Mouse deer and crocodile

Once upon time there were a smart mouse deer. He lived near a river. The mouse deer used to go to
the river to drink.

One day, the mouse deer was thirsty. He wanted to drink in the river but he knew that crocodiles were
staying and waiting underwater to eat him. He thought hard and got bright idea. He said out loudly. “I
will put in my leg and find out whether the water is warm or not” Of course the mouse deer did not do
what he said. He did not put his leg but the mouse deer took a wood stick and put one end into the
water. Blurrr…! Surely a crocodile grabbed the wood stick and pulled it underwater. Seeing that, the
mouse deer laughed and said “Stupid crocodile! Can’t you see the difference between a wood stick
and a leg?” Then the mouse deer ran to another side of the river and drink some water.

On the following day, the mouse deer was hungry. He wanted to eat some grass on the side of the
river so he had to to cross the dangerous river which was full of crocodiles. Again he thought hard and
found another smart idea and said loudly “Crocodiles come up!” then some crocodiles rose from the
water. They looked happy and show their sharp teeth and said “Hello, Mouse Deer. Do you come to
be my lunch? We are hungry” The mouse deer just smiled and replied. “Sorry, Crocodiles, not today,
I come to you to bring an invitation from the king. You are invited to the party. The king ordered me
to count all crocodiles in this river so he knew how to prepare enough meal for you.”

All the crocodiles felt happy and said “Really…? Tell us what to do,” said a crocodile. “You have to
line up from this side of the river to the other side,” said the mouse deer. Not long after that the
crocodile got all his friends and family. He ordered to lined up across the river. The mouse deer then
jumped on the Crocodile’s back. “One,” the mouse deer counted. He jumped onto the next crocodile,
“Two.” And he jumped again on the next crocodile, “Three.” he kept jumping until he arrived on the
other side of the river. “Just enough,” said the mouse deer. “I have counted all of you” He laughed
and ran to the field of grass.
 The Legend of Lake Toba
Once upon a time, there was a young man named Toba. He lived alone and had no wife. He decided
being single and didn’t get married, although his age was mature enough to a family. He had a narrow
farm and a small hut not far from a lake. If the day was getting dark, he would go to the lake for
fishing. He liked fishing and he could do this activity until night has come.

One day, after worked on his small farm, he decided to go fishing. He wanted to look for some fish
for his dinner. He waited for a long time, but his hook didn’t catch any fish. He waited and waited
patiently. Suddenly, his fish bait made some movement. He was sure he would get a fish for his
dinner. And that was true, a pretty big fish stuck on his bait. He took the fish and then put it on a fish
basket. Then, he went home. He was so happy to get a fish for his dinner. He imagined that his dinner
tonight would be nice because the fish was pretty big and fresh.

Arriving at home, he put his fish basket beside the fire place. And then, he set fire of the fire place.
But, he realized that he forgot to look for some woods for his fire place. Without the woods, of course
he couldn’t cook the fish for his dinner. He went out to look for some woods. He left the fish in the
kitchen. He didn’t worry about the fish because he was sure that the fish was safe in the place.

After getting some woods, he went back home, but, he was to surprised as the fish basket was empty.
The fish was gone, he just found some scales which in the form of gold pieces. Toba was confused.
He convinced himself that the gold pieces he hold was the scales of the fish he caught this afternoon.
He stepped to his room. But, again he was shocked as he saw a beautiful girl with long hair in his
room. The girl sat in toba’s bed. Toba didn’t make any movement. He was so shock and wondered
who the girl was. Suddenly the girl turn her head and looked at toba. Toba was so amazed with the
girl’s beauty. He looked at the girl and admired her beauty. For some moments, they looked each
other. Was that a possibility that this beautiful girl is an angel? toba thought.

Toba was so speechless and couldn’t say anything. For breaking the ice, the girl said something. She
approached toba and said.

“Hi, toba. It was getting dark, could you turn on the lamp” the girl asked.

“Ooo… hhhiii… Alright, I will turn the lamp on,” Toba said, his body was trembled because of fear.

“Don’t be afraid, Toba. I will not hurt you,” said the girl.

“But, who are you ? are you kind of genie or something ?”

The girl smiled and said.

“I am the incarnation of the fish you caught this afternoon,” the girl answered.

“Really, Oh.. God. Is that true?” toba was so surprised.

“Yes, but you don’t have to be afraid. I will help you to do some house hold activity. I will cook for
you and prepare your daily meal, ” the girl offered.

Toba was so happy to hear that.

“By the way, the gold pieces is my scales,” the girl said. .
“Ooo.. well.. that’s why I didn’t found my fish in the basket,” toba said.

And then the girl went to the kitchen and cooked dinner for toba.

Everyday toba was accompanied by the girl. Toba was happy for that. Until one day, he asked the girl
to get married. But, the girl gave a requirement.

“I am agree to be your wife, but don’t ever tell my secret, my condition that I was a fish,” said the
girl.

