I Ceker Cipak and the Golden Ring: A Balinese Tale of Kindness and Magic
Once upon a time, a young man lived with his mother. His name was I Ceker Cipak. He was a kind and dutiful son, always obedient and helpful to his mother. His father had passed away when he was just a baby. Wishing for a better life, I Ceker Cipak told his mother that he wanted to buy some corn. He planned to cook and sell it to earn money. His mother agreed and gave him some money.
I Ceker Cipak went to the market. It was far from his house. On the way to the market, he saw some people were beating a cat. The cat stole their food. I Ceker Cipak did not have the heart to see the cat in such a great pain. He told them,
"May I buy the cat?"
Those people were laughing. They taught he was crazy. However, they let him buy the cat. Then he continued the journey. Later he saw some people were hurting a dog. They said that the dog stole their eggs. The dog was in pain and I Ceker Cipak was sad to see that. He then asked if he could buy the dog. The people were laughing, however they agreed. He gave them some money and brought the dog with him.
Later, he saw some people were hurting a snake. They said that the snake ate their chicken. Again, he bought the snake. He continued the journey. Then, he saw some people were hurting a mouse. They said that the mouse had destroyed their rice field. Just like before, he bought the mouse.
He continued his journey with the dog, the cat, the snake, and the mouse. Suddenly he realized that he did not have any money. All his money was spent to buy those animals. I Ceker Cipak was sad. He was thinking of his mother. He stopped and cried.
The animals were sad to see him crying. The snake said,
"Don't be sad. I have something that can make you happy. Here, please take this ring. If you rub it to a thing, it will change into gold!"
%20and%20a%20batik-patterned%20s.webp)
I Ceker Cipak was surprised. He did not know that the snake was able to speak! He accepted the ring. He rubbed it to his bag. Amazingly, it changed into gold! I Ceker Cipak was extremely happy.
He immediately went home. I Ceker Cipak and his mother became very rich. He let the animals live inside his new big house.
One day, I Ceker Cipak accidentally dropped the ring. It had some cracks. He went to a goldsmith. He planned to ask him to fix the ring.
Sadly, the goldsmith accidentally discovered that it was a magic ring. He had a bad idea. He made a new a ring that exactly looked like the magic ring. He then gave the false ring to I Ceker Cipak and kept the real ring.
At home, I Ceker Cipak tried to rub the magic ring to a stone. However the stone did not change into gold.
"Hey, this is not our ring," said the mother.
"The goldsmith must have replaced our ring!"
I Ceker Cipak was confused. He did not know what to do. He knew that they did not any proof that the goldsmith had replaced their ring.
"We must help our master," said the snake to the cat, the dog, and the mouse.
Later, they went to the goldsmith's house.
They slowly walked inside the house. The dog used his nose to sniff the ring. When they saw the ring, they carefully took it. Later they ran very fast!
At home, the animals gave the magic ring to I Ceker Cipak. He was so happy. He put the ring carefully. Since then I Ceker Cipak and his mother lived happily ever after. ***
Moral Message:
Kindness and compassion toward others, including animals, will always be rewarded. Greed and dishonesty, on the other hand, will not bring true happiness.
Kindness and compassion toward others, including animals, will always be rewarded. Greed and dishonesty, on the other hand, will not bring true happiness.
