In the lush coastal district of Belait, where the mighty Belait River flows toward the South China Sea and dense rainforest meets the water’s edge, there once lived a boy whose heart was as pure as the morning dew on jungle leaves. The villagers simply called him Si Anak Belait, the Child of Belait and he was known throughout the kampung for his gentle nature and kindness toward all living creatures.
The boy’s family lived in a wooden house built on stilts near the riverbank, its attap roof woven from sago palm fronds that rustled softly in the tropical breeze. Like most families in the district, they depended on the river for their livelihood. The father was a fisherman who cast his nets at dawn and dusk, while the mother tended a small garden of tapioca, vegetables, and fragrant herbs. Si Anak Belait often helped his father, learning the ancient rhythms of the river, the subtle signs that told where fish gathered, and the traditional prayers offered before each fishing expedition.
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One morning, as golden sunlight filtered through the canopy of mangrove trees and cast dancing shadows on the brown water, Si Anak Belait went to the river alone to check the small traps he had set the previous evening. The air was thick with humidity and alive with the calls of hornbills and the constant chirping of insects. He waded into the shallow water, feeling the soft mud between his toes, and pulled up his first trap.
Inside, among the smaller fish and river shrimp, lay a creature unlike any he had ever seen. The fish was neither fully silver nor golden, but seemed to shimmer with colors that shifted and changed like oil on water. Its scales caught the light in impossible ways, reflecting hues of green, purple, and blue that didn’t seem quite natural. Its eyes were large and dark, filled with an intelligence that made Si Anak Belait catch his breath. This was no ordinary fish.
As he lifted the trap from the water, preparing to transfer his catch to his basket, the extraordinary happened. The strange fish spoke.
“Please, young one,” came a voice that sounded like water flowing over smooth stones, gentle yet clear. “I beg you to release me. Return me to the river, and you will not regret your kindness.”
Si Anak Belait stumbled backward in shock, nearly dropping the trap. His heart pounded against his ribs. Fish did not speak yet here was undeniable evidence that the impossible could occur. He stared at the creature, watching as it gazed back at him with those deep, knowing eyes that seemed to contain the wisdom of ages.
Many boys would have run home immediately to show their parents this miraculous catch. Some might have ignored the fish’s plea, thinking only of the fame or fortune such a strange creature might bring. But Si Anak Belait had been raised to respect all life, taught by his grandmother that every creature, no matter how small, deserved compassion. His grandmother had often told him stories of spirits who took animal form to test the hearts of humans, and of great blessings that came to those who showed mercy.
The boy’s mind raced with conflicting thoughts. His family was not wealthy an unusual fish might fetch a good price at the market, perhaps enough to buy medicine for his aging grandmother or repair their leaking roof. Yet something in the creature’s voice, in its pleading eyes, touched something deep within him. How could he ignore such a direct appeal for freedom?
After what felt like an eternity but was only a few heartbeats, Si Anak Belait made his decision. With trembling hands, he carefully opened the trap and gently lifted the strange fish. Its scales felt different from normal fish warmer, somehow alive with energy. He waded deeper into the river until the water reached his waist, then slowly lowered his hands beneath the surface.
“Go,” he whispered. “You are free.”
The fish remained still for a moment in his cupped palms, as if gathering strength or perhaps offering a silent blessing. Then it spoke once more: “You have shown great compassion, child of Belait. Your kindness will not be forgotten. When the time comes that your village faces great danger, I will return to repay this debt.”
With a flash of impossible colors, the fish slipped from his hands and disappeared into the murky depths, leaving only ripples that quickly faded as if it had never been there at all. Si Anak Belait stood in the river for a long moment, wondering if he had dreamed the entire encounter. But the memory of that voice, those ancient eyes, and the feel of those unusual scales remained vivid in his mind.
He returned home with his other catches enough fish for dinner but nothing special. He told no one about the strange talking fish, partly because he feared they would think him mad, and partly because the encounter felt sacred, a secret between himself and the river.
Weeks passed, then months. The seasons changed as they always did in Belait, the wet monsoon giving way to drier weather, then returning again. Si Anak Belait continued his daily routine, fishing with his father, helping his mother in the garden, and playing with other children in the village. The memory of the strange fish began to fade, becoming dreamlike, though he never forgot it entirely.
Then came the year of the great rains.
