It swooped down to seize Selima in its talons. The son of Indarapatara quickly cut off one of the giant’s wings, and the monster collapsed to earth and died. The wing, however, fell on Selima himself, so he was crushed by its weight and died.

At that moment, Indarapatara was looking at his sapling and saw that it was wilting. “Alas, my son is dead!” he cried and wept. Then, he belted on his sword and flew to Mount Rattan, where he found one dead monster. Concluding that Selima must have been there and gone, he flew on. At Mount Matutun he saw the second monster lying dead. Finally on Mount Bita he found the dead bird and, under its severed wing, the corpse of his brave son. Again, he wept.

Then Indarapatara flew to heaven. There he begged for a jar of the water of life. He duly received a small jar and hurried back to earth, where he poured the water over his son’s body. At once Selima stood up, hale and healthy once more. Indarapatara then sent his son home to recuperate, while he himself went on to the fourth mountain where Gurayn, the last monster, lived.

After a terrible battle, Indarapatara triumphed and cut off all the creature’s seven heads. So the last monster died. Silence finally reigned.

At last an old woman appeared from a hole in the ground. Seeing the monster lying dead, she summoned others to come out as well. Eventually the chief of these people emerged with his two beautiful daughters. Out of gratitude he offered the elder daughter to Indarapatara for a wife, and later Selima married the younger beauty.

                                                                                                                 - J.K.

Jan Knappert, a frequent contributor and special adviser to the Culture section of THE WORLD & I since the magazine’s inception, has published more than thirty books.