Once there was a man named Apai Gumok, which meant “'fat
man”. Apai Gumok and his wife, who was also fat, lived in a small village near
a river. Unfortunately, Apai Gumok's wife was a scold, but she had her reasons
to be like that. Her husband was not a very good hunter. He often came home
after hunting all day with only a small bird. And he was not a good fisherman
either because he usually caught only a few small fishes. All the villagers
laughed at Apai Gumok, and his wife always shouted at him because he never
brought home enough food to eat.
One day, when he was out hunting in the jungle, Apai
Gumok met a witch. He tried to escape, he ran at every direction, but wherever
he turned, he saw the witch again. What a frightening witch. She had long dirty
hair, long dirty fingernails, and broken teeth.
When Apai Gumok was tired of running, he spoke to the
witch. “Why are you following me?” he asked.
The witch laughed, “I want to help you, Apai Gumok. I want
to make you a rich and powerful man. I want you to have the respect of the
villagers so they won't laugh at you anymore.”
Apai Gumok could barely believe his ears. “But surely you
won't help me just out of the kindness of your heart,” he said. “What do you
want?”
Again the witch laughed. It was an evil laugh. “Simple,”
she said. “When you are rich, powerful and respected, I want you to marry me.”
“But I'm already married,” said Apai Gumok.
“No problem,” said the witch, “I'll change your wife into
a little pink pig with black spots on its head. Then you can become a famous
hunter and marry me.”
Apai Gumok wanted to be rich and respected. He also
wanted to be a famous hunter. And his wife wasn't very kind to him. Still, the
witch frightened him, and he did not want to marry such a dirty woman. He ran
back to the village.
“Where are you, Wife?” he cried when he reached the
house.
“Oink.”
“Wife?” he called again.
“Oink.”
In the house there was a little pink pig with black spots
on its head! From that day onwards, nobody saw Apai Gumok's wife. He said she
had gone to another village to visit her aunt. They all noticed his new friend
because the little pig followed him everywhere.
Soon strange things began to happen to Apai Gumok. He
became a fine hunter, and a very good fisherman. Before long, he was famous as
the best hunter in the village. Then, one day he found gold beneath his house,
and Apai Gumok became a rich man.
One month later, Apai Gumok came across the witch in the
jungle.
“We must be married soon,” she said.
But Apai Gumok tried to make some excuses.
Finally the witch insisted. “I've been waiting a long
time, Apai Gumok.”
“You have what you want, and now you must give me what I
want. I want a husband.”
Apai Gumok looked at the ugly old witch, and then he
looked down at the pig.
“One wife is enough,” he said. “I don't want another
wife.”
At that time the pig squealed and the witch shouted. They
were both very angry. Apai Gumok did not know what to do. All he could think of
was a nice cool swim in the river.
“Look,” he said, “why don't we go swimming in the river?
We can talk about the wedding later.”
This idea seemed to please the witch and the pig, so off
they all went. When they had swum into the deepest part of the river, Apai
Gumok took hold of the witch's ears and held her head under the water. In a few
minutes she was drowned and died. He swam back to shore thinking that his
troubles were over.
“Husband, here you are at last,” said a familiar voice.
Apai Gumok's wife was standing in the shallow water. The
little pink pig was nowhere to be seen. Apai Gumok was relieved. He looked at
his fat wife and thought how pretty and clean she was. Together they walked
back to the village where they then lived happily ever after.
-FIN-
Read the Indonesian translation HERE
Author: Unknown
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