Sang Kancil and a Buffalo

One day, a male buffalo was out for a drink of water. He strolled down a path that led to the river. The river was pretty wide, with shallow, calm, and cold water. The buffalo waded through the water, which only came up to his knees. He made his way to the middle of the river where the water was crystal clear. As he was taking a sip, he heard a noise coming from the riverbank. The buffalo turned to see the water splashing up on the shore.

"Hey, buffalo! I need your help!" A voice cried out from the riverbank near the reeds. The buffalo turned its head to see what was going on. It spotted something twisted on top of a stick of wood in the distance. The voice kept calling for help, sounding pretty desperate. The buffalo decided to investigate and found a crocodile trapped under a fallen tree. 

"What happened, crocodile?" The buffalo asked. 

"I'm stuck under this heavy log. Can you help me out?" The crocodile replied. Feeling bad for the crocodile, the buffalo used its horns to try and lift the log off of it.

When the log was lifted, the crocodile quickly freed itself. As soon as the buffalo dropped the log, the crocodile immediately caught it.

"Hey, crocodile! Why did you do that?" Asked the buffalo as he felt the crocodile bite his leg. 

"I want to eat you. Today, you're my meal," explained the crocodile, biting even harder.

"You're the most evil animal in the world. You don't know how to repay a favour. You shouldn't return evil for good," said the buffalo.

"Doing good should be rewarded with good. Doing evil is rewarded with evil," continued the buffalo.

"I don't care," replied the crocodile. The buffalo tried to headbutt the crocodile, but the crocodile tightened its grip. The buffalo couldn't escape because he was in the water. If the crocodile pulled him down, he would drown. The buffalo begged the crocodile not to kill him.

"Don't kill me, crocodile! I want to live too. Eat something else," the buffalo pleaded. But the crocodile remained indifferent.

"I can let you go, but on one condition," said the crocodile. "What's the condition?" asked the buffalo.

"We're trying to find out if doing good is really rewarded with good. We're asking what happened here," said the crocodile. 

"If the answer is the same three times, I'll set you free," the crocodile said again.

The buffalo and the crocodile were waiting for unsuspecting passersby or floating objects in the river. Suddenly, they spotted a dish cover floating by - a bad saji. The crocodile turned to the saji and asked, "Hey Saji, do you believe that good deeds are always rewarded?" 

"No, doing good often leads to bad outcomes," Saji then shared his life story, explaining how he was always there to protect and cover food at home. He was devoted to his master, ensuring that no cats or mice could steal any dishes. But one day, when he was torn and no longer able to fulfil his duty, he was tossed into the river. And that's why Saji believed that doing good sometimes brings about unfortunate consequences. With that, Saji drifted away, leaving the buffalo and crocodile.

"So, what do you think, buffalo? Do you think what I said is true or not?" Asked the crocodile. The buffalo remained silent, feeling anxious and sad. In his heart, the buffalo prayed for God's help, believing that God would assist a good person. Before long, a pair of worn-out shoes drifted by. One shoe had a see-through sole and was sinking, but it was held up by its partner with a strap. 

"Look at that, another drifting thing! Let's ask the shoes a question," the crocodile chuckled.

"Hey shoes, do you think that doing good is rewarded well?" Asked the crocodile. The buffalo anxiously awaited the shoes' response. 

"It's not right because doing good is often rewarded with evil," the shoes replied.

The buffalo's hope for survival dwindled upon hearing this answer. The shoes then shared a story about how they were once loved by their master. They were cleaned, polished, and kept safe every day. However, as they became worn out, they were no longer cared for and were eventually discarded. One night, the shoes were left out in the yard, covered in dew and rain. They became a cosy hiding spot for a toad to catch mosquitoes. Eventually, when they were too worn out, the shoes were tossed into the river. "And that's how we ended up here," floating along with the current, as the shoes finished their story and moved on.

"There are already two answers, so you lose. But I'll give you one more chance," the crocodile told the buffalo that if a third answer came and it was the same, then the buffalo would be his food. 

So, they were waiting for the third thing when suddenly a deer showed up to drink some water. The deer went over to where the crocodile and buffalo were chilling. Kancil, the deer, was shocked when he saw the crocodile biting the buffalo's leg. The deer noticed the buffalo's tears and the crocodile looking all fierce. 

"What's going on, buffalo? Why did the crocodile bite your leg?" Asked the deer.

"Thank goodness you're here, deer! We're waiting for a third party to judge us," answered the buffalo. The deer was confused and asked why. The crocodile explained that they were debating whether doing good gets rewarded with evil. 

"But why did you bite the buffalo's leg?" Asked the deer. The crocodile then told the story about how the buffalo had helped him when he was stuck under a log, but he didn't want to repay the favour. The crocodile thought the buffalo should be his next meal.

"Before I make a decision, I need to see the original incident," Kancil said. 

"First, I had to step on a broken tree trunk," the crocodile replied. "The tree trunk fell on my back."

"Can I see what that tree looks like on your back?" Kancil asked.

"How can I show you? The buffalo moved the stick," the crocodile answered.

"Alright, now go sit where you were before, where you have to overlap," the deer instructed. The crocodile followed the deer's instructions, letting go of the buffalo's leg and sitting near the tree trunk.

"Buffalo, try to show me how the stick is on the crocodile's back. Show me how you lift the stick," the deer said, acting like a judge. The buffalo did as the deer told.

"Try to move, crocodile! Can the stick be lifted?" The deer guided the crocodile. The crocodile tried to move and lift the tree trunk but couldn't.

"Try again, it's like you have to overlap," the deer said. "Up! Up!" The crocodile tried to move the tree trunk. "Stronger! Stronger!" The deer exclaimed. 

The crocodile was struggling to break free, but it just couldn't manage to escape. It tried with all its might to lift the log, but it was no use. The only movement was its tail splashing in the water. The crocodile was exhausted. The buffalo was patiently waiting for the deer's instructions. 

"So, what happened next?" asked the deer. 

"That's when I stepped in to help. I lifted the tree trunk," replied the buffalo. "But then the crocodile got loose and bit my leg." 

"How did you manage to lift it?" Inquired the deer. The buffalo immediately went over to the tree trunk and bowed its head to lift it. 

"Ah, I see now. Don't lift the log," said the deer. 

"And what about the crocodile?" Asked the buffalo.

"Well, that crocodile is done for," answered the deer. "You're a stand-up guy, buffalo," said the deer. "Let that crocodile meet its fate. If it lives, you'll be in danger," the deer then ran off up the riverbank. 

The crocodile flinched at the deer's words, realising it had been outsmarted. With all its might, the crocodile split its tail, causing the river water to rise. The buffalo quickly jumped up and followed the deer up the cliff. 

"Watch out, deer! You tricked me. I'll get you!" Shouted the crocodile. But the deer and buffalo paid no mind to the crocodile's threats. The buffalo thanked the deer for saving its life by coming to the riverbank. The crocodile had already received its punishment for its wicked ways.

https://ceritarakyatmalaysia.blogspot.com/2008/07/sang-kancil-dengan-kerbau.html