The curious ladybug

Once upon a time, a cheerful ladybug was in the park hopping from one flower to another and
enjoying the nice sunny day. The ladybug was a very curious, and liked to check out anything
new.

While she was enjoying herself and hopping from on red rose to another, she noticed the
front door opening and a man leaving the house. He left the door cracked open as he gathered
his things, so the ladybug flew in. On her way in she almost bumped into a woman who was
heading out. The woman walked out the door and slammed it shut. Oops, the ladybug was
stuck inside!

The ladybug didn't care at first. She wanted to look around and explore. She flew into the
bedroom, it was tidy and nice. She then flew to the bathroom and found it very boring so she
left right away. Then she flew into the kitchen where she nibbled on some crumbs she found
on the table. She also licked a spot of maple syrup she found on the table.

Now that the ladybug had seen everything she was ready to leave. But how could she when
all the doors and windows were closed. So the ladybug decided to wait until the people came
home so that she could fly out the crack again as they came in.

She waited, and waited until she got tired of waiting and got hungry too. She decided to fly
back to the kitchen to take another lick of the maple syrup on the table. "Yum" she thought as
she slurped up some maple syrup, "Mmmm". But just then the man and woman came home
and shut the door behind them. The ladybug had missed her chance.

She would have to try again the next day, she though as she hid under the lampshade in the
living room, right next to the door. The man and woman went to bed and the ladybug fell
asleep under the lampshade. She was so tired and it had been a long day. She was sleeping
very deeply, having lovely ladybug dreams, when she heard the door opening and closing.
"What happened?" she thought, " How could I have missed them again?" It seems she was so
tired that she didn't even hear them wake up, get dressed, and head out to work.
She looked around everywhere. She was hoping there was a cracked window or a hole in the
wall, but she couldn't find any. She tried to squeeze under the door, but there just wasn't
enough room. She just had to wait….again!

This time she would not go to the kitchen, she would not rest or sleep either. She would just
wait…and she did, for a long, long time. But the man and his wife did not go back home right
away after work. Instead they decided to go out for dinner, and they stayed out late. The
ladybug waited till it was very dark and she was so tired. She gave up on them coming back
and fell asleep.

At about midnight the couple came back home. The ladybug woke up on the door slamming
shut and saw the man and the woman walking in. Then she waited until they went to bed and
fell asleep.

The ladybug decided not to wait until the morning to do something. She did not want to fall
asleep again and miss them leaving in the morning. She had thought of hiding in the woman's
purse, but the purse was closed shut and she was unable to get in..

Then she noticed the man's hat. "That would be a perfect place," she thought. "I can hide
inside the hat, all the way inside. Hopefully he won't shove his hat on really hard and squish
me." Then she crawled to the topmost part of the hat and waited till the morning.

In the morning the couple got dressed and went to work, but the man left his hat! The man
and woman walked out but the hat stayed…with the ladybug inside! Poor ladybug.

The man had forgotten his hat and when he noticed that he did he returned to the house to get
it. The ladybug was still inside it although she was just about to get out. The man took the hat
and gently placed it on his head. The ladybug sighed with relief. Then she realized
something. How was she going to get out from under the hat unless the man took it off? The
ladybug sure wasn't ready to wait any longer. She had already waited for two days to go back
to her family and she wanted to go to them now. So, the ladybug jumped on the man's bald
head and started tickling him on his scalp. The man felt his head starting to tickle and took
his hat off to itch it. At that very moment the ladybug was ready and she flew out to freedom.
"Free at last" she cried! And then she flew back home to her very worried family.
a little pink Rosebud
Once there was a little pink Rosebud, and she lived down in a little dark house under the
ground. One day she was sitting there, all by herself, and it was very still. Suddenly, she
heard a little TAP, TAP, TAP, at the door.

"Who is that?" she said.

"It's the Rain, and I want to come in;" said a soft, sad, little voice.
"No, you can't come in," the little Rosebud said.

By and by she heard another little TAP, TAP, TAP on the window pane.
"Who is there?" she said.

The same soft little voice answered, "It's the Rain, and I want to come in!"
"No, you can't come in," said the little Rosebud.
Then it was very still for a long time. At last, there came a little rustling, whispering sound,
all round the window: RUSTLE, WHISPER, WHISPER.
"Who is there?" said the little Rosebud.
"It's the Sunshine," said a little, soft, cheery voice, "and I want to come in!"

