'Si Pungguk' is a story from West Sumatra that attempts to explain the origin of Burung Pungguk (brown hawk-owl). It tells the story of a tragic forbidden romance between a commoner (Pungguk) and a princess (Bulan). Despite warnings from others who warned him not to fall for the princess, Pungguk still persisted and eventaully met the princess, where he learned that the princess reciprocrated his feelings.
Despite the fact that they both love each other, Princess Bulan is enaged and left Pungguk her veil as a memento for him. The others saw the veil and murdered Pungguk, whose body was dumped in the river.
Pungguk's corpse grew mushrooms which eventually became a bird. The bird longs to return to the moon, but they could not due to their short wings. as a result, they can only stare and long for the moon.
This story is a hawwoing and beautiful story that utilized the classeic forbidden romance trope cleverly. By the time you read the final sentence, you can't help but empathize with the characters. This is a really short yet wonderful story that should be read by everyone.
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