Toba agreed the girl’s requirement. And then they got married. Toba was happy to have such a
beautiful wife. They lived happily because they loved each other.

Years gone by. Toba’s wife was pregnant and then not so long after that she gave birth. Toba was so
happy. The baby was a boy. Named Samosir. They took care their only child. They showered the boy
with love. It seemed that they were happy family.

7 years later

The mother spoiled the boy too much. No wonder, samosir became spoiled child. He didn’t want to
help his father to work on farm. He only stayed at home doing nothing. He was a very lazy boy. One
day the mother asked samosir to bring lunch for his father who worked in a farm. Usually the mother
did his job. But, because she was very busy, she didn’t have time to bring the lunch for his husband.

“Samosir my dear, please take this lunch for your father in the farm. He must be very hungry now. I
can’t bring it for him, there is something else I want to do!” asked the mother.

“No, I can’t!” samosir refused.

“Why, don’t you want ho help me?” asked the mother.

“I want to play with my friends, mother!” said samosir.

Mother was angry to hear this. She was so upset and threatened samosir if he didn’t do what she’s
asked. She wouldn’t give samosir lunch. Because of his mother’s anger, he felt forced to do what his
mother’s request.

“All right, mom. I will bring it to my father,” samosir said. Samosir went to his father’s farm. But he
grumbled continuosly as she wanted to play with his friends.

On the way to his father’s farm, he ate the lunch little by little. He felt hungry, too. Because of this,
there’s just a little lunch left. Meanwhile, the day was getting hot. Toba decided to rest under the tree.
He felt thirsty and hungry. He asked himself why his wife didn’t bring lunch for him. Waiting in a
hungry was such a terrible thing for Toba. He got angry that time. Finally he saw somebody in a
distance. He hoped the somebody was his wife who brought lunch for him.

But, he was surprised to see samosir, his son, who came to the farm.

“What do you do here, my son. Where is your mother? Why she didn’t bring my lunch?” Toba said
angrily.

“Mother is busy to do other things. So, she asked me to bring this lunch for you” said Samosir while
gave the lunch to his father.
Toba took the lunch quickly as he couldn’t bear his hunger anymore. But, when he saw the lunch box,
he was surprised. The lunch was no more left.

“What? Where is the lunch ? Why this box is empty ?” Toba said angrily.

“I am sorry, father. On the way here, I ate your lunch little by little. I am so hungry.” Samosir
answered with anxiety.

“You’re really a bad boy. Why are you doing this ? I am really hungry, you know ? ” Toba snapped
at Samosir.

“I am sorry, dad. I am really sorry for that!” Samosir said apologize.

“You are rebellious child. You are lazy, useless!!!” Toba got angry.

He felt really upset whit his son. And, suddenly he said something rude that actually was forbidden.

“Your manner is like a little animal. It is because your mother spoiled you. You are so naughty. Well,
it is because your mother is a fish. So you are like her. Go away from here” Toba didn’t realize that
what he said was so rude. He was forbidden to tell about Samosir’s mother’s origin.

Samosir was so sad to hear what his father’s said. He was badly hurt. He cried continuosly. His
mother asked why Samosir cried. Samosir said that his father was angry to him. It’s because he ate his
father’s lunch. Samosir also told what his father had said to him. “Father said that I was a little animal
because I didn’t obey his advice and he also said that mother is a fish. ”

Samosir said this to his mother.

“What ??? How excessive he is! He was not supposed to tell that to you. You are his son. I will tell
him.” The beautiful girl was so angry.

“Why he’s so rude to his own child. He promised that he wouldn’t tell my origin. Why he did this to
me.” The beautiful girl said sadly.

“Calm down, Samosir. Don’t cry anymore. Now, all you have to do is climb the highest tree and stay
there. There will be a huge flood and this velley will be sink and disappear. There will be great
disaster here,” the beautiful girl said.

“Really, mother ! How do you know ?” Samosir asked.

“Well, you must obey my advice without complaining ” the beautiful girl told his son.

After that, Samosir went away and climbed the highest tree in the village. He stayed there, obeyed his
mother’s instruction. He still didn’t know why his mother told him to do this. He just waited what
happened next. The beautiful girl was really sad. He thought that Toba didn’t love her anymore. Toba
was changed. He broke his promise to her. So, the girl thought there was no use she lived. She
decided to do suicide by jumping to a lake.

Suddenly, the sky was getting dark upon the valley. Not so long after that, the rain poured the earth. It
was a huge rain. The thunder and the lightning were so scary. The rain was so heavy and make a huge
flood. The valley was like a sea. Just as the girl said, there was a great disaster in that village.
Meanwhile, Toba, who was still in his farm shocked with this disaster. He couldn’t save himself. He
was drown by the flood and finally died.
And, the spoiled child, Samosir, although he climbed the highest tree, he still couldn’t save himself
from this great disaster. He died as his parents. His body was floating. And then baceme small island
which now was called Samosir Island.

And, the village was sink and became a huge lake. This lake was named as Toba’s name, that is Lake
Toba.