"N--no," said the little pink rose, "you can't come in." And she sat still again.

Pretty soon she heard the sweet little rustling noise at the key-hole.

"Who is there?" she said.

It's the Sunshine," said the cheery little voice, "and I want to come in, I want to come in!"

"No, no," said the little pink rose, "you cannot come in."
By and by, as she sat so still, she heard TAP, TAP, TAP, and RUSTLE, WHISPER,
RUSTLE, all up and down the window pane, and on the door, and at the key-hole.

"WHO IS THERE?" she said.

"It's the Rain and the Sun, the Rain and the Sun," said two little voices, together, "and we
want to come in! We want to come in! We want to come in!"

"Dear, dear!" said the little Rosebud, "if there are two of you, I s'pose I shall have to let you
in."

So she opened the door a little wee crack, and in they came. And one took one of her little
hands, and the other took her other little hand, and they ran, ran, ran with her, right up to the
top of the ground. Then they said,--
"Poke your head through!"

So she poked her head through; and she was in the midst of a beautiful garden. It was
springtime, and all the other flowers had their heads poked through; and she was the prettiest
little pink rose in the whole garden!
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Once, there lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a careless boy who
would play all day long. One day, when Aladdin was playing, an old man came up
to him, and said “Are you Aladdin? I can see you look very much like your father.
You don’t know me, but I am your uncle, and had been away in a distant country
for some time.” Thus he befriended Aladdin. Now, this strange man was no uncle
of Aladdin, but he was a wicked magician, who wanted to make use of the boy's
services.

Next day the magician led Aladdin to a beautiful garden outside the city. They
went a good way into the country, until they came to two mountains divided by a
narrow valley. There he lighted a fire, and threw into it some powder, all the time
repeating strange words. The ground then opened right before them, and a stone
trap-door appeared. Aladdin got very scared by seeing this. But the magician
calmly lifted the trap door and told Aladdin "Fear nothing, but obey me. Beneath
this stone lies a treasure which is to be yours, so you must do exactly as I tell you.
Go down, and at the foot of those steps you will find an open door leading into
three large halls. Go through them without touching anything. These halls lead
into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to niche in a terrace where
stands a lighted lamp. Blow the lamp out, pour out the oil it contains, and bring
the lamp to me."
Aladdin went through the door, and found all that the Magician had told him to be
true, and he found the lamp. As he came back through the garden, his eyes were
dazzled with the bright-coloured fruits on the trees, shining like glass. He plucked
and put some of these in his pockets, and then returned with the Lamp, and called
to his uncle to help him up the steps. "Give me the Lamp," said the magician,
angrily. "Not until I get out safe," cried the boy. The Magician, getting angry,
slammed down the trap-door, and Aladdin was shut inside.
Aladdin was sitting and crying, when he happened to rub the lamp by chance.
There was a strange sound and some smoke came out of the lamp. Then the smoke
assumed the shape of a strange figure, and the figure said “Hello master, I am the
genie of the lamp. I am at your command, please tell me what I can do for you.”
Aladdin cried, “I just want to go back to my mother”. In an instant Aladdin found
himself at home. He told his mother all that had happened. She felt curious, and
rubbed the lamp. The Genie of the Lamp arose again, and asked for their
commands. Aladdin and his mother asked for some food, and the choicest fare
instantly appeared on a pretty dish of silver. Aladdin and his mother feasted on the
rich fare brought to them. They lived happily for quite some time after that, since
the genie always fulfilled their wishes.
One day, while Aladdin was out on his walk, he chanced to see the King's daughter,
princess Bulbul. Bulbul was so beautiful, and Aladdin fell in love with her. So
Aladdin’s mother took a bowl full of the shining fruits he had gathered before, and
gifted it to the King, and asked for his daughter to be wed to Aladdin. The King
was amazed at the richness of the fruits, and said to Aladdin's mother: "Your son
shall have his wish, if he can send me forty bowls like this in a week." The Lamp
Genie brought the bowls of fruits, and Aladdin's mother went with them to the
King. The King was overjoyed at receiving these rich gifts, and had a grand feast to
marry Princess Bulbul and Aladdin. Aladdin then ordered the Lamp Genie to build a
superb Palace, and the young couple lived there quite happily for some time.
Meanwhile, the wicked Magician heard about Aladdin’s wonderful palace, and
knew that it was because of the Lamp Genie. He wished to get hold of the Magic
Lamp for himself, so one day when Aladdin was out of town, he went near the
palace with a basketful of lamps and cried out in the streets, "New lamps for old
ones! New lamps for old ones!" On hearing him, the young princess, who did not
know the value of Aladdin's old Lamp, changed it for a new one, and so the
Magician got the magic lamp.
immediately, the Magician asked the Genie to transport the Palace and princess
Bulbul to Africa. Aladdin's was so grief stricken, and went to Africa to find the
princess. The Princess was rejoiced to see him again. He then gave her a powerful
sleeping-tonic, and advised her to pour it into the Magician’s wine at dinner that
day. The magician fell sound asleep after drinking the tonic. Then Aladdin came
and took the Lamp, and called upon the Genie to transport the Palace, the
Princess, and himself, back. Aladdin and Bulbul lived in the palace and enjoyed
good fortune for a long time, and did not see the wicked magician again.

