Story telling

LEBAI MALANG

On The bank of a river in central Sumatra there once lived a man, called Lebai. His house stood in a village between two villages, north side and south side of the river.
One day two rich families in two villages were having a big party at the same hour of the same day. Both families had invited as well as poor people and Lebai got two invitation.
On the morning of the feast Lebai dressed himself in his best and made from his boat, but before he got that, he thought that he could not decided which village to visit first.
“Upstream”, he thought, “Is close by: The food is well Cooked, and quite to my taste, but they have slaughtered only one water-buffalo. People there don’t know me very well and they won’t therefore pay much respect to me.” In that village respect was shown by offering a person the prepared had of a water-buffalo.
“The other villages, downstream knows me very well. The family has slaughtered two buffaloes. They can not cook very well.” This he knew by experience he kept thinking “upstream or downstream?”
In the end he decided two row first to the near by village upstream. When Lebai had halfway to the village upstream, he change his mind. He thought : “Why should I go upstream first? There will only be one buffalo head. Why should I not go downstream first? There will be two of them.” Lebai turned his boat and paddle downstream, he passed people in boats rowing upstream.
“where are you rowing to? We are all making for the north.” They should that to Lebai. “They are right”, he thought. “Why Should I go to the south when they are serving only skinny animals? The dishes are not well cooked and I can’t eat heart’s content.”
But arriving upstream Lebai missed the feast. There was for him noting else to do but to race south ward.
Unfortunate Lebai! The day had not brought luck for him. People had been enjoying delicious food and a pleasant day but for lebai the day had ended in great disappointment. In his great sorrow he realized that he should not have asked for too much.
From the time, people called him Lebai Malang. Meaning, unlucky religious teacher. Lebai Malang is a played to a person whose weakness of character lies in his inability to decide.