and started to peck with its beak on Kesuna's head. She thought her head must be badly wounded. But instead a golden floral arrangement was formed on her head "why don't you kill me cerukcuk ?", she said regretfully.
"Yellow cerukcuk, Yellow cerukcuk, Peck your beak on my neck, let me die soon."
The birt approached again and pecked her neck, but she was not hurt, and instead a beautiful necklace was set around her neck. The same thing happened from then on. Even though the bird pecked her ears, wrists, ankles and fingers, she was never hurt at all. On the contrary, with each additional peck she received sparkling golden earrings, diamond rings and golden bracelets and anklets.
Kesuna soon realized all this was the doing of the Yellow cerukcuk, "there seems to be someone who respects my honesty," she said to herself. Her spirit to live was rekindled. She felt that she was protected. And she decided to return home.
It was already late at night when she arrived at the house. She knocked at the door saying :
"Father, mother, open up the door for your daughter, please"
Hearing Kesuna's voice, her father got angry. "I don't have a daughter named Kesuna. She's already dead," he said. Kesuna is still alive and now she is home again, father," she continued. But the answer was the same. "I've said I don't have a daughter named Kesuna. She's dead already. You just get lost," cried her father from his room.
Since her father refused to open the door, Kesuna went to her grandmother's house. She then knocked at her door.
"Grandmother, Grandmother, Open the door for your grand doughter, Kesuna is here."
After listening to the knocking saveral times, her grandmother was at last convinced that it was indeed Kesuna's voice calling at the door. The door was opened. And she was very happy to see her grand daughter Kesuna who she had thought to be dead. She was even astonished to see the sparkling jewelery put on by Kesuna. She looked so beautiful. "Please don't go again. Stay here," her grandmother begged.
A few days later Bawang came to her grandmother's house early in the morning. Her father had sent her to bring home a lighted perakpak (Kindling made from coconut shells) from her grandmother's fire to light their stove. When she was getting the burning shell she heard a strange noise from her grandmother's room. "Nyet, Nyet, Nyet...."
"Grandmother, what sound is that ?"
"It's the sound of a bee", replied her grandmother.
Bawang didn't believe it and broke into the room. To her amazement, she noticed the sparkling jewellry worn by Kesuna. "She looks like some enchanted being," said Bawang to herself. "Kesuna," she asked reluctantly. "Can I have a stalk of your golden flowers ?"
Kesuna, of course, refused to give her anything. She still couldn't forgive and forget how Bawang had beaten her and how her father drove her away. Bawang returned home. She cried loudly.
Her father was very angry that Bawang had failed to bring home a perakpak He was even angrier to learn that Kesuna was still alive.
Finally Bawang and her parents found out how Kesuna got that jewelry. Bawang wanted to meet the yellow cerukcuk herself. So her parents pretended to be angry with her. She was beaten with a broom, just as Kesuna was. Bawang pretended to cry and run into the forest.
After she meet the yellow cerukcuk flew down to where Bawang stood. She started to peck her head, ears, neck, wrists, fingers and ankles. But instead of gold and diamond jewelry, the bird to peck her all over.
"Yellow Cerukcuk, Yellow Cerukcuk, Do me a favor! Peck my head, my ears, my hands and legs, My fingers and ankles, So that my body is covered with gold and jewelry."
The yellow cerukcuk flew down to where Bawang stood. She started to peck her head, ears, neck, wrists, fingers and ankles. But instead of gold and diamond jewelry, the bird left wounds wherever she packed. Until finally the greedy Bawang died in that very place.
Moral massage :
Do not store the envy and jealousy, and do not slander other people !