The Necklace
Mrs. Loisel was born into a poor family, but was endowed with great beauty. She was very
ambitious. She envisioned herself as part of the highest level of French society. As she grew
up, she was increasingly ashamed of her circumstances, but there was little she could do
about it. Eventually, she was married to a clerk at the Ministry of Education.

One day, Mr. Loisel brought home an invitation to a ball, from the Minister of Education.
When she looked at it, Mrs. Loisel was filled with sorrow. She sobbed, “I cannot come. I
don’t even have a good dress to wear,” she wailed. Soon, Mr. Loisel bought her a dress with
his savings.

Mrs. Loisel then said that the dress would look very plain without some jewelry. It was clear
that her husband could not afford any. So, she went to a rich friend, Mrs. Forestier, who
agreed to lend her a truly splendid diamond necklace.

Mrs. Loisel was the prettiest woman at the ball. All the important people admired her beauty.
It was nearly 4 a.m. when they returned home. Then she made a terrible discovery: The
necklace had disappeared! Their efforts to find it were in vain. It was gone, and they knew
they had to buy another, to give to Mrs. Forestier.

Mr.Loisel went to a jewelry shop and found a necklace that looked exactly like the one that
was lost. Its price was 36,000 francs. Mr. Loisel collected all his savings, and borrowed the
rest from a friend at a high rate of interest. He bought the necklace, and gave it to Mrs.
Forestier, who did not notice that this was a new necklace.

Then the Loisels settled down to pay the money that they had borrowed, to buy the necklace.

They dismissed their maid, and moved to a smaller house. Mrs. Loisel did all the rough
household work. Her finger-nails were no longer pretty: She ruined them scrubbing dishes.
She did all the washing and hung it out on the line to dry. Every morning, she emptied the
rubbish bin herself, and fetched water up the stairs, getting out of breath frequently. She was
dressed like a working woman, and haggled, argued and fought with the grocer and the
butcher for every penny.

Mr. Loisel spent his evenings working at some shops, and at night he often copied papers at a
few pennies per page.

This life went on for a few years. At the end of ten years, they had paid off every single
penny. Mrs. Loisel now looked like an old and lowly woman. Her hair and dress were untidy,
and her hands were rough and red.

One Sunday, she went for a walk in the Champs Elysees, and she caught sight of Mrs.
Forestier, after all those years. She walked up to her, and said,

“Good morning, Jeanne.”

Mrs. Forestier did not recognize her. She said, “I am afraid I don’t know you. Do you know
me? You must have made a mistake.”

“No, I am Mathilde Loisel.”

Mrs. Forestier was shocked.

“Oh, my poor dear Mathilde! What change has come over you!”

“Yes, I have had to go through some hard time. Remember the diamond necklace that I
borrowed from you? I lost it.”

“What do you mean? You brought it back to me.”

“I did not give you back the one you gave me. What I brought back to you was another one
that we bought. It was exactly like the original one. For the last ten years we have been busy
paying for it. Surely, you can understand that it was not easy for us to buy a diamond
necklace. However, it is all over now. It is such a relief that it is over.”

Mrs. Forestier stopped dead.

“You mean that you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?”

“Yes, of course, and you never noticed it? They were certainly very similar.”

Mrs.Loisel smiled with pride and satisfaction, but Mrs. Forestier seized both her hands in
great distress.

