Candra Kirana was beautiful, with good manners and a gentle heart. For all those reasons, she had been betrothed to Raden Inu Kertapati, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Kahuripan.
“This can’t be happening,” grumbled the jealous Dewi Galuh. She envied Candra Kirana for having been chosen to be the consort of Pangeran Inu Kertapati. “I have to do something.”
Dewi Galuh came to an old wicked witch. She asked the witch to put a spell on Candra Kirana and transform her into a frog, chick, duck, or monkey so that Candra Kirana could never be with Pangeran Inu Kertapati.
The old witch grinned and said that she was willing to help on one condition: that Dewi Galuh should expel Candra Kirana from the palace.
Then Dewi Galuh set out on her evil plan for Candra Kirana. When King Kertamarta asked Candra Kirana to make him a cup of coffee, Dewi Galuh put a small amount of rat poison into the coffee when Candra Kirana wasn’t looking.
“What did you do to father ?” Dewi Galuh yelled, pretending to be so worried when her father, King Kertamarta, became ill and fainted with foam in his mouth.
Candra Kirana shook her head and shivered in confusion.
Dewi Galuh sniffed the coffee glass. “You …,” she pointed to Candra Kirana, “You poisoned our father !”
“No, I did not poison him. Why would I do that ? What ridiculous accusation is this ?” Candra Kirana said, trying to defend herself.
However, her defense was useless. Everyone suspected Candra Kirana for planning to murder King Kertamarta. As punishment, she would be banished from the kingdom until the day the King could forgive her.
Candra Kirana was so dejected and lonely. She didn’t know where to go. She wandered around aimlessly by the shore.
Behind her, Dewi Galuh and the Witch had been following her discreetly. “There she is,” whispered Dewi Galuh. “Cast your spell now, Old Witch !” asked her.
Without hesitation, the witch recited her mantra. She was waving her hands, inhaling very deeply, making her belly bloated just like a pregnant woman.
Dewi Galuh, who was standing next to the Witch, shivered a little.
When Candra Kirana was right beside a coral reef, the old Witch pushed the air out of her belly. Like a powerful gust of wind, it blew Candra Kirana.
Pop ! Candra Kirana was transformed into a golden snail.
“Wonderful ! You are really are powerful, Old Witch !” Dewi Galuh jumped for joy. She picked the golden snail that was Candra Kirana. “Now, you would never marry Raden Inu Kertapati, or any prince, ever !” she said proudly.
Then she threw the snail into the sea.
“Thank you, Old Witch !” Dewi Galuh said, reaching for a pocket of money. “Here is your payment, as promised.” She handed the pocket of money to the witch.
The old witch accepted with a very spooky laughter.
They were both laughing by the shore, without a care in the world for Candra Kirana, who was then being tossed and turned by the waves in the middle of the sea. Her only hope was that the waves would eventually bring her back to shore.
Suddenly, she heard the waves whispered kindly. “Don’t be afraid, Candra Kirana. Since you have a very good heart, we will help you. We’ll take you somewhere safe.”
After a night being lost in the sea, Candra Kirana, the golden snail, finally arrived at the shore in the morning. From her watery eyes, she could see an old fisher woman spreading her net.
Hup ! Her net caught her. As the fisherwoman pulled her net, she removed her catch, including the golden snail, into a container made from bamboo.
Somehow, Candra Kirana felt a little relieved for, at least, she was in dry land. If only she could talk, she would have said thank you to the old woman.
The old woman then brought her catch home-to a small hut. She put the fishes and the golden snail in an earthenware container.
Right then and there, she noticed the unusual catch. She smiled and lifted the golden snail, then put it on top of the water jug. Then, she returned to work at the sea.
The next day, very early in the morning, the old woman went fishing, as she would everyday. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky that day. Until dusk, she caught not a single fish.
“Well, probably I’m just not lucky today,” she said as she wiped her sweat away with the edge of her kabaya. “It’s better for me to go home then.”
