In ancient times, on the edge of the river in the Labuhan Batu area, North Sumatra, there lived an old widow with her son named the Kantan. They lived in a small, rickety hut. The father of the Kantan, has long passed away. Since then, it is the mother of the Kantan who has to work hard to make ends meet. The Kantan is a child who is diligent and diligent at work. Every day he helps his mother find firewood in the forest to sell to the market.
One night, the mother of the Kantan dreamed that she was approached by an old grandfather she did not know. In his dream, the old man told him to go digging the ground at a place in the forest. In the morning, he told the dream to the Kantan. “Wow, that’s a good dream, Mom! We better carry out the instructions. Who knows, this could change our fate, ”said the Kantan.
So, the mother and child went to the forest with crowbars. Arriving in the forest, the mother of the Kantan tries to remember the instructions she received from the old grandfather in her dream. “Yes, my son! The place is right here! ” cried the mother of Kantan with certainty. “Alright, Mom! Hopefully your memory is not wrong, ”said the Kantan.
The Kantan began to dig the ground under a large tree with great enthusiasm. After digging two feet deep, the Kantan found an object wrapped in a worn white cloth.
“Mom, I found it!”
“What is that thing, son?” asked the mother curiously.
“I don’t know, Mom!” replied the Kantan.
Without thinking, the long object wrapped in cloth was immediately opened. It turned out to be a golden staff decorated with jewels.
“Look, Mom! This thing is very extraordinary. “
“Yes, my son! Maybe God wants to change our long-suffering fate. “
After that, they went home with the golden stick. Arriving at the hut, the mother wanted the object to be sold. The proceeds will be used to buy a new house and to meet daily needs. “But, Mother! Who can afford this precious object? ” asked the Kantan. “You said right, son! The population in this village is on average just ordinary farmers, whose income is mediocre. What if you just sell it on another island? ” suggested the mother of the Kantan.
The Kantan happily accepted his mother’s suggestion. However, on the other hand, he was very sad because he would leave his old mother alone.
The next day, the Kantan also said goodbye to his mother. “Take care of yourself, ma’am! After this item is sold, Kantan will immediately return to see the mother, “said the Kantan to his mother. “Very well, my son! Go and be careful on your way! Don’t forget to come back quickly when you’ve succeeded, ”cried the mother. “Alright, Mom! Kantan leave! ” Kantan said goodbye, kissing his mother’s hand. Suddenly a feeling of emotion enveloped the hearts of the mother and child. Not being felt, the mother shed tears, then she hugged her only child tightly. “Son, don’t forget your mother here. Hurry back! ” message the mother. “Yes, Mom! Kantan promised to come back as soon as possible, “replied the Kantan back his mother’s hug.
After that, the Kantan went on a barge along the Barumun River to the open sea, and onwards went to Malacca. For days, the Kantan has been swaying by the waves in the middle of the sea. Even though the trip was exhausting and tedious, it did not make the Kantan’s intention recede. He was sure that the proceeds from the sale of the golden rod would change his fortune for the better.
Arriving in Malacca, he immediately offered to the traders there. He had offered all the merchants in the city, but no one could afford it. He also intends to return to his hometown without bringing results. On the way to the port, he met several hulu balang from the Kingdom of Malacca who were traveling around the city patrols.
“Hi, young man! What are you carrying? ” asked one of the upstream balang.
“Golden Wand, sir!” replied the Kantan. Then he told the purpose of his arrival to the city.
“What if you offer that thing to our king? Who knows, he might be interested, ”offered another hulu balang.
The Kantan accepted the offer. He was then brought to face the king. On arrival at the palace, the hulu balang reported to the king that the poor young man wanted to sell an object of great value. The King then observed the object. “Ouch, this thing is very special,” murmured the King.
After that, he said to the Kantan, “Hi, young man! I am very interested in your golden staff. But, I don’t want to buy it with money. What if you live in this palace and I make you my son-in-law? ” the King offered.
“My goodness, Sire! If it is the king’s will, I accept the offer, “replied the Kantan, saluting.
A week later, the Kantan was married off to the beautiful king’s daughter. The wedding party was very lively. Since then, the Kantan officially became a member of the royal family of the Malacca Kingdom. He and his wife live happily in the palace. The luxurious life makes the Kantan forget his old mother and lives alone in the village. Meanwhile, the wife always insisted on meeting her in-laws and wanted to see her husband’s hometown. “Kanda…! When will Kanda invite Dinda to meet my mother in the village? ” asked the wife. At first the Kantan was reluctant to grant his wife’s request on the grounds that he was busy taking care of the palace. However, because his wife kept urging him and the King’s blessing, the Kantan could no longer avoid it. “Alright, Dinda! Tomorrow morning we will go, ”promised the Kantan to his wife.