“Oh! My poor, dear Mathilde! Why, mine was only imitation. At the most it was worth only
five hundred francs!”
Cerita Kanak-kanak : Sang Kancil dan Sang Gajah

Bermulalah kisah pada suatu petang sang kancil yang cerdik bersiar-siar didalam hutan
belantara. Sedang ia bersiar-siar tiba-tiba sang kancil telah terjatuh ke jurang yang amat
dalam. Ia cuba untuk keluar berkali-kali malangnya tidak berjaya.

Setelah segala usaha yang dilakukan adalah sia-sia, sang kancil pun berfikir;

“Macam mana aku nak keluar dari lubang yang sangat dalam ini”

Setelah lama berfikir namun tiada idea yang bernas untuk sang kancil keluar dari lubang tadi,
namun sang kancil tetap tidak mahu berputus asa.

Dalam kebuntuan mencari idea, sang kancil telah terdengar bunyi tapak kaki yang besar.

“Kalau bunyi tapak kaki macamni, ni tak lain, mesti gajah ni!”

Kemudian Sang Kancil mendapat satu idea yang bernas untuk menyelamatkan diri untuk
keluar dari lubang.

Kemudian sang gajah yang lalu itupun menegur sang kancil;

“Eh sang kancil, tengah buat apa?” Tanya si Gajah.

“Menyelamatkan diri!”

“Dari apa?” Tanya gajah lagi.

“Dari bahaya, cuba tengok atas, langit nak runtuh, dah hitam” Balas sang kancil.

Gajah yang dungu ini pun terus mempercayai sang kancil bulat-bulat.
“Habis tu macam mana nak selamatkan diri?” Tanya si gajah.

“Masuklah sekali dalam lubang ini, kalau langit runtuh pun selamat kita dekat sini”

Tanpa berfikir panjang sang gajah pun terus melompat ke dalam lubang untuk
menyelamatkan dirinya. Kemudian sang kancil pun mengambil kesempatan untuk melompat
di atas badan gajah dan terus keluar dari lubang yang dalam itu.

“Haha, padan muka engkau, selamat aku” Kemudian sang kancil pun berlalu pergi
meninggalkan sang gajah yang masih terpinga-pinga di dalam lubang tadi”.

Seronok juga bila membaca cerita kanak-kanak begini. Teringat masa kecil dulu, inilah cerita
dongeng dan turun temurun yang diwarisi dari zaman berzaman. Namun bila difikirkan
kembali, apa yang cuba untuk disampaikan melalui cerita ini?

Jadilah seperti sang kancil yang cerdik tapi tak baik?

Atau jadilah seperti sang gajah yang baik tapi tak cerdik?

“Orang baik tak cerdik akan ditipu, orang yang cerdik tapi tak baik akan menipu”

Jangan jadi sang kancil seperti dalam cerita tadi kerana sang kancil yang cerdik tapi tak baik
telah menipu sang gajah untuk menyelamatkan diri. Juga jangan jadi seperti sang gajah
kerana walaupun baik tapi tak cerdik akan ditipu.

Jadi tiada pilihan lain selain jadi orang yang cerdik dan baik kerana orang yang sebegini tidak
akan ditipu juga tidak menipu. Dan pengakhiran cerita sang kancil dan sang gajah itu
sepatutnya begini.

“Eh, sang kancil, tengah buat apa?” Tanya sang gajah.

“Aku terjatuh dalam lubang yang besar inilah, dah berkali-kali aku cuba untuk keluar tapi tak
berjaya, bagaimana kalau engkau berjaya tolong aku untuk keluar dari sini, aku akan bagi
tebu yang paling besar di dalam hutan rimba ini!” balas sang kancil

“Oh, ye ke, baiklah tapi aku nak keluarkan engkau bagaimana?”

“Cuba engkau tengok sekeliling, mana tau ada dahan kayu ke pokok tumbang ke untuk
keluarkan aku dari lubang ini”

“Oh aku Nampak ada dahan kayu”

Kemudian sang gajah menggunakan kekuatannya menolak tunggul kayu dan menggunakan
belalainya untuk menolak tunggul kayu ke dalam lubang.

Kemudian sang kancil pun keluar dari lubang itu dan seperti yang dijanjikan, memberikan
sang gajah tebu yang paling besar dalam hutan rimba.

