NOTE: This was written for an assignment and the task was to rewrite a folklore. Since I knew people would rewrite fairy tales and would not rewrite a folklore, I took the step to do so and I am sorry if anyone were offended.
I am a Sarawakian, too. So, I rewrote Santubong and Sejinjang with no intention to KILL the original folklore.
DO NOT FEEL OFFENDED AND DO NOT THINK I DO NOT LOVE MY STATE. I DO AND THIS WAS WRITTEN ONLY FOR AN ASSIGNMENT TASK AND ALL BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO BE CLICHE.
Thanks.
Once upon a time, there was a king of a heavenly kingdom, Kayangan and he had two beautiful daughters and their names were Santubong and Sejinjang. Mesmerized by their beauty, the men all over Kayangan came to the palace to ask for their hand in marriage but the princesses accepted none of them. Seeing that his daughter had rejected all the men within the kingdom, the king decided to make an alliance with another king in a neighbouring kingdom, Inderaloka.
The Prince of Inderaloka came with his entourage a few days later bring all sorts of gifts to offer as a dowry to the princesses. The Prince arrived at the palace with the two princesses in the presence of their father, welcoming the Prince and his entourage. The Prince saw them and immediately fell in love with both Santubong and Sejinjang and told them that he would like to marry them both. Santubong and Sejinjang, who were both against the idea to be joint wives, looked at the Prince and rejected him without any questions, as his look was not at par to their beauty. The Prince then left the kingdom with no hard feelings but he did put a curse on them.
“Your beauty will be the one thing that will destroy you both.” he said before he left and set off back to Inderaloka.
Sadden with what happened, the king called onto his daughters and ordered them to leave Kayangan to go down to Earth. Surprisingly, the princesses accepted the offer made by their father. The king also told them that they will have to do what people on Earth did daily and teach them to do things correctly. Santubong was an excellent clothes designer whereas Sejinjang was a good cook. So, it was their task to go down to Earth one as a fashion boutique owner and the other as a restaurant owner.
Now, our story now brings us to a small city in Sarawak, Kuching, where the king had sent Santubong and Sejinjang to work amongst humans. Santubong opened a boutique while Sejinjang opened a restaurant nearby Santubong’s boutique, as she did not want to be far from her sister and she considered her sister her only best friend.
Santubong’s boutique was very popular among the people and people liked the clothes she sold and designed. They find her work unique and original. Whereas, Sejinjang’s restaurant was well known throughout the whole city. Never was there a day where she has no customers coming in and out of the restaurant. From Kayangan, their father saw their success and was happy to see the decision to send his daughters to Earth to enlighten the hearts of the people there.
Very often, he would go down to Earth and meet the sisters at the foot of a mountain in a village called Buntal. Now, the reason behind this meeting at the foot of the mountain is this; Santubong’s namesake was from this mountain. Santubong would go to the mountain to seek tranquility away from the hustle and bustle from the city. That was the only place where she could feel like she was at peace with herself and with nature, more importantly, with her father. Sejinjang, however, enjoyed life in the city.
One fateful day, when the princesses were sitting in Sejinjang’s restaurant drinking coffee and talking about what happened earlier in the day, a very handsome young man walked into Sejinjang’s restaurant and his name was Satria Samudra – Sam for short. The two princesses both fell in love with Sam at first sight, but Sejinjang nobly gave in to Santubong knowing that she had truly fallen deeply in love with Sam. Sam, however, had also fallen in love with Santubong but remained friends with Sejinjang.
Ever since that first meeting, Sam was often seen sitting at Sejinjang’s restaurant with Santubong, who began to neglect her own business. Sejinjang was in denial that Santubong would be so negligent with Sam’s presence. She also struggled hard to keep her feelings towards Sam but since it was for the sake of Santubong’s happiness, Sejinjang remained silent.
Days turn into weeks, weeks turned into months. Santubong’s boutique suffered losses and eventually had to close down. Sejinjang, who was worried about Santubong’s losses, approached Santubong in attempt to offer words of advise. Unfortunately, Santubong took the action in a negative manner.
“I know you are in love with Sam, too, Sejinjang! And you are just jealous that Sam chose me over you.” Santubong said.
Sejinjang, sadden by what Santubong said to her, decided to just keep quiet and not bother with what was going on with Santubong’s life. It was after all, her life. Sejinjang just continued to do her business with her shop. Sejinjang then heard news that Santubong had decided to marry Sam and they were going to make a big do in the city. However, many people were invited to the grand wedding except Sejinjang, sister of the bride. Sejinjang had made up her mind, even if she was invited, even at the last minute, she would not go to the wedding since from what was love had transformed into hatred. She did not hate him for choosing Santubong over her but for the fact that because of this one man, the sisters have this distant, which sadden Sejinjang. She used to be close to Santubong and now there is a barrier between them and his name was Sam.
