The Crying Stone

The Crying Stone

The province of West Kalimantan is one Indonesian province bordered directly to the eastern Malaysia. There are so many rivers here; thus the province is called “the province of the thousands river.”

Amongst the local inhabitants of West Kalimantan, a girl was cursed with a stone just because of her disobedient to her mother. Here is the story!

***

Once upon a time, there was a family of a widow, and her only daughter living in a hinterland of West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The widow was just an old woman; while her daughter was a charming girl, whose name was Darmi.

Both lived in a decrepit hut. They lived poor since the widow`s husband passed away. He was gone leaving no inheritance to the family. Consequently, to fulfil their needs, they were forced willy-nilly to work much harder.

However, Darmi was not a hard-worker, totally differed from her mother. She was a lazy girl who spent almost of her times dressing up and adoring her reflection on the mirror. One of her bad habits was showing off her beauty to the local people living in the surroundings. She never wanted to help her mother working at the field. If her mother asked her for help, Darmi refused.

“Girl, will you help at the field, now?” the mother asked.

“No, I won`t! I don`t want to go there. I`m afraid my skin turns dark,” Darmi answered to her mother without looking at her.

“You let me to work there alone, don`t you?”

“Mom, everyone knows that you are an old woman while I am a pretty young girl. So, people will get attracted to me and not you. That is why I prefer staying at home to working outside in the field because I…! am…! waiting for a rich boy propose me to get married with.”

Darmi`s mother was speechless to hear that. It was as if she was stricken by a light realizing that her daughter did no respect to her at all. Then, she went to the field alone and Darmi stayed at home.

Worse, Darmi used to beg money from her mother, soon after she went back from work. In fact, she earned too little to meet their daily need.

“Mom, where is the money?!” Darmi asked.

“No! I won`t give this to you. We need this to buy some foods,” the mother said.

“But I`m running out of face powder. I don`t have it anymore, Mom! I need to buy a new one,”

The mother got angry to her daughter but she repressed it. She surrendered and gave her the money.

Darmi “bad-habit” towards her mother occurred almost everyday. The mother worked too hard in the field; while Darmi stayed at home. The mother went back home; then, Darmi begged for the money.

One day, Darmi`s mother was going to a nearest market from her home. Darmi knew this, and she got her mother to buy some cosmetics. However, Darmi`s mother did not know anything about cosmetics. She asked Darmi to accompany her to the market.

“Go with me to the market so you can choose which one that you want,” the mother said.

“I don`t want to go with you!” Darmi answered.

“But I don`t know which one!”

Then, Darmi gave up. She followed her mother to go to the market.

“Ok, Mom! I will go with you, but please, you have to walk behind me!” said Darmi, who got her mother to act as if the old woman was her maid.

“Why, girl?” the mother wondered.

“I feel ashamed to walk along with an old woman like you. Look at me! I`m a graceful girl so I won`t people leave me because they know you`re my mother!” Darmi explained.

Both then looked for goods in the market. Darmi`s mother walked behind her daughter. She brought a plastic bag containing the things they got from there.

Actually, they were between a girl and her mother. But somehow they looked contrast. Darmi wore elegant clothes and walked gracefully; while her mother wore a worn out clothes with rumbling face.

Along the way in the market, many greeted Darmi, and some of them asked who the old woman was.

In a moment, Darmi met her friends. “Hi, Darmi! Where`re you goin`?

“Just looking around here. I wish I could find something good here,” she said.

“Then, who`s that one? Is that your Mom?” one of her friends asked Darmi while pointing at the mother.

“No, of course! She is a maid at my house, gals!”

Darmi`s mother was totally shocked to hear that. She couldn`t believe those words came out from her daughter. No matter what, she tried hard to calm herself down. She ease off her anger and went ahead accompanying her daughter.

In another moment, an unknown man greeted Darmi. It appears that the man would try to attract Darmi`s attention. But sure, she did not want to such a common man.

“Hi, girl! Where are you going?” asked the man while smilling.

“As you can see by yourself, I`m here looking for cosmetics,” she answered.

