The Cunning Kancil and the Buffalo's Fate

 On a scorching afternoon, Kancil felt very hungry and longed for fresh cucumbers. However, Kancil didn’t dare to enter Pak Tani's garden. His bitter experience of being caught before made him wary of the bad luck that might befall him again. He only dared to peek from behind the bushes, watching Pak Tani harvesting cucumbers. Kancil's mouth watered at the sight of the fresh cucumbers.

Suddenly, a clever idea popped into his mind. He noticed some livestock grazing near Pak Tani's garden. With a sly smile, Kancil approached the Cow, who was busily eating.

"Hey, Cow! The grass you’re eating looks really tasty," Kancil greeted warmly.

The Cow lifted its head for a moment and nodded. "It is tasty, Kancil. Do you want to try some?" the Cow offered.

But Kancil shook his head. "I can’t eat grass like you. I prefer cucumbers. Unfortunately, the cucumbers are in Pak Tani's garden," Kancil replied, pretending to be disappointed. He then added, "Cow, would you like to accompany me to Pak Tani's garden? Maybe we can get some cucumbers."

The Cow thought for a moment before answering, "I don't want to, Kancil. Poor Pak Tani. He has worked hard to grow those cucumbers."

Kancil was disappointed with the Cow's response, but he didn’t give up. He then approached the Goat, who was munching on fresh leaves.

"I know something tastier than those leaves," Kancil said, trying to catch the Goat’s attention.

The Goat stopped chewing and looked at Kancil curiously. "What could be tastier than these leaves?" the Goat asked.

"Cucumbers!" Kancil exclaimed enthusiastically. "In Pak Tani's garden, the cucumbers are ready to be harvested. Come, join me in getting them!"

But the Goat just shook its head. "Pak Tani grows cucumbers for his livelihood, Kancil. I don’t want to steal them," the Goat replied firmly.

Kancil felt increasingly frustrated. Dejected, he continued walking until he found the Buffalo, who was enjoying a fresh mud bath.

"Hey, Buffalo! On a hot day like this, you’re bathing in mud instead of eating," Kancil teased as he devised another plan.

The Buffalo slowly emerged from the mud. "I haven't found enough food yet, Kancil," the Buffalo replied.

Kancil's eyes lit up. "I know a place with plenty of tasty food. In Pak Tani's garden, fresh cucumbers are being harvested. How about we go there?"

The Buffalo looked hesitant, but Kancil kept persuading him. "You just need to accompany me, and I'll do the cucumber picking."

After some convincing, the Buffalo finally agreed. They walked towards Pak Tani's garden while he was busy harvesting. Due to the Buffalo's large size, Pak Tani didn’t notice that Kancil had entered his garden. Hidden behind the Buffalo, Kancil quickly grabbed as many cucumbers as he could.

Pak Tani noticed that some cucumbers were missing and remembered the Buffalo's presence earlier that day. Even so, Pak Tani was still unsure if the Buffalo was the thief.

The next day, Kancil and the Buffalo repeated their actions. This time, Pak Tani decided to keep a closer eye on the Buffalo. When he saw the Buffalo in his garden again, Pak Tani shouted out.

"Uh-oh! Pak Tani is coming!" the Buffalo said nervously.

But Kancil remained calm and said, "Don't worry, Buffalo. You stay here, and I’ll run away. Here’s some cucumber for you." Kancil quickly placed the cucumber near the Buffalo and ran off at full speed.

The confused Buffalo just stood there. When Pak Tani approached, he pointed to the cucumber lying at the Buffalo’s feet and shouted, "Got you, thief!"

"I didn't steal the cucumber, Pak Tani," the Buffalo replied fearfully.

"But what’s this? The cucumber is clearly near you!" Pak Tani retorted.

Realizing he had been tricked by Kancil, the Buffalo could only accept his fate. Due to his large and slow body, he couldn’t escape like Kancil. Pak Tani then said, "As punishment, you must plow my field, Buffalo!"

In the end, the Buffalo was forced to plow Pak Tani's field as a punishment, even though he wasn’t the thief. Meanwhile, the cunning Kancil got away with the stolen cucumbers, leaving the Buffalo to bear the consequences.