Santubong thought she had her fairy tale but the longer she stayed with Sam, she then saw his true colours. He often came home late at night, under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Until one fateful day, as Santubong was washing Sam’s shirt, she found a note in his breast pocket. She opened it only to see that it was a phone number and another girl’s name. She did not want to believe that Sam was cheating on her. She did not want to believe that he was doing drugs and drinking alcohol when he goes out at night.
Many nights pass by, he came home drunk and high but she kept things to herself. A small flick of regret lighted up in her heart. Then, on one rainy night, when Sam came home, again under the influence, and she gathered up the courage to confront Sam. Unfortunately, Sam lost his temper and starting hitting her for confronting him. After that fateful night, it was almost like a routine.
Sejinjang was shopping for vegetables one day when she saw Santubong in the market, looking haggard and covered with bruises. She tried to call Santubong but Santubong was moving away so fast. Then it hit Sejinjang to investigate Santubong’s situation. Sejinjang then spoke to a few people she could rely on to keep an eye on Sam’s house. Then, there was word that Santubong was beaten up by Sam almost every other night when he came home, drunk. Then, when Sejinjang discovered the truth, she decided to approach Santubong whether Santubong likes it or not and when she sees Santubong the next time.
For weeks, Sejinjang was hoping to see Santubong in the market but Santubong was nowhere to be seen. Finally, Sejinjang took the courage to approach Santubong at home when Sam was out, which was almost every other night. Santubong opened the door, and she looked horrible. Sejinjang wanted to cry when she saw Santubong. Santubong did not glowing like she always did. Sejinjang asked Santubong what happened and at first Santubong denied and told Sejinjang to mind her own business.
“Well, if you put it that way, if there is anything, you know you can always count on me because I am your sister.” Sejinjang said as she left Santubong’s house.
Santubong, pierced by her sister’s words, closed the door and broke down into tears. That night when Sam came home, Santubong was in the washroom when he came home calling for her. She did not hear him as she was occupied with herself. He called her again and she came running down the staircase and attended to him. Sam slapped her and pulled her hair as he dragged her to the kitchen. Santubong tried not to scream as he did warn her that he would kill her if she screamed and if the neighbours heard her screaming. In the kitchen, Sam took a blunt mortar and hit Santubong. This caused her cheek to bleed. He then let her hair go and then threw the mortar aside. Santubong, who could not take any more abuse, got up and ran out of the house. Santubong could not think of whom to run to, so she ran to Sejinjang’s house. When Sejinjang opened the door, she saw a bleeding and crying Santubong, who hugged her and asked for forgiveness. Sejinjang saw the wound on Santubong’s face and body; she told Santubong that she was going to take her to the hospital to treat the wound. As they got into the car, Santubong lost consciousness.
Sejinjang, had never felt so much hate in her being, was angry with Sam for abusing her sister. She had even thought of plotting the death of Sam but then, it was not ethical for her to do so. After sending Santubong to the hospital, Sejinjang decided to approach Sam and confront him about Santubong’s condition but he was not at home when she went to his house. Sejinjang then went to an isolated area and asked for the aid of her father. She asked something from her father, which would turn her mortal. Reluctantly, the father agreed, all to save his daughters. After asking for help from her father, Sejinjang went and looked for Sam in the nightclub where she knew he frequent. She had powers to transform her looks and shape and transformed into a club girl who went up to him and pretended to seduce him. When she succeeded in doing so, she lured him to a secluded spot and held him by the neck. Sam thought it was foreplay and touched her, until she transformed into a beast. Sam then got scared but since her hands were holding at his throat, he could not get away. She threatened to eat him if he did not tell her what he did to Santubong and if he did not apologise to her. Due to being scared out of his pants, he apologized but Sejinjang was not convinced. She transformed into her true self and told him to turn himself down to the police for domestic abuse upon her sister and if he did not do what she told him to do, she would haunt him for she was capable of doing so.
Sam was so scared, he ran straight for the police station and turned himself to the police and was punished for domestic abuse and attempted murder, thus getting mandatory sentence. Santubong, however, was in a coma but eventually waked up to see that Sejinjang was caressing her head, which was bandaged. Santubong felt so much regret that she apologized to Santubong for her attitude. Sejinjang sensed the sincerity in her voice and accepted her apologies and told her that it was her job as a sister to forgive her. Sejinjang then explained to Santubong because of this incident, their father made them mortal as it was requested by Sejinjang to teach them both a lesson about jealousy.
When the sisters got old, they both died after another due to extreme sadness and neither one of them ever got married after what happened between Santubong, Sejinjang and Sam. Their father, watching from above, knew how much they loved each other had made them patrons on the mountains of the state for people to remember them and their story.
