At first she saw nothing unusual in the little room. Then she noticed her snail. The little animal had crept out of the earthen pot and was now in the middle of the room. Then she seemed to grow bigger and bigger. In a moment a lovely, young girl stood in the place where the snail had been. She was dressed in a beautiful sarong and her kebaya shone like silk. The shell lay behind her on the floor.
Quickly the young girl started to work. In no time she had cleaned the house. Then she Continue reading
The sun was already down when she finally woke up. She reached for the matches and lit her lamp. Immediately she remembered her new friend, the snail.
But what a nice smell there was in the room! The smell of freshly cooked rice and fried fish! She looked at the old wooden table in the corner of the room. She could hardly believe her eyes. There was a bowl of white rice, a plate of fried fish and a dish of vegetables. She went to the table.
No, she was not dreaming. There was Continue reading
Bu Aminah, the old widow, sighed. How tired she felt. Every bone in her thin body seemed to ache. If only she had children, her life would not so be miserable. They would have taken care of her and she would have had an easy life in her old age.
Ever since her husband died Bu Aminah had been poor and lonely. Her husband had been a fisherman. He had earned his living by selling the fish he caught in the river near their hut. When he died Bu Aminah tried to continue doing his work, but Continue reading
