In a village located in West Sumatra, there lived Pak Buyung, his wife, and a child named Indra. They live in a small hut by the sea.
On a daily basis, Pak Buyung and his wife collect forest products and catch fish in the sea to meet family needs. Every morning, they looked for manau, rattan and resin, then sold them in the market.
When the fishing season arrives, they go out to sea to catch fish using nets, fishing rods or traps.
When he was 10 years old, Indra began to be invited to help his parents in the forest and sea. He was a studious kid and never complained. His father and mother are very proud of him. Only one thing that worried them, was Indra’s appetite for food. One meal, he used to finish half a basket of rice and a few dishes of side dishes.
One time, the dry season arrived. Forest and marine products are increasingly difficult to obtain. This family eats yams and taro instead of rice. As it turned out, this time the famine was long, so they were increasingly finding it harder to get food. They have to endure hunger every day. Over time, this situation made them care more about themselves than for their children.
One day, Indra complained that his stomach was very hungry. They have been eating only roasted sweet potatoes for days. She cried and complained to her father.
“Dad, I’m so hungry. Can you give me food? ” she whined.
“Lazy Boy! If you are hungry, go there looking for food yourself in the jungle or in the sea! ” said his father.
The mother tried to defend Indra, because Indra was young. However, his father still insisted that Indra find food on his own. Thanks to his mother’s persuasion, Indra went to look for food to the forest on Bukit Junjung Sirih.
Before leaving, Indra first fed his pet chicken named Taduang. The chicken is very loyal to Indra. Every time Indra came or returned home, he always crowed to greet him.
From morning to noon, Indra went to find food in the forest and to the sea. But until noon, he did not find the slightest food to fill his hungry stomach. So, he returned home.
The next day, his father again told him to go find food. Meanwhile, his father and mother only slept at home. They seem to have surrendered to the situation. Until a month this situation lasted and Indra felt his body was very tired.
One day, when Indra was looking for food in the sea, his mother managed to get a pensi, a kind of small shellfish, which he caught with several neighbors.
“What is it, Mom?” her husband asked.
Indra’s mother, who was washing the ingredients, said that the pensi was very delicious when started. He then cooked pensi curry, the aroma of which made his father’s stomach even hungrier.
“Wow, what a delicious aroma, ma’am. Is this enough for the three of us? You know Indra eats a lot. It’s not enough, “said the father.
“Then how, sir?”
“Tell you what, let’s just eat together while Indra goes out to sea. If he comes back, we can hide this side dish. The Taduang will definitely crow when Indra comes. “
Finally, Mr. Buyung and his wife ate the pensi curry very heartily. But they had not finished eating yet, the Taduang crowed. This husband and wife immediately tidy up the food and hide it under the bed. When Indra entered the house, he saw his parents sitting around relaxing.
“Sorry Dad, I didn’t get any fish,” said Indra.
“If you don’t get fish, what can you eat?” said Mr. Buyung.
“I’m so tired, Dad. Can I eat? “
“Okay, you can eat, but you have to wash the fibers first until they turn white,” his mother handed him a bunch of fibers that Mr. Buyung had just brought from the forest.
lndra goes to the river to wash the fibers. For a long time he washed it, but the color of the fibers could not change. Poor Indra, he did not know that the fibers were indeed black and could not be made white even if washed. He did not know that his father and mother were continuing to eat his food heartily at home.
Feeling that his body was very tired, Indra then returned home. When he got home, he slowly went into the kitchen. With great surprise, he saw his father and mother were fast asleep in the kitchen with the remains of dinner plates scattered around them. There is no more food left.
Indra was very sad with what he saw. He didn’t think his parents had lied to him. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she walked out and caught Taduang’s beloved cock. They then sat on a rock beside the hut where Indra lived.
“Father and mother have lied to me, Taduang. I am very sad. I better go, because it turns out they don’t love me, “” sobbed Indra. Taduang crowed as a sign that he understood his master’s feelings.
The chicken then flapped its wings as if giving a signal to Indra.
Indra held on to Taduang’s feet. Then, the chicken flew slowly with Indra hanging on to his feet. Apparently, the rock they were sitting on was carried away at Indra’s feet. As you go up the rock gets bigger and bigger. Taduang was no longer strong enough to fly carrying Indra and the big rock. Finally, Indra kicked the stone so that it fell to the earth and hit a hill that was near the ocean. The blow of the rock made an elongated hole. The water quickly flowed down the hole to form a river flow.
According to the story, this flow is the origin of the Ombilin River which flows to Riau. Then, the sea water shrank to form a lake which was later called Lake Singkarak.
Meanwhile, Indra and his beloved chicken are not known where they are.
The moral message of this folklore is that selfishness will hurt yourself and hurt the hearts of others.
