The Magic Tambourine
In a wee little hamlet, once upon a time, there lived an old widow and her son. Kundang, for that, was the boy's name, had an innocent child-like nature and, therefore, people took him to be a simpleton. One day, the three village vagabonds, Colak, Colik, and Dholak, known for their naughty pranks, were wandering by the stream when they heard someone singing. Peering through the thick bush they saw Kundang, eyes half-closed, blissfully basking in the warm sunshine beside the brook. His donkey grazed on the pastures nearby. The three at once gave a gleeful chuckle. For, they seldom missed any chance to play their wicked tricks upon him. One of them threw a big stone into the stream, splashing water all over Kundang. Shaken from his sweet reverie, the boy turned back and saw the three friends laughing heartily.
"Good morning, reverend sir," they greeted him, bowing ceremoniously. "What's this fairy tale about that you are singing?" asked Colak. "Tomorrow I'm going to sell my donkey in the market," replied Kundang dreamily. "How much do you want for it?" put in Colik. "Three hundred rupiahs! You see, he's very clever and hard-working," said Kundang, as the beast brayed loudly. "Hurrah! Our Kundang is going to be rich and will soon take a wife!" they shouted in one voice and walked away. Very early the next morning, even before the cock had begun to crow, Kundang's mother shook him up from sleep and said, "Last night I had a dream, a beautiful dream it was, I saw there's a good fortune awaiting us in the town beyond the hills." "So what?" asked her son still half asleep. "Let's pack up and shift to the town!" said the simple woman. "Then, what about the donkey?" he asked. "On our way, we'll halt at the market and sell it off. We were already planning to sell it, isn't that so?" said his mother, adding, "You proceed to the market while I gather some fruit and berries from the woods. Mind you, for not less than three hundred rupiahs should you let the beast go," strictly instructed the cautious woman. Kundang had not gone very far when he met one of the three rogues. "What a healthy sheep!" Dholak exclaimed, patting the animal. "But you had said you wanted to sell a donkey, didn't you?" "You fool! Do you have only buttons for your eyes? Can't you recognize an animal as big as this?" replied the young man angrily.
Dholak knelt down and carefully examined the animal, feeling it from tail to the head. Then suddenly he burst into guffaws. "Ho! Ho! Ho! You think this gentle sheep to be a donkey, eh! Of course, people take you as a simpleton. Just give it to me for thirty rupiahs, which is much more than its worth." "Get off my way. Whatever it may be, a donkey or a monkey I won't sell it for a rupiah less than three hundred," retorted Kundang and strode away. He had only gone a few yards when he came across Colak. "How much do you expect for this sickly little sheep?" he asked, saluting him. "It's no sheep! It's a donkey, you fathead!" shouted back the angry boy. "Is it so?" answered Colak feigning astonishment. He then began scrutinizing the beast and in the process got underneath its stomach and started imitating, very accurately indeed, the sound of a sheep. "This animal will only fetch you a meager ten rupiahs. I offer you fifty for it. Give it to me and you don't have to go all the way to the market." Kundang most adamantly shook his head and without a word continued on his way. However, he now began to wonder whether the animal he was leading was really a donkey or a sheep. Two people had said it was a sheep. He patted its back, pulled its ears, and even punched its stomach. There emanated a long loud bray. Convinced that the beast was a donkey, he trodded along.
As he turned around the corner, he almost collided with Colik, the third ruffian. "My good friend, tell me how much you want for your little lamb. I'll buy it right away," he said, in an assuring voice. This was rather too much for the boy. He began to have grave doubts. How could his donkey change into a sheep and he couldn't make out the difference? "Three hundred rupiahs is what I want for it, not a rupiah less," he sternly replied. "What! A good for nothing creature and you're demanding a fortune for it? Rest content with fifty, which is far more than this animal will ever fetch you," said Colik with a gesture of finality. "You nincompoop! Just get lost and leave me in peace," Kundang shouted furiously. But alas! His mind was in utter confusion. He had to find a good buyer for his donkey or whatever it might be. As he was thus thinking, the three companions once again appeared and pressed him to part with the animal. He most vehemently refused, but they threatened him with dire consequences. Some passers-by who had stopped to see what the commotion was all about whispered to Kundang to agree to the bargain.