Without a grudge, the old lady, Granny Dadapan, walked back home.
What happened when she arrived ? What a surprise ! She found plenty of delicious food served on her small table.
“Oh, God, who sent these to my house ?” Granny Dadapan said in shock.
She hurried to the food and tasted it, in fear that her eyes were only playing tricks on her.
That evening, for the very first time in her life, the old lady tasted such a delicious meal. However she wasn’t greedy. She brought some over to her neighbors.
What an amazing gift for the old fisherwoman.
At night, as she went to bed, she kept trying to figure out who could possibly have sent her the food, since she lived alone and had no family. Her neighbors were also very poor, they could not afford to send her such delicious and abundant food.
“Who is it then ?” she kept thinking. “Ah, maybe God simply decided to send me a miracle,” she mumbled just before she closed her eyes.
The golden snail smiled hearing the old woman’s thoughts. She had just realized that the witch’s spell would be undone in the daytime. Therefore, for a few hours a day, she could assume her human form. She took advantage of the situation to give thanks to the old fisherwoman by fixing her a delicious meal.
The miracle at the dining table did not happen once, but again and again. It made the old fisherwoman so curious that one day, she pretended to go fishing and hid behind her house.
Sometime around noon, she peeped through the window. What she saw surprised her beyond words. She saw the Golden Snail transform into a very beautiful princess. She rushed inside the house.
‘Who are you ?” the fisherwoman asked.
Startled, Candra Kirana blurted, “I’m Candra Kirana, a princess of the Kingdom of Daha, and I don’t know why I was transformed into snail,” she explained.
“Then why did you cook for me ?” asked the old fisherwoman.
“I just would like to thank you for saving me from the sea.” Candra Kirana said just before she retransformed into the golden snail.
On the same day, at a distant village, a young man was talking to a black crow.
“Are you sure Candra Kirana went that way ?” asked the sturdy young man.
“Yes, I’m sure, because I saw her with my own eyes when she left that way,” The crow answered.
The young man thanked the crow and followed its instruction. He thought since the crow could talk so well, it must be a sacred and holy crow. However, he was going in the wrong direction.
In the middle of his journey, he met an old man in a white robe who looked frail and hungry. The man’s body was so thin and skinny, evoking the young man’s pity.
“I haven’t eaten for three days,” said the old man.
The young man helped the old man rest below a big apple tree. He then picked some apples for the old man.
“Thank you, young man, you’re very kind,” the old man said. “May I know where you are going ?” he said.
The young man told the old man that he was trying to find Princess Candra Kirana who was banished from the kingdom of Daha. In the meantime, the black crow hovered above them.
The old man nodded a few times and then showed the young man where he should go.
“So, for days I’ve been walking in the wrong direction ?” the young man sighed in disbelief.
“Hey ! Young man ! Don’t trust the old man ! He’s showing you the wrong direction !” said the black crow, now sitting on the apple tree’s branch.
The old man shook his head, “No, I’m not lying. It’s that crow who lies !”
Then the old man swung his stick at the crow. And poof ! The young man was very shocked. The black crow disappeared to smoke, in the shape of an old witch.
The young man then walked in the direction showed him by the old man. Not a day passed that he didn’t ask far and wide where the village, his destination, was.
He finally arrived at a village by the shore. “Excuse me, may I have some water please ?” the young man asked an old woman who had just come out from her house.
“Sure,” the old woman said. “I’ll get you some,” then she went back inside her house.
Suddenly, the young man caught a glance of a young woman cooking inside the house. “Perhaps she’s the old woman’s daughter,” the young man thought. However, he felt as if he had seen her before.
“If may I know, who is the young woman cooking inside ? Is she your daughter ?” asked the young man to Granny Dadapan, who returned with a cup of water.
Granny Dadapan shook her head. “She’s not my daughter. She’s Princess Candra Kirana. I found her in the form of a golden snail. It seemed that someone had cast an evil spell on her,” she explained.
