Malaysian Folktales (Translated by Kid Haider)

Once upon a time, there was this super gorgeous lake. The water was crystal clear and surrounded by lotus trees that were always in bloom. The whole vibe around the lake was just stunning, with lush trees and tonnes of birds hanging out. One of the regulars was a stork, chilling by the lake and snacking on the easy-to-catch fish.

Over time, though, the stork started getting old and couldn't catch fish like it used to. Some days it would go hungry, thinking, "If I keep this up, I'm going to starve to death." So, it decided to come up with a plan to make getting food a whole lot easier.

The stork had a brilliant idea and decided to act all thoughtful and sad by the lake. A frog happened to be nearby and noticed the stork looking down in the dumps. The frog asked, "Hey, why the long face, stork?" The stork replied, "I've been pondering our fate and the fate of everyone in this lake." The frog was curious and asked, "What's got you so worried? We've been living here problem-free for ages." The stork explained, "I've heard rumours of a drought coming our way. It's been scorching hot and no rain in sight." The frog agreed with the stork's concerns and quickly spread the news to all the other lake creatures.

Soon, all the lake inhabitants gathered around the stork, eager to hear what could be done. A fish asked, "What should we do to survive this drought?" The stork hesitated but finally shared his idea. He suggested moving to a nearby deep lake that wouldn't dry up. The crabs were on board and asked to be taken there. The crane, being old and unable to carry them all at once, agreed to help them one by one. And just like that, they all agreed to follow the stork's plan.

The stork started grabbing fish from the lake, but instead of taking them back to the lake like he promised, he took them to a big rock nearby and gobbled them up because he was starving. He kept doing this until it was the crabs' turn. The crab, being clever with its pincers, latched onto the heron's neck and held on tight.

As the crab approached the big rock area, it noticed fish bones scattered all over. Feeling anxious, the crab thought to itself, "I'm done for this time, going to be eaten by the stork." But then it came up with a plan to save itself from becoming the stork's meal. When the crab finally reached the big rock, it grabbed onto the stork's neck and demanded, "Where's the lake you mentioned? Why did you bring me here?" The stork just laughed and said, "It's time for you to be my meal this time." Enraged, the crab pinched the stork's neck even harder, making it difficult for the stork to breathe. The stork begged to be released, promising to take the crab back to the lake.

The crab didn't give a hoot about the stork's pleas. It just pinched even harder until the stork's neck broke in two, and it was game over. Feeling pretty pleased with itself for dodging a dinner date with the stork, the crab sauntered over to the lake, stork head in tow. When they got there, all their buddies were still hanging out, waiting their turn. The crab showed off the stork's head and spilt the tea on what went down. Everyone in the lake was stoked that they didn't end up as crane cuisine. They gave the crab a big thank you for saving their hides.

Translator Mohamad Khidir Mohamed Yazir

Translator by Khidir M. Yazir

Author Kid Haidér

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