"These ruffians are dangerous!" they warned and quickly disappeared from the scene. So, poor Kundang was compelled to part with the beast for a meager sum. Sadly he wended his way to the banyan tree where his mother waited for him. She was happy to see her son return so soon and without the donkey. "Son, you must have surely got a good bargain!" she said cheerfully. But when she counted the money that her son handed her, her face darkened and she shrieked in anger. "What! How could you give away such a young and handsome donkey for only fifty rupiahs? Now go back at once and return either with the beast or with the whole amount!" Kundang plodded toward the market again. He scolded himself a thousand times for having given in to those great bullies. But what could he have done? Suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in his mind. With brisk steps, he hurried to the old hawker and bought an ancient tambourine. Then he went to three shops and showing the tambourine to their owners told them something in confidence.
The three ruffians were rather surprised to meet him merrily whistling, with his chin up and a faint smile playing on his face. "Hello, master sheep seller, you seem to be in high spirits today!" they said, waling up to him. "Come, my friends, come. Let's celebrate in honor of this magic instrument," he replied leading them to a snack bar. The three silently followed him. "Gentlemen, enjoy yourselves. I'm so happy today! Getting rid of that weird animal, which was a donkey but which turned into a sheep, has indeed brought me good fortune!" he said in a sing-song manner. The three companions, surprised and amused, ate to their heart's content. When they had finished, their host summoned the shopkeeper and asked how much he owed him. "Ten rupiahs only," came the reply. Kundang smiled and no sooner had he nodded and played a rhythmic beat on the tambourine than the owner at once exclaimed, "Thank you, Sir! Come again!" Kundang's three guests only gave a blank look at each other. Then the peasant boy led them to a fruit vendor. Once again not only did the greedy fellows stuff themselves but filled their bags, too. Their host, as before, played his rhythmic beats, whereupon the seller said, "I hope you and your friends enjoyed my juicy, fresh fruit. Goodbye!" Next, they halted at a stall selling hot creamy milk. They drank and then Kundang beat the tambourine, and the vendor smiled and exclaimed, Thank you! Thank you! The three friends who were now unable to contain their curiosity, asked, "Well, how is it that you don't have to ever pay the bills?"
"Ha, ha! This is a wonderful tambourine I happened to come across most unexpectedly. Its jingling sound makes people think that they have already been paid," replied Kundang with a laugh. "Of course, it works only once a week!" he added. The three rogues who had heard of such a magic tambourine in their folk tales, but never thought that it really existed, were unable to conceal their desire to possess it. "Dear brother, why don't you sell it to us?" they asked. "No, never shall I part with it," he firmly replied. "We offer you one hundred rupiahs along with your beast," said one of them thinking that getting rid of the animal will at least bring them some luck. "What, only one hundred for the most valuable thing in the world?" exclaimed the farmer boy. "Another two hundred then," added the second friend. "No, no! I'll accept nothing less than four thousand rupiahs and a potful of silver pieces," answered Kundang with firmness. Wherefrom will they gather so much wealth? So, selling whatever little property each of them had, thinking that they would easily make up for the loss later, they paid the demanded price in exchange for the tambourine. They also did not forget to hand over the donkey, for Kundang had become lucky only after parting with the animal! Now Kundang headed straight to the three shops, whose owners were in fact his good friends, and cleared the dues. He then hurried to the joyous arms of his mother. They had enough to start their life anew in the town beyond the hills. As for the donkey, he was destined to live with them, they thought.
The three companions waited for a week to work with their magical instrument. All agog with excitement, they marched to a posh restaurant and ordered many delicious dishes. Having eaten they sat back in their chairs with an appeased look. "Waiter," called one of them, "may we have our bill, please?" "Sixty-five rupiahs, sir," came the reply. Dholak nodded his head, as he had seen Kundang do, and played on the tambourine. But the waiter only stood silently without uttering a single syllable. The three friends wondered what went wrong. "Perhaps I played it rather too softly," thought Dholak and began shaking the instrument very hard indeed. "Pay up, gentleman, and don't disturb the others!" said the manager. "But er-er-- we've no money with us! This music is..." they stammered rather nervously. That immediately brought the owner to the scene, who beat them black and blue and threw them outside. "You rascals! Not a farthing on you and you're behaving like kings!" Dazed, the three companions sat gloomily for long. "Let's find out the wicked chap!" they, at last, said, getting up. But where was Kundang? A week had passed. He and his mother and their priceless donkey had settled down in the town. Kundang had launched a business and was beginning to do well!
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