“What ? Candra Kirana ?” the young man said excitedly. “May I please see her ?”
“Wait here,” she said before entering the house. After a few moments, the old woman came out with the beautiful Candra Kirana.
“Prince Inu Kertapati !” Candra Kirana shouted for joy when she recognized her prince, although he was disguised as a commonfolk.
“Candra Kirana, please forgive me. I did’t know you were transformed into a golden snail,” said Prince Inu Kertapati.
On the same day, Prince Inu brought Candra Kirana back to the palace of Daha Kingdom. Candra Kirana was willing to go home on one condition: that they would take the old fisherwoman with them.
When Prince Inu and Candra Kirana arrived at the Kingdom of Daha, Dewi Galuh was shocked beyond her wits. She rushed to the old witch’s hideout. The witch told her that the spell would automatically be broken when Candra Kirana met Prince Inu Kertapati.
“Why didn’t you tell me before ?” yelled Dewi Galuh angrily.
The next second, she escaped to the woods. She was afraid the whole kingdom would find out what she did. As she ran carelessly, she slipped and fell into a ravine.
Dewi Galuh didn’t even think that Candra Kirana would have forgiven her-if only she would be willing to admit her deeds.
Do you know where Dewi Galuh is presently ? If you should ever meet her, would you please tell her to go home-as Princess Candra Kirana and Prince Inu Kertapati are going to be married soon.
Dahulu kala, hiduplah seorang raja bernama Kertamarta. Dia memimpin sebuah kerajaan yang cukup makmur bernama Kerajaan Daha. Raja Kertamarta mempunyai dua orang putri yang cantik-cantik bernama Dewi Galuh dan Candra Kirana.
Candra Kirana selain cantik, budi pekertinya baik, perasaannya halus, dan hatinya lembut. Oleh karena itu, dia akan dijadikan pendamping putra mahkota Kerajaan Kahuripan, bernama Raden Inu Kertapati yang bijaksana.
“Ini tidak boleh dibiarkan,” gumam Dewi Galuh yang iri dan pencemburu. Diam-diam, dia tidak suka Candra Kirana akan dijadikan pendamping hidup Pangeran Inu Kertapati. “Aku harus melakukan sesuatu.”
Dewi Galuh mendatangi seorang Nenek Sihir yang jahat. Dia ingin Candra Kirana diubah menjadi katak, ayam, bebek, atau monyet supaya tidak bersama dengan Pangeran Inu Kertapati.
Nenek Sihir terkekeh-kekeh dan berkata ia bersedia membantu dengan satu syarat. Dewi Galuh harus bisa mengusir Candra Kirana dari istana.
Dewi Galuh lalu memfitnah Candra Kirana tanpa perasaan. Sewaktu Candra Kirana diminta Ayahanda Kertamarta membuatkan kopi, kopi yang dibuat Candra Kirana diberi sedikit racun tikus oleh Dewi Galuh.
“Kamu apakah Ayahanda ?” teriak Dewi Galuh ketika-tidak lama setelah meminum kopi yang dibuat Candra Kirana-Raja Kertamarta sesak napas, pingsan, dan mulutnya penuh dengan busa.
Candra Kirana menggeleng-gelengkan kepala, tidak tahu apa yang terjadi.
Dewi Galuh lantas mencium gelas bekas kopi, “Kamu …,” tuduhnya, “kamu meracuni Ayahanda !”
“Tidak. Aku tidak meracuninya. Sungguh ! Tuduhan macam apa ini ?” Candra Kirana membela diri.
Namun pembelaan diri Candra Kirana sia-sia. Candra Kirana tetap dituduh hendak membunuh Raja Kertamarta. Sebagai ganjaran, dia diusir dari kerajaan hingga Raja Kertamarta memaafkannya.
Candra Kirana amat sedih, sekarang dia sendirian dan tidak memiliki siapa pun. Dia tidak tahu akan pergi ke mana. Disusurinya pesisir pantai dengan gundah.
