The Legend of Ship Island

In a village in the Bangka Belitung Islands, there lived a very poor family. Despite working hard every day, their fortune never seemed to improve. The family consisted of a father, a mother, and a son who was the family's hope.

One day, while the father was working in the forest, he discovered a staff adorned with a beautiful and sparkling gemstone. The gemstone was so large and valuable that the father couldn’t believe his eyes. He brought the staff home with a heart full of hope.

"Look at what I found today!" exclaimed the father with bright eyes, showing the gemstone-adorned staff to his wife and son.

"Oh my, it’s truly beautiful! Where did you get it?" his wife responded in shock.

"Father, this staff must be very valuable. We could sell it and use the money to start a business, just as we’ve always dreamed of!" said his son.

The father replied, "Indeed. I was thinking the same. We should sell this staff and use the money to change our fortune."

They quickly prepared to send their son on a journey across the island.

"Be careful on the way, my son. Remember, that money is very precious to us," said his mother worriedly.

"Don’t worry, mom. I will return as soon as possible after selling the staff," the son replied.

"We’ll be waiting for you, son. Don’t take too long," said the father.

With the blessings of his parents, the son set off to the neighboring island to sell the staff. Once he arrived at the market, he managed to sell it for a very high price, earning hundreds of gold coins. However, the sudden temptation of wealth seduced him. He decided to use the money as capital for trading and began to sail, hoping to become a wealthy merchant.

Time passed, and the son’s parents waited eagerly for his return. But they never heard from their son again. Then, one day, a large and luxurious ship appeared on the shore of their village. From the ship, a wealthy merchant disembarked with a large entourage, including 15 of his wives.

The mother whispered to her husband, "Who comes with such luxury?"

"I don’t know, but the face of that merchant... it looks like our son’s," the father replied.

As the merchant approached, the parents realized that the merchant was their long-lost son.

"Son, is that really you?" asked the mother.

The son replied with a proud smile, "Yes, mom. I have returned, and now I am a wealthy merchant."

The merchant handed a bag of money to his parents, but one of his wives, a young woman with a haughty face, was displeased to see her husband paying attention to two poorly dressed old people.

The merchant’s wife asked mockingly, "Who are they? Why are you wasting time with these beggars?"

Hearing this, the faces of the parents turned sad. They couldn’t believe their son would consider them beggars.

The father then spoke with a heavy tone, "Have you truly forgotten who we are, son?"

The merchant did not answer and only looked down in shame. However, before he could say anything, the sky suddenly turned dark. A strong wind began to blow, followed by huge waves that struck the luxurious ship.

"What is happening? Is this a punishment for us?" the son was shocked.

The merchant’s wife screamed in fear, "A storm! A storm is coming!"

The storm was so fierce that the luxurious ship sank, plunging to the ocean floor along with the wealthy merchant and his 15 wives. After the storm subsided, a new island emerged where the ship had sunk. People believed that the wreckage of the ship had transformed into the island.

Years later, the island became known as Ship Island, and the local people believed that the merchant and his wives had turned into monkeys that inhabited the island. They awaited the arrival of greedy and ungrateful people, to remind them that worldly wealth is meaningless if one forgets their origins.