MALIN KUNDANG
A long time ago, there liced widow with her only son. They lived in a hut in a vilage near the sea. They were very poor.

1.Malin Kundang, the son's name, thought, "if I stay here, I won't have a better life. I have to leave this vilage and look for a job."

His mother was sad to hear it. But she knew that Malin Kundang was right. So she let him go.

After her son had left, Malin Kundang's mother went to the beach every day. She hoped her son would return soon. At night she would pray for her son's safety. She would ask the captain of the ship whether he saw her son or not. But she got no news about Malin Kundang.

2.After years, when she was very old, a captain of a ship told her, "Malin Kundang? I met him some month ago. He is now married to a beautiful girl. She is the daughter of a wealthy man."

Malin Kundang's mother was very happy to hear it. "Thank you, God!" she prayed. She was sure that Malin Kundang would return home one day.

One morning, a big beautiful ship docked. A young couple stood at the dock. They wore beautiful clothes. Malin Kundang's mother cried joyfully.3. "Malin Kundang! My son! You are home!" she hugged the young man.


Malin Kundang did not believe her.4. He thought,"This can't be my mother! She was a strong woman when I left."

5.But his wife said angrily,"Why didn't you tell me that your mother is poor and old?" Then she spitted on the old woman.

The old woman cried. She could not believe what she heard.6. "Malin, I am your mother." But Malin Kundang did not listen. He was embarrassed to have an old mother. So he kicked the old woman yelled at her, "Go away, ugly woman. My mother does not look like you at all.
The woman fell on the ground. She cried. 7.Then she prayed,"My dear God, if he really is my son, punish him."

Suddenly, there was a thunderstorm. Big waves hit the shore with a loud noise. They hit everything from big ships to coconut trees along the shore. The thunderstorm was a fierce one.

The storm died in the morning. But the villagers could see what the storm had done. Not far from the shore, there were rocks that looked like wreckage and the passenger of a ship. People believed that it was Malin Kundang's ship, and Malin Kundang changed into a coral reef. God had punished him.