Di belakangnya, Dewi Galuh dan Nenek Sihir mengikutinya diam-diam. “Itu dia,” bisik Dewi Galuh. “Ubah dia sekarang juga, Nenek Peot,” pintanya kemudian.
Tanpa menunggu perintah dua kali, Nenek Sihir membaca mantranya. Tangannya menggapai-gapai udara beberapa kali, lantas menarik napas hingga perutnya membuncit seperti orang hamil sembilan bulan.
Dewi Galuh yang berada di samping Nenek Sihir agak merinding.
Tepat saat Candra Kirana berada di dekat sebuah batu karang, Nenek Sihir menghembuskan kuat-kuat udara yang memenuhi perutnya. Angin itu bertiup begitu kuat, hingga menggapai Candra Kirana.
Blup ! Candra Kirana berubah menjadi keong berwarna emas.
“Hebat! Kamu hebat, Nenek Peot!” Dewi Galuh tertawa kegirangan. Dipungutnya keong emas penjelmaan Candra Kirana. “Sekarang kamu tidak mungkin menikah dengan Raden Inu Kertapati !” katanya sombong, masih sambil tertawa lebar.
Keong itu lalu dilempar ke tengah laut.
“Terima kasih, Nenek Peot,” ucap Dewi Galuh sambil mengeluarkan kantung uangnya. “Seperti janjiku tempo hari, ini sekantung uang untukmu.” Ia menyerahkan kantung uang itu pada Nenek Sihir.
Nenek Sihir menerimanya dengan tawa yang cukup membuat bulu kuduk merinding.
Mereka sama sekali tidak menghiraukan keadaan Candra Kirana yang terombang-ambing terbawa ombak laut. Putri yang malang itu tidak bisa melakukan apa pun, kecuali mengharap ombak membantu membawanya kembali ke darat.
Tanpa diduga-duga, ombak pun berbisik, “Jangan takut Candra Kirana. Karena kamu baik hati, kami akan menolongmu. Kau akan kami bawa ke tempat yang aman.”
Setelah semalaman di laut, Canda Kirana yang menjadi keong emas akhirnya sampai juga di dekat pantai yang tenang. Dari atas air, dia melihat ada seorang nenek nelayan sedang menjaring ikan.
Hup ! Tiba-tiba jaring ikan nenek tersebut menjaring keong emas. Lantas, keong emas diambilnya dan diletakkannya bersama ikan-ikan hasil tangkapannya di dalam bul-bul.
Keong emas sedikit lega, karena sekarang tidak lagi terombang-ambing di laut. Seandainya dia bisa berbicara, dia akan mengucapkan terima kasih kepada nenek tersebut.
Tidak lama kemudian, nenek membawanya ke sebuah gubug kecil. Ikan hasil tangkapan hari itu, dia letakkan di atas tempayan, termasuk keong emas.
Nenek tersebut tersenyum ketika melihat keong emas yang tidak lain adalah Candra Kirana. Nenek tersebut lalu meletakkan keong emas di dekat kendi air, di dalam rumahnya. Kemudian, ia pun kembali melaut.
Keesokan harinya, pagi-pagi sekali nenek nelayan kembali mencari ikan. Hari itu ternyata dia kurang beruntung. Hingga menjelang petang, tak satu pun ikan yang dia dapat.
“Mungkin, hari ini rezekiku sedikit berkurang,” kata nenek sambil mengusap peluh dengan ujung kebayanya yang sudah kusut. “Sebaiknya aku pulang saja.”
Tanpa rasa kesal sedikit pun, nenek nelayan bernama Nenek Dadapan itu kembali ke rumah.
Apa yang terjadi ketika dia tiba di rumah ? Sungguh, amat mengagetkan. Di atas meja makan kecil, di dalam rumahnya yang sempit telah terhidang berbagai macam makanan.
“Ya Tuhan, siapa yang mengirim makanan ini ?” teriak nenek sambil mendekati makanan tersebut.
