Jaka tarub and the Seven Fairies

Once upon a time, there lived a handsome and dashing young man named Jaka Tarub. He lived alone in his small hut near the forest. Days by days cultivated his rice field and looked for fire woods in the forest.

                One day, when he passed the nymph lake from looking for fire wood in the forest he saw seven beautiful ladies bathing in the lake. He was so curious, he peeped them through the bushes. Accidentally, there was a pink scarf belonged to one of the fairies floated near the bushes. He instantly took and hid it.

                Not long after that, the fairies had finished bathing they wanted to go back to the paradise. They found and wore their own scarves. One fairy, however, could not find her scarf. She was Nawangwulan, the youngest fairy. The six fairies, then, flew up to the sky following the way of the rainbow leaving Nawangwulan alone on the earth. Nawangwulan saw them leaving in tears. She could not fly and go back to the paradise because she could not find her pink scarf.

                Next, Jaka Tarub appeared from behind the bushes. He gave her a fabric to cover her body and offered to come home with him. At first, Nawangwulan refused the offer. Since she did not know where to go. Nawangwulan finally decided to follow Jaka Tarub. And Nawangwulan stayed in Jaka Tarub’s hut with him.

                After staying for almost a month in the hut, they decided to get married. And after a year they had a beautiful daughter named Kumalasari. They lived happily and peacefully in the hut. Days by days Jaka Tarub worked in his field planting rice and other crops while Nawangwulan did the house jobs while looking after Kumalasari.

                One day, Jaka Tarub did not go to the field. He stayed at home. He wanted to take care of Kumalasari on that day. Nawangwulan wanted to wash their clothes in the river. She asked her husband to keep an eyes on Kumalasari and told him not to open the pan cover in the kitchen before the rice was done. This made him so curious that it led Jaka Tarub not to obey what Nawangwulan told. He opened the pancover. How surprised he was to see that his wife cooked only a single paddy rice. And since then the rice in the barn was slowly lessen because of Jaka Tarub’s carelessness.

                Month by month the barn was completely empty. Nawangwulan stopped slowly into the barn to get rice to cook. She found only a few paddies left. And suddenly she was very surprised to find her loosing scarf when she took one of the paddies. And after dinner Nawangwulan showed the scarf that she found in the barn. She told Jaka Tarub that she had to leave for paradise. Jaka Tarub felt very sorry and asked for forgiveness, but it was too late. Nawangwulan flew to the paradise with her scarf leaving Jaka Tarub and Kumalasari behind.