by David Conger
The next year, just that happened. The king died and Lek became ruler of the land. The very first thing Lek did was fetch his wife, who had faithfully stood by him. He returned to their village mounted on a royal elephant, just as he had once dreamed he would.
“You are indeed blessed, my husband,” Ying said to him adoringly.
“Yes, that is true. I am very blessed,” said Lek, his eyes twinkling. “In all the world, I could only want one more thing: swimming lessons!”
From then on, Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang Wang Chorake ruled wisely and well, thanks to the bravery he had learned while doing things he was sure he could not do.
Glossary
Kancil (pronounced kan-chill) is the Malay name of the lesser mousedeer. A native of Southeast Asia, it is the world smallest hoofed mammals; measuring no more than 50 cm long and weighing only 2 kg. This hornless deer-like animal is often featured as the smartest animal and a quick thinker in Malaysian and Indonesian folktales.
Kobito (pronounced ko-bi-to) literally means “little people” in Japanese. In the story of this book, it refers to the imaginary little men and women with special power who help kind people.
Manju is a traditional Japanese steamed sweet cake made from flour.
Tamaraw is a small wild buffalo, weighing about 300 kg (660 lbs). Also called the dwarf buffalo, it is found only in Mindoro, Philippines. With less than 300 of them left in the wild today, tamaraw is one of the rarest land animals around.
Talisay tree is known as the Sea Almond Tree outside the Philippines. A colorful tree used to grow wild on sandy shores in Southeast Asia, it is now commonly cultivated as a popular wayside tree for its beautiful pagoda shape which provide fantastic shade.
Tepee (pronounced tee-pee) is a triangular tent used by American Indians. In the Philippines, it refers to a triangular roost where the roosters rest on.