Buru-buru dicicipinya, sebab dia masih ragu, apakah yang ada di depannya makanan sungguhan atau hanya ilusi ?
Hari itu juga, untuk pertama kalinya, nenek nelayan merasakan makanan yang sangat lezat. Namun, ia tidak serakah. Makanan itu juga dibagi kepada tetangga di samping kiri dan kanan rumah nenek nelayan.
Sungguh, anugerah yang luar biasa untuk nenek nelayan.
Malam harinya, ketika nenek nelayan hendak tidur, pikirannya melayang, mengira-ngira, siapa sebetulnya yang mengirim makanan kepadanya ? Dia hidup sebatang kara, tidak ada sanak saudara. Tetangga-tetangganya juga miskin, sehingga tidak mungkin memberinya makanan selezat dan sebanyak itu.
“Lalu siapa?” gumam nenek nelayan. “Ah, barangkali Tuhan yang mengirimkan makanan itu,” sambungnya sebelum menutup mata.
Keong emas yang mendengar gumaman nenek nelayan hanya tersenyum. Dia baru menyadari ternyata kutukan nenek sihir itu hilang di siang hari. Karena itu, selama beberapa jam, dia bisa kembali ke wujud manusianya. Dia memanfaatkan keadaan itu untuk mengungkapkan rasa terima kasihnya kepada nenek nelayan dengan memasakkan makanan untuknya.
Kejadian di meja makan ternyata tidak terjadi ekali, tetapi berkali-kali. Hal itu membuat nenek nelayan penasaran. Saking penasarannya, suatu waktu nenek nelayan pura-pura hendak mencari ikan dan bersembunyi di belakang rumah.
Menjelang siang, nenek nelayan mengintip apa yang terjadi di dalam rumahnya. Sungguh kaget dia dibuatnya. Dia melihat keong emas menjelma menjadi seorang putri yang cantik jelita. Buru-buru dia masuk ke dalam rumah.
“Kamu siapa ?” tanya nenek nelayan.
Candra Kirana kaget sekali tiba-tiba ditegur nenek nelayan, “Aku Candra Kirana, putri Kerajaan Daha. Entah mengapa, aku tiba-tiba menjadi keong emas,” jelasnya setelah tenang.
“Lalu, kenapa kamu memasak makanan untukku ?” tanya nenek nelayan.
“Aku ingin mengucapkan terima kasih karena nenek telah menyelamatkanku dari laut,” ujar Candra Kirana, sebelum kembali menjadi keong emas.
Pada hari yang sama, nun jauh di sebuah desa, ada seorang pemuda gagah yang sedang berbincang-bincang dengan seekor gagak berwarna hitam kelam.
“Kamu yakin, Candra Kirana pergi ke arah sana ?” tanya pemuda berbadan tegap itu.
“Iya. Aku yakin karena aku melihatnya dengan mata kepala sendiri saat dia pergi,” jawab gagak.
Pemuda itu lalu mengikuti petunjuk gagak. Dia yakin, gagak itu tidak membohonginya karena baru kali ini dia melihat gagak bisa berbicara. Pasti itu gagak sakti. Padahal, pemuda itu diberi petunjuk jalan yang salah.
Di tengah perjalanan, pemuda itu bertemu dengan seorang kakek yang sedang kelaparan. Badannya yang sangat ringkih membuat pemuda itu merasa kasihan.
“Saya sudah tiga hari belum makan,” kata kakek berjubah putih tersebut.
Pemuda itu lalu memapah kakek itu untuk berteduh di bawah pohon apel. Dia lalu memetik beberapa buah untuk kakek tersebut.
“Terima kasih, nak. Kamu baik sekali,” ucap Kakek. “Kalau boleh tahu, kamu mau ke mana ?” tanyanya kemudian.
Pemuda itu menceritakan tujuannya mencari Putri Candra Kirana yang diusir dari Kerajaan Daha. Saat itu, gagak berwarna hitam gelap itu berada diatas mereka.