“Cosmetics to beautify you? And who`s the old woman behind you?”

“She`s my maid,” Darmi said.

What an attacking answer! Darmi`s mother could no longer restrain her anger. Soon after Darmi said that words, the mother stopped, and took a sit on a swing on the sidewalk.

“Why do you stop?” Darmi questioned her mother but she did not call her “Mom.”

“Hey! Are you listening to me?!” she shouted once more because the mother was just silent.

The mother kept silent, ignoring the call of her daughter who had hurt her.

Since then, Darmi`s mother mumbled with her hands looked up to the sky. She was reciting prayers to God so that her daughter was cursed to be a stone.

“Hey, old woman! What… are… you doing?!!” Darmi kept stubborn, admitting the old woman was not her mother.

Darmi`s mother intended not to answer. She kept praying to God upon a curse towards her daughter.

All of sudden, the sky turned dark. The loud thunder roared back and forth. The rain fell heavily.

At that time, Darmi could move her foots anymore. Gradually, her foots turned into black stone that later on covered her entire body.

“Mom…! Mom…! What`s happening to me?” finally she called her mother “Mom.” “I`m sorry, Mom! I`m so sorry…,” she cried loudly.

Everything went on. The curse upon Darmi`s disobedience had happened. The stone covered almost all her body.

When the stone almost reached her head, Darmi shed tears. All the people passing by the market saw this. Likewise, they watched the girl crying.

The weather returned as normal. Now, the stone had covered Darmi`s entire body, the disobedient girl. What a miracle, the stone, due the present, keeps spouting water as if a crying girl. Some people took the stone, and put it on a corner of the market. Since that time, people called the stone the “crying stone.”

***

Here is the story about the origins of the “crying stone,” which is originally from the province of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. There is a worth lesson can be taken from the story. The figure Darmi strongly refused to admit that the old woman was actually her mother. She was a lazy while her mother was a hard-worker. Consequently, she was cursed to be a stone upon her disobedience towards her mother.

In the Tunjuk Ajar Melayu (Effendy: 2006), it is said:

Kalau hidup mendurhaka
Kemana pergi akan celaka
 
Kalau suka berbuat durhaka
Orang benci Tuhan pun murka

The above pantun suggests that we should obey all our parents` good orders. Two logic consequences of disobedience, as what the pantun says, are luring both rage from God and surrounding people.

Samsuni (sas/70/05-08)

The Crying Stone - From West Kalimantan

West Kalimantan is one of the provinces in Indonesia, located on Borneo island and directly adjacent to the Sarawak, East Malaysia. This province has hundreds of large and small rivers, thus dubbed the area "A Thousand Rivers". According to the story, in a region in this province there is a beautiful girl who transformed into stone. Events what's happened to the girl, thus transformed into a stone? Want to know the full story? Follow her story in the Rock Cried Here's the story!

Once, in a remote village in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, there lived an old widow with a beautiful daughter called Darmi. They lived in a shack situated on the edge of the village. Since father Darmi died, their lives became difficult. Darmi father did not leave any inheritance. To meet the needs of their lives, Darmi mother worked in the fields or the fields of others as wage laborers.

While his daughter, Darmi, a spoiled girl. Whatever his request should be granted. Besides spoiled, she is also a girl who was lazy. It works just primp and admire the beauty in front of the mirror. Every afternoon he always loitered in the village without a clear purpose, except just to show her beauty. He does not want to help her mother make a living. Every time her mother asked her to go into the fields, he always refused.

"Child! Come help me work in the fields, "said the mother.

"No, ma'am! I do not want to go to the field. Later dirty nails and my skin is exposed to mud, "said Darmi refused.

"Are not you sorry to see me, my son?" Asked the mother pleaded.

"No! Old mother has to work in the fields, because there is no longer possible for men who are interested in the mother's face was wrinkled, "replied curtly Darmi.

Hearing his son, the mother can not say anything else. With feelings of sadness, he also went into the fields to work. While the Darmi still live in huts, continues to primp for mempecantik himself. After her mother came home from the fields, Darmi demanded money his mother earned wages to buy makeup.

