Kancil the Mouse Deer and Harimau the Tiger

As retold by Jusby the Clown

Kancil (“kanchil”)the mischievous Mouse Deer

The Royal Pudding

One day, the mischievous little Kancil the Mouse Deer was walking, walking, walking through the forest. He came upon a large muddy pond and thought “It seems a shame to waste a valuable natural resource such as this!” So he sat and waited until Harimau the Tiger came slinking-slinking up, hungry as always.

Harimau said, “Kancil! Now I shall have second breakfast!”“Halt!” Kancil shouted, “I have been appointed guardian of the royal pudding! You may not have any unless the king himself commands it!” “I was not planning to have pudding,” Harimau said, “I was planning to eat YOU! But now that you mention it, pudding sounds like a splendid treat for dessert!”Kancil said, “This delicious pudding is too rich for any but the noblest of men or beasts. This fine mocha chocolatte pudding is said to be so creamy delicious that it will quench the most insatiable hunger for days.”“Ooohh…” purred Harimau, “I shall definitely enjoy this rich pudding after I eat you! How can I have any pudding if I don’t eat my meat?!”“Alas, life is so short! I see that now as I am about to die!” cried Kancil, “I suggest you eat your dessert first. After all, you can never know when your time will come.”

“If you are indeed still hungry after the delicious royal pudding you can eat me, but you will have to guard the pudding for the king.”

“HA!” laughed Harimau, “Watch me!” As he started to reach into the muddy pond Kancil yelled, “Hurry, fill your mouth with as much pudding as it will hold! The King’s soldiers are coming!”

Harimau scooped with both paws and filled his mouth with mud-mud-mud as fast as he could until… PBBBT!!! Spit-spit-spit!

He realized he had been tricked and was not able to eat anything for quite a while.

Kancil galloped away laughing, “Make sure no one else eats the king’s pudding!”

The King’s Magic Drum

In time, Harimau came upon Kancil again. Kancil was hiding in the hole of a tree.“Come on out, Little Mousey, so I can eat you!” growled Harimau.“I can’t right now. I’m guarding the king’s magic drum,” said Kancil.“Oh, yeah?” asked Harimau, “What’s so magic about it?”“It is said,” whispered Kancil, “That whoever beats-beats-beats on this drum will make a sound the whole forest will hear. It will be a peak experience they will never forget if they live a thousand years!”“Let me beat the drum,” said Harimau.“I couldn’t,” replied Kancil, “The king would have me killed!”“If you don’t I will kill you! I only want to beat-beat on it for a little while; the king doesn’t have to know.”

“I’ll tell you what. Let me go hide where the king can’t see me and when I give the word you can beat-beat-beat the drum all you want. It’s hanging right here,” said Kancil as he galloped away. “Okay, you can beat-beat-beat the drum now,” he yelled from behind a large tree.Harimau took the drum down and began beat-beat-beating it, but it wasn’t really a drum. It was a nest of giant venomous M. Garuda wasps who grow to 2 inches long and have pinchers longer than their legs! Pinch-pinch-pinch.Harimau began making a sound the whole forest could hear as he screamed and ran. Kancil just laughed, “Are you having a peak experience?”

The King’s Magic BeltTime passed, months or years, we cannot be sure, but it was evening time when Kancil came across a coiled up Ular the Snake. Very cautiously, he sat and waited, waited, waited for Harimau the Tiger.

As Harimau approached, Kancil said, “I see you there, Harimau! You are not that sneaky.”“Yes, well, I am fast, and I am strong, and I am hungry, and I am still angry with you, so I think you will be my dinner!”“I can’t be your dinner. I’m guarding the king’s magic belt,” said Kancil pointing at Ular.“Oh yeah?” What’s so magic about this belt?” asked Harimau.“It is said,” whispered Kancil, “that whoever sleeps with this belt on will become invisible and will travel peaceful through the jungle forever, eating whatever they want without a hassle.”“I’d like to try that belt on,” said Harimau.“I couldn’t let you,” Kancil said, “The King would have me killed!”

“If you don’t I will kill you,” Harimau threatened, thinking of all the hassles he would avoid if he could just get that belt on and become invisible. He was planning on eating Kancil as soon as the magic worked.“I’ll tell you what. I’ll put it on to show you how it works,” and he picked up the tail of Ular and started wrapping it around himself.“No! No!” shouted Harimau for he realized that Kancil would soon become invisible and escape. He grabbed the tail and began wrapping it around himself.

However, this was no ordinary Ular. This was the Asian Reticulated Python who grows to 32 feet long. Soon, he was wrapped from his feet to his stomach and he was getting tired. “Help me, Kancil. I can’t wrap the rest of myself. This belt is so long!”Kancil said, “That’s what makes it so magic.” When Harimau was wrapped up to his neck Kancil said, “Sweet dreams. You will soon be invisible. I have to go hide from the king now. Please spare me. I’m going to be in enough trouble without an angry invisible tiger chasing me.”“Ha!” said Harimau, closing his eyes. That was the last either one saw of each other.