Kakek tersebut mengangguk-ngangguk lalu menunjukkan arah yang harus ditempuh sang pemuda.
“Jadi, selama berhari-hari berjalan, aku salah arah ?” gumam pemuda tersebut.
“Pemuda ! Kamu jangan hiraukan kakek itu ! Dia menunjukkan arah yang salah !” tiba-tiba, dari atas dahan pohon apel, si gagak berkaok.
Kakek menggelengkan kepalanya, ‘Tidak, aku tidak bohong. Gagak itulah yang berdusta !”
Setelah berkata begitu, kakek mengayunkan tongkatnya kearah gagak. Apa yang terjadi kemudian ? Pemuda tersebut terkejut. Tiba-tiba gagak itu berubah menjadi asap berbentuk nenek sihir.
Pemuda itu kemudian berjalan berhari-hari mengikuti arah yang ditunjukkan kakek sakti yang telah ditolongnya. Selama berhari-hari pula, dia bertanya ke sana-kemari mencari desa tujuannya.
Ia akhirnya tiba di sebuah desa di pinggir pantai. “Maaf, apa aku boleh meminta seteguk air ?” kata pemuda tersebut kepada seorang nenek yang baru saja keluar dari gubugnya.
“Oh, boleh,” kata nenek, “sebentar, aku ambilkan,” lanjutnya sambil kembali masuk ke dalam rumah.
Sekilas, pemuda tersebut melihat seseorang sedang memasak di dalam rumah. Ah, mungkin anak nenek nelayan, kata pemuda tersebut dalam hati. Akan tetapi, dia sepertinya sangat mengenalnya.
“Nek, kalau boleh tahu, siapa yang sedang memasak di dapur ? Anak Nenek ?” tanya pemuda itu penasaran ketika Nenek Dadapan keluar dengan segelas air.
Nenek Dadapan menggeleng, “Dia bukan anak saya. Dia Putri Candra Kirana. Dia sepertinya telah disihir menjadi keong emas,” jelasnya.
“Apa ? Candra Kirana ?” pemuda itu terkejut sekaligus senang. “Nek, apa aku boleh menemuinya ?”
“Sebentar, ya,” ujar nenek sebelum masuk ke rumah. Tidak lama kemudian nenek keluar bersama Candra Kirana yang cantik jelita.
“Pangeran Inu Kertapati !” teriak Candra Kirana begitu bertemu muka dengan pangeran yang menyamar menjadi rakyat biasa itu.
“Candra Kirana, maafkan aku. Aku tidak tahu kalau kamu disihir menjadi keong emas,” kata Pangeran Inu Kertapati.
Hari itu juga, Pangeran Inu mengajak Candra Kirana kembali ke istana. Candra Kirana bersedia pulang dengan syarat mereka membawa serta Nenek Dadapan.
Saat Pangeran Inu dan Candra Kirana tiba di Kerajan Daha, Dewi Galuh kaget luar biasa. Buru-buru dia menemui nenek sihir. Nenek sihir mengatakan kalau sihirnya akan hilang, begitu Candra Kirana bertemu dengan Pangeran Inu.
“Kenapa kamu tidak bilang dari dulu ?!” bentak Dewi Galuh sangat marah.
Setelah berkata begitu, Dewi Galuh melarikan diri ke hutan. Dia takut kalau seluruh kerajaan mengetahui perbuatannya. Karena ia lari dengan terburu-buru dan ceroboh, ia pun terperosok ke dalam jurang.
Dewi Galuh tidak tahu, sebetulnya Candra Kirana akan memaafkannya, seandainya dia mau mengakui perbuatannya.
Apa kalian tahu, dimana Dewi Galuh sekarang ? Kalau kalian bertemu dengannya, tolong minta ia pulang karena Putri Candra Kirana dan Pangeran Inu Kertapati akan segera menikah.
Josephine Rona / XII IPA 3 / 26
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