The Story of the Kancil (Mouse Deer) and the Farmer

The rumbling of his stomach echoed, "Kruukk…krruuk," as Kancil rubbed his belly, which had been complaining of hunger for some time. His throat was also parched. The sun shone brightly, making the day feel unbearably hot. Kancil walked alone through the grassy plains. Earlier, he and his friends had left the small forest where they lived after it was scorched by a fire. But now, he was all alone, abandoned by his friends who had gone off in search of a safer place to shelter.

Feeling weak and dizzy from hunger, Kancil finally sat down, leaning against an old tree, hoping for some shade. His vision began to blur, and his hungry eyes suddenly spotted a green field in the distance. He quickly recognized it as Pak Tani’s field, full of fresh, green cucumbers. His mouth began to water at the thought of the refreshing taste of cucumbers that would quench his thirst and hunger.

“Ah, Pak Tani’s field! I can eat cucumbers there,” Kancil thought, his eyes lighting up.

“If I just eat a little, no one will get mad,” he said to himself, trying to reassure his heart.

Without a second thought, Kancil sneaked through a gap in the fence of Pak Tani’s field. Once inside, he quickly approached the cucumber plants, heavy with fruit. He eagerly picked one and took a bite.

“Krrss, hmm, so refreshing,” he muttered as he chewed. The fresh and sweet taste of the cucumber immediately soothed his throat.

“One more, and then I’ll go find my friends,” he thought again.

However, the second cucumber was soon followed by a third, a fourth, and before he knew it, he had eaten a lot of cucumbers. Feeling very full, Kancil fell into a deep sleep under a tree in the field.

When he woke up, Kancil was startled to see that the sun was beginning to set. “Oh no, it’s already late! I need to leave now,” he cried out in panic. He quickly hurried out of Pak Tani’s field, unaware that his actions had left a clear trail behind.

The next day, Pak Tani came to his field and was shocked to see many cucumbers missing, with only the leftover peels scattered on the ground.

“Oh no, what do I do?” lamented Pak Tani, holding his head. “I won’t have anything to harvest. Who dared to steal my cucumbers?”

Bu Tani tried to calm him down, “Don’t worry, Pak. Maybe we can try scaring the thief with a scarecrow. Who knows, it might be too scared to come back.”

Pak Tani agreed, “Good idea, Bu. Let’s make one now.”

They quickly made a scarecrow out of straw, dressed it in old clothes, and put Pak Tani’s hat on it.

The next morning, Kancil returned to the field. However, he was surprised to see Pak Tani standing in the middle of the field.

“What? Pak Tani is guarding his field?” he muttered, somewhat afraid. He decided to wait from a distance until Pak Tani left, but after waiting for a long time, the figure didn’t move at all.

“Hmm, why isn’t Pak Tani moving?” Kancil wondered. Curiosity got the better of him, and he cautiously approached the figure. As he got closer, he realized it was just a scarecrow.

“Ha! It’s just a straw dummy. Alright, I can eat cucumbers again,” he said with relief.

Kancil began eating cucumbers greedily, joking, “Come on, Pak Tani! Eat with me!” as he took the hat from the scarecrow.

After feeling full, Kancil left the field.

However, later that afternoon, Pak Tani was once again shocked to find many cucumbers still missing.

“Who did this again?” Pak Tani fumed, unable to believe that the thief had returned despite the scarecrow.

Bu Tani suggested again, “It seems the thief knows that it’s just a scarecrow, Pak. How about we coat the scarecrow with sticky jackfruit sap? The thief will get stuck and be caught!”

Pak Tani agreed with the idea. They coated the scarecrow with the sticky sap of a jackfruit.

The next day, Kancil came to Pak Tani’s field again.

“Oh, Pak Tani, you’re still here,” he teased as he approached.

He began picking cucumbers and eating them greedily. Once he was full, Kancil planned to leave, but when he tried to turn around, he found that his body couldn’t move. Kancil was shocked to discover that he was stuck to the scarecrow coated with the sticky jackfruit sap.

“Oh no! I’m trapped!” he cried out in panic.

Not long after, Pak Tani appeared from behind the bushes.

“Ah, so you’re the one who’s been eating my cucumbers?” Pak Tani said, hands on his hips, glaring at Kancil with angry eyes.

“Please, Pak Tani. Forgive me. The small forest where I lived burned down, and I was very hungry,” Kancil pleaded, his voice trembling.

Pak Tani nodded but still spoke firmly, “Yes, but stealing is still wrong, Kancil. I need to teach you a lesson. What punishment is fitting for you?”

Bu Tani then suggested, “How about we make him work in the field for a week and replant the cucumber seeds?”

Kancil accepted the punishment with a sincere heart. For a whole week, he worked diligently in Pak Tani’s field, replanting cucumber seeds and caring for the existing plants. He hoped that his efforts would make up for the wrong he had done.

Finally, the last day of Kancil’s punishment arrived. “Thank you for working hard, Kancil. Remember, don’t steal again. It’s better to work for what you want. Here are some cucumbers for you to take back to the forest,” Pak Tani said, handing him a sack of cucumbers.

Kancil accepted them with deep gratitude.

“I apologize once again, Pak Tani. Thank you for not punishing me more harshly. I promise I won’t steal again,” he said sincerely.

With the cucumbers Pak Tani gave him, Kancil returned to the forest. He didn’t just eat the cucumbers but also saved some to plant in his own garden. Kancil learned from his mistake and began working hard, taking good care of his garden so that he could harvest his own cucumbers in the future.