Using his own large and luxurious private ship, the Kantan and his wife along with dozens of palace soldiers sailed to Sumatra Island. After wading through the Malacca Strait for days, the Kantan’s ship finally docked in a small town, Labuhan Bilik, which is located at the mouth of the Barumun River. The locals were very surprised by the presence of such a large ship. They also came to the port to see it up close.
“Waaah, what a magnificent ship! But, who owns it? ” said a curious resident.
“Hi, look at that!” exclaimed the other residents, pointing to a handsome man and a beautiful woman standing on the bridge of the ship.
“Isn’t that man the Kantan?” asked a resident to recognize the Kantan.
“Right! He is the Kantan, the young man who lives in a hut by the river, “said a resident who also knows the Kantan.
Then the news spread that the Kantan had become very rich, like a king with his big and magnificent ship. Finally, the news of the arrival of the Kantan was heard by his mother. The old woman was very happy, because the child she had waited for so many years had returned. Upon receiving the news, he decided to wait patiently for his son in his rickety hut. However, after waiting for a long time, the child she missed didn’t come. Finally, the old mother decided to follow her son at the port.
Using a sampan, the old widow followed the Barumun River to the port where the Kantan’s ship was anchored. She couldn’t wait to hug the child she loved so much. With all his strength, he pedaled the boat even faster. Finally, it appeared from a distance a large ship was leaning on the harbor. “If people say it is true, the ship must belong to the Kantan, my son,” thought the old widow. With the remaining strength he had, he continued to pedal his boat closer to the magnificent ship.
When the boat he was riding got closer to the big ship, he immediately called his son. “Kantaaan… !!! Kantaaan … !!! Kantan sonuuuu … !!! “
Hearing a scream from outside the ship, the Kantan’s wife asked the Kantan,
“Kanda! Whose voice is calling out Kanda’s name? “
“Ah, it’s just a crazy person,” replied the Kantan pretending not to care, even though he actually knew very well that the voice was his mother’s voice. However, he was ashamed to introduce his wife to his poor, old mother.
The mother’s call again sounded closer.
“Kantan, my son !!! Where are you… ?”
“Here comes your mother, son!” shouted the mother.
So the wife of the Kantan is more confident, if the one who calls her husband is her in-laws. He is increasingly curious to see his mother-in-law whom he has long missed. He immediately ran out of the ship, but was followed by the Kantan. From the bridge of the ship, they saw an old woman rowing a sampan toward her ship.
“Kantaaan… My son! I am your mother who you left first, “shouted the old mother.
“Hey, ugly girl! It’s good to pretend to be my mother. I don’t have a mother as bad as you! ” scolded the Kantan irritably.
“Calm down, Kanda! Who knows that woman is really Kanda’s mother. It seems that he knows Kanda very well, ”said the wife to calm her husband.
“No, my wife! She’s not my mother. My mother is young and beautiful, “argued the Kantan.
“Hey, you crazy old man! Don’t come near my ship. You unlucky woman! ” the Kantan again berated his mother.
“Bodyguard! Get him out of here! ” ordered the Kantan.
After several guards chased the old woman, the Kantan again ordered her bodyguards to turn the ship and return to Malacca.
Meanwhile, the old woman seemed to be struck by lightning seeing the behavior of her beloved child, which was really unexpected. His chest felt tight, his tears were unstoppable. With the rest of his energy, he paddled his canoe back to his hut with a feeling of disintegration. He was very sad because he had been expelled by his own child. With tears in his eyes, he prayed, “O God, the child has disobeyed his mother who gave birth and raised him. Give him a lesson, so that he becomes a child who knows how to serve his parents! ”
Just as the speech came out of the mother’s mouth, suddenly lightning struck, a very terrible rain came. Not long after, the water of Sungai Barumun rolled up and hit Kantan’s ship over and over again. No matter, the magnificent ship sank to the bottom of the Barumun River. The entire crew could not save themselves, including the Kantan and his wife. After the ship was no longer visible, the atmosphere calmed down as before.
A few days later, a small island appeared at the scene, which is exactly in the middle of the Barumun River and facing the city of Labuhan Bilik. Later, the island was named Pulau Si Kantan by the local community.
