NARRATIVE TEXT || Chapter 8 Part 1

 The Legend of Timun Mas 

Once upon a time in a small village in Central Java, there lived a poor widow named Mbok Srini. She was lonely and longed for a child. Every day she prayed to the gods to bless her with a baby. One day, a mysterious giant passed by her house and heard her wishes. The giant offered her a deal: he would give her a child, but when the child turned 17 years old, she must return her to him. Desperate, Mbok Srini agreed.

Soon after, the giant gave her a large golden cucumber seed. Mbok Srini planted it in her garden, and a few months later, a big cucumber grew. When she cut it open, she was surprised to find a beautiful baby girl inside. She named the baby Timun Mas, which means "Golden Cucumber." Timun Mas grew into a kind, clever, and strong girl, loved by everyone in the village.

As Timun Mas approached her 17th birthday, Mbok Srini became anxious. She didn’t want to lose her daughter. She went to a wise hermit in the mountains who gave her four magical items: cucumber seeds, needles, salt, and shrimp paste (terasi). He told her to give them to Timun Mas to help her escape from the giant. On the day the giant came to take her, Timun Mas ran away and used the magical items one by one.

She threw the cucumber seeds, which grew into a thick forest. The giant struggled through it. Then she threw the needles, turning the ground into a sharp bamboo forest. Still, the giant chased her. The salt created a vast sea, but the giant swam across. Finally, Timun Mas threw the shrimp paste, which turned into a boiling swamp. The giant fell in and never came back. Timun Mas returned safely to her mother, and they lived happily ever after, free from fear.