Bawang Putih Bawang Merah

Sejak ketiadaan ayah dan ibu kandungnya, Bawang Putih tinggal bersama ibu tirinya, Mak
Kundur dan adik tirinya Bawang Merah. Mereka sangat benci akan Bawang Putih. Dia sering
dimarahi dan dipukul.

    Pada suatu malam, Bawang Putih bermimpi bertemu ibunya. Ibunya menyuruhnya masuk
ke hutan dan mencari pohon beringin rendang. "Pergilah hiburkan hatimu dan bersabarlah,
suatu hari nanti kau akan mendapat kebahagiaan.”

    Keesokan harinya, Bawang Putih segera menyiapkan kerja-kerja rumah. Setelah ibu tirinya
pergi bekerja dan adik tirinya masih tidur, Bawang Putih pun masuk ke hutan. Dia mencari
pohon beringin rendang itu. Setelah puas mencari, dia pun sampai ke situ. Dia terpandang
sebuah buaian yang tergantung di pohon beringin. Tempat tersebut seakan-akan sebuah
taman tempat puteri kayangan turun ke bumi untuk bermain.
Ketika dia duduk di atas buaian itu, tiba-tiba buaian itu berayun dengan sendiri. Semakin
lama semakin laju. Dia dapat melihat bunga-bunga yang mengelilingi pohon beringin itu
turut bergoyang-goyang. Hatinya terasa sungguh terhibur.

   Tiba-tiba Bawang Putih teringatkan Mak Kundur. Ibu tirinya pasti akan memarahinya
apabila pulang dan mendapati dirinya tiada di rumah. Namun Bawang Putih tidak tahu
bagaimana hendak memberhentikan buaian itu. Bawang Putih lalu berkata kepada buaian itu,
"Wahai buaian, tolonglah berhenti, aku ingin pulang ke rumah.” Tiba-tiba buaian itu pun
berhenti dengan sendirinya. Pokok-pokok bunga juga turut berhenti bergoyang.

    Pada suatu hari Bawang Putih bermain buaian seperti biasa. Tanpa disedarinya seorang
putera raja sedang memerhatikannya. Baginda tertarik melihat bagaimana buaian itu boleh
berayun sendiri apabila Bawang Putih menaikinya. Ketika Bawang Putih hendak pulang,
baginda menyuruh pengiring baginda untuk mengekorinya. Setelah mendapat tahu di mana
Bawang Putih itu tinggal, baginda pergi ke rumah tersebut. Ketika itu Mak Kundur dan
Bawang Merah berada di halaman rumah.” Di manakah anak makcik yang seorang lagi?”
Tanya baginda. Mak Kundur menyangka baginda adalah orang kaya.” Makcik mana ada anak
yang lain. Bawang Merah inilah satu-satunya anak makcik,” kata Mak Kundur.
Baginda menceritakan tentang gadis yang dilihatnya bermain buaian di hutan. "Bawang
Merah inilah yang bermain buaian itu,” bohong Mak Kundur. Setelah beredar, Mak Kundur
memaksa Bawang Putih menunjukkan tempat buaian itu.

    Mak Kundur membawa Bawang Merah bermain buaian itu. Namun buaian itu tidak
berayun dengan sendiri. Putera raja mengintainya dari sebalik pokok. Baginda menyuruh
pengiringnya ke rumah Mak Kundur dan membawa Bawang Putih ke situ. Pengiringnya pun
pergi tetapi mendapati Bawang Putih dikurung dan diikat. Maka dia segera membuka ikatan
itu dan membawa gadis itu bertemu dengan baginda. Mak Kundur terkejut melihat kehadiran
baginda dan Bawang Putih.

    Apabila Bawang Putih berbuai dan menyanyi, buaian itupun berayun laju. "Makcik telah
berbohong kepada beta!” kata putera raja. Ketika itu barulah Mak Kundur tahu bahawa lelaki
itu adalah putera raja. "Kamu ibu yang zalim. Kamu telah menyeksa Bawang Putih!” kata
baginda lagi. Mak Kundur menangis dan meminta ampun kepada baginda. Bawang Merah
pula meraung dan menangis kerana mencemburui Bawang Putih. Bawang Putih yang baik
hati telah meminta putera raja mengampunkan Mak Kundur dan Bawang Merah. Baginda
kagum dengan sifat kemuliaan Bawang Putih. Putera raja akhirnya mengahwini Bawang
Putih.