"Mom! Where's the money that his wages! "Cried the mother Darmi.

"Hey, Darmi! Where are you going? "Asked his companion.

"To the market!" Darmi answered quietly.

"Then, who the people behind it? Is she your mother? "Asked another friend, pointing to an old man carrying a basket.

"Certainly not my mother! He is my servant, "said Darmi with sarcasm.

Like lightning struck the old man heard his daughter. But he was silent, holding his sadness. After that, they even went to the market. Not long walk, they met again with someone.

"Hey, Darmi! Where are you going? "Asked the man.

"Interlocking to the market," said Darmi brief.

"Who's behind it?" Asked another man.

"He's my servant," said Darmi getting annoyed with these questions.

Darmi thrown answers made her more sad hearts. But, the mother is still holding strong sense of sadness. So it goes on and on for the way to the market. Finally, the mother stopped, then sat by the roadside.

"Mom! Why quit? "Asked Darmi surprise.

Darmi asked several times, but his mother still did not answer the question. A moment later, Darmi saw her mother's mouth as he tilted hum and commit both hands.

"Hey, Mom what are you doing?" He asked with a tone Darmi snapped.

Mother is still not answering her question. He still prays to God to punish the rebellious son's.

"Yes, Lord! Forgive this weak servant. Servant was no longer able to deal with the rebellious attitude of the servant of this child. Give him retribution! "Prayer of the Mother.

Moments later, suddenly the sky became overcast. Lightning flashed and thunder grabs the deafening rumble. Heavy rain also fell. Slowly, foot Darmi turned into stone. Darmi began to panic.

"Mother ...! Mother ... ! What happened to my legs, ma'am? "Said Darmi, yelling.

"Forgive Darmi! Darmi sorry, Mom! Darmi never do it again, Mom! "Cried Darmi increasingly frantic.

However, what is about to be made, cooked rice has become porridge. The punishment can no longer be avoided. Slowly, the whole body Darmi turned to stone. Changes that occur from the legs, loss, up to the head. Rebellious girl was just crying and crying regretted it. Before his son's head turned into stone, her mother still see water dripping from her eyes. All who pass by that place also witnessed the event. Not long after, the weather was again bright as usual. The whole body has been transformed into a stone Darmi. The rock is then they put it on the sidewalk leaning against the cliff. By local people, they give the name of the stone Crying Stones. The rock is still well maintained, so that we can still be seen today.

"No, boy! Money to buy the necessities of life we are today, "said the mother.

"But, Mom! My powder has been discharged. I had to buy a new one, "said Darmi.

"You are the child does not know himself! Him to spend money, but do not want to work, "said his mother upset.

Although angry, the mother still give the money to Darmi. The next day, when her mother came home from work, he asked again Darmi wages earned money to buy her other beauty tools. That situation happens almost every day.

One day, when his mother wanted to market, Darmi ordered that bought a beauty tool. But her mother did not know that he cosmetic purposes. Then her mother asked her to come to market.

"Then let's go with Mom to the market!" Said his mother.

"I do not want to go to market with my mother!" Replied her mother refusing Darmi.

"But, I do not know the beauty tools you mean it, boy!" Cried his mother.

However, after pressed, Darmi was willing to accompany her mother to the market.

"I want to come with Mom to the market, but on condition that she must walk behind me," said Darmi to the mother.

"That is why, boy!" Her mother asked curiously.

"I'm ashamed to people walking side by side with the village if the mother," said Darmi.

"Why be shy, boy? Am I your birth mother? "Asked the mother.

"You should look in the mirror. Look at Mother's face was wrinkled and very dirty clothes that mom! I'm embarrassed to have a mother like that mess! "Cried the mother Darmi with condescending tone.

Although sad, the mother had to oblige her daughter. After that, off they go to market together. The Darmi walk in front, while his mother followed with a basket of berlakang. Although both mothers and children, they look very different appearance. As if they were not the same family. The Child looks pretty good with the clothes, while his mother looked very old with very dirty clothes and full of patches.

Along the way, Darmi meet with friends who lived in another village.