A Smile that Holds Danger: I Siap Selem and Meng Kuwuk's Evil Plan

It tells the story of a mother hen named I Siap Selem. “I Siap Selem” comes from the Balinese language, where ‘I’ is a term for a person or living being, ‘Siap’ means chicken, and ‘Selem’ means black. So, “I Siap Selem” means Black Chicken. She has 7 children. Siap Selem's children each have unique names. One of them, I Doglagan, means without feathers. Despite looking weak, I Doglagan has extraordinary ingenuity. His intelligence often amazes his siblings, especially when they face challenges in their daily lives.

 As a mother, I Siap Selem is very protective of her young and is also very astute. Every day, I Siap Selem and her chicks would search for food. The chicks always follow their mother wherever they go, with their adorable little legs running behind. It is not uncommon for them to forage to the west of the river or places they have never even been.

One day, a bright morning greeted I Siap Selem's family. After resting the night before, I Siap Selem decided to take her children on a foraging trip around the village. They walked through meadows, rice fields and gardens, looking for insects and seeds. That day, their journey seemed longer than usual. I Siap Selem, who always led at the front, felt that the further they walked, the stranger the surroundings became. Without realizing it, the chicken family was lost. They didn't know which way to go home. Siap Selem's children were scared and confused.

Selem and her children in the pouring rain (Source: Personal Collection)

The sky became cloudy and indicated that it would soon rain. I Siap Selem's children immediately panicked and called their mother. Not long after, the rain came down heavily. The strong wind that came suddenly made the chicken family confused to find shelter. After running around in the rain, a house appeared in the distance. Without knowing who owned the house, the chicken family headed straight there. As soon as they reached the house, I Siap Selem knocked on the door. Soon the owner of the house came and opened the door.

Meng Kuwuk with her friendly face (Source: Personal Collection)

It turns out that the owner of the house is a female cat named Meng Kuwuk. Meng Kuwuk is a cat that likes to hunt and prey on poultry animals such as chickens. Meng Kuwuk came out of her house with a friendly face, although in her heart, her intention was different, namely to eat the chicken family. By seeing the presence of Siap Selem and her children, Meng Kuwuk felt very happy. Siap Selem was afraid that his children would catch cold and be swept away by the storm if the rain did not stop. Hearing Siap Selem's reason, Meng Kuwuk immediately agreed and allowed them to shelter in his house. 

Siap Selem's first instinct immediately sensed that something was wrong. Meng Kuwuk's face seemed too friendly. However, the increasingly heavy rain left I Siap Selem with no other choice. With some hesitation, she decided to accept Meng Kuwuk's offer. The other chicks seemed relieved to have found shelter, but I Siap Selem's eyes continued to watch Meng Kuwuk warily. While Meng Kuwuk pretended to be friendly, in his head an evil plan was already being hatched. Meng Kuwuk planned to cook I Siap Selem's chicks when they were off guard and out of sight.

I Doglagan and Siap Selem make a plan to escape (Source: Personal Collection)

It was getting late, and the rain still hadn't stopped. But I Siap Selem knew he couldn't stay any longer at Meng Kuwuk's house. The threat of death was clearly on the horizon. She began to devise a plan to escape with her children. One by one, she whispered to her chicks to get ready to escape. When the opportunity arose, the first chick flew over Meng Kuwuk's fence. The second chick soon followed, then the third, and so on. Meng Kuwuk, who was watching out of the corner of his eye, didn't realize that one by one the chicks had escaped. Meng Kuwuk didn't even hear any sound from where the chicken family was.

Only I Siap Selem and I Doglagan remained in the house. However, a problem arose. I Doglagan could not fly properly. His weak wings prevented him from jumping over the fence like his brothers. I Siap Selem felt conflicted. He didn't want to leave I Doglagan, but there was no other way to bring his youngest son out. Reluctantly, I Siap Selem approached I Doglagan and whispered that he had to go and believed that I Doglagan could trick Meng Kuwuk because I Doglagan was the most clever child. The young I Doglagan was frightened, but he knew he had to rely on his ingenuity. The night wore on, and the rain finally began to subside.

Meng Kuwuk bites a stone that resembles a chick (Source: Personal Collection)

Meng Kuwuk, who had grown impatient, began to move towards the place where the chicken family had taken shelter. In her heart, she was sure that it was the right time to prey on them. However, as Meng Kuwuk approached the place where she believed the chicken family was resting, she saw shadows that resembled chickens. Without thinking, she pounced on the shadows.

With all his strength, Meng Kuwuk bit the object he thought was I Siap Selem and her children. However, what she bit was not soft chicken meat. It was hard stones that he pounced on. Meng Kuwuk's teeth were instantly broken, and excruciating pain immediately radiated throughout his body. From the corner of the room, I Doglagan, who had been hiding to see the incident, was pleased that his plan had succeeded.

He couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Meng Kuwuk in pain from biting the rock. With his teeth now all knocked out, Meng Kuwuk looked absolutely miserable. I Doglagan began to sing, mocking Meng Kuwuk. Meng Kuwuk, now toothless, could only grimace in pain, feeling humiliated that his ingenuity had been defeated by a small, featherless chick. I Doglagan ran away and immediately went to his mother. And the chicken family could live happily as before.