It started gradually heavier downpours than usual, storms that lasted longer and struck with greater fury. The river began to rise, its brown waters swelling and churning with increased power. At first, the villagers were not overly concerned. The river flooded slightly every monsoon season; it was part of the natural cycle. They moved their belongings to higher shelves and watched the water level with experienced eyes.
But this time, the rains did not stop. Day after day, week after week, the sky remained dark and threatening, releasing torrents of water that seemed endless. The river rose higher than anyone could remember, swallowing the lower banks, creeping toward the houses on stilts. Upstream, they heard news of landslides and collapsed bridges. The forest streams that fed into the river all ran at full capacity, adding their volume to the already swollen waterway.
Panic began to spread through the village. The elders held meetings, trying to decide whether to evacuate, but where could they go? The roads were flooded, the forest paths had become rivers themselves, and the rain showed no sign of stopping. They could only watch helplessly as the water continued its relentless rise, inch by terrifying inch.
Then, on a night when the storm raged with particular fury, when lightning split the sky and thunder shook the houses on their stilts, Si Anak Belait heard a voice calling his name. He rushed to the window and peered out into the darkness. There, in the flooded yard where the river had now reached, he saw a familiar shimmer of impossible colors beneath the water’s surface.
The strange fish had returned.
“Come quickly!” the voice called urgently. “Gather the village and follow me. I will show you how to save your homes.”
Without hesitation, Si Anak Belait called out to his parents, then ran through the storm from house to house, waking the villagers, urging them to trust him. Perhaps it was the desperation of their situation, or perhaps something in the boy’s voice convinced them, but the villagers grabbed whatever tools they could find and followed him into the raging storm.
The magical fish swam ahead of them, its shimmering body visible even in the darkness, guiding them to a place where a massive logjam had formed upstream. Debris from the forest fallen trees, branches, and vegetation had created a natural dam that was forcing the river to overflow its banks and flood the village. But there was another channel, an old tributary that had long ago been blocked, now barely visible beneath the swollen waters.
The fish guided the villagers in clearing the old channel, showing them exactly where to dig and which obstacles to remove. Men, women, and children worked together through the night, following the fish’s glowing form, digging channels and moving debris. It was exhausting, dangerous work in the darkness and rain, but they pressed on, trusting in the strange creature that guided them.
As dawn broke, they broke through the final barrier. The pent-up water suddenly found its new path, rushing into the old tributary with tremendous force. The villagers watched in amazement as the water level around their homes began to drop, the flood diverted away from the village and channeled safely toward a wide floodplain where it could spread without causing destruction.
Their homes were saved.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced the storm clouds, Si Anak Belait looked for the strange fish. He found it resting in a calm pool near the riverbank, its colors still shimmering but now looking somehow peaceful, content.
“You kept your word,” the boy said softly. “You saved us.”
The fish’s ancient eyes met his once more. “As you showed mercy when I was helpless, so have I returned mercy when your village was in danger. This is the way of the world, young one kindness flows like water, always returning to its source. Remember this lesson and teach it to others.”
With those final words, the fish swam slowly back toward the deeper waters of the main river. Si Anak Belait watched until the shimmer of impossible colors faded into the brown current, disappearing as mysteriously as it had first appeared in his trap so many months before.
The story of Si Anak Belait and the strange talking fish spread throughout Belait district and beyond. The villagers who had been saved that night told the tale to their children, who told it to their children in turn. The old tributary channel remained open, and never again did the village suffer such catastrophic flooding.
And Si Anak Belait, the kind-hearted boy who had shown mercy to a magical creature, grew to become a respected elder who taught everyone who would listen that compassion toward all living beings no matter how small or strange brings blessings that return in our greatest time of need.
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The Moral Lesson
This tale teaches us that compassion and mercy toward all living creatures, even when it requires personal sacrifice, creates a cycle of kindness that returns to us when we need it most. Si Anak Belait’s decision to release the fish, despite his family’s poverty and the potential value of such a rare creature, demonstrates that true kindness means respecting the freedom and dignity of all beings. The story emphasizes the Bruneian cultural belief that nature and the spiritual realm are interconnected with human life, and that animals may serve as messengers or manifestations of divine protection.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who is Si Anak Belait in this Bruneian folktale?
A: Si Anak Belait, which means “the Child of Belait,” is a kind-hearted boy from the Belait district of Brunei who catches a magical talking fish and chooses to release it out of compassion. His mercy toward the creature later saves his entire village from a catastrophic flood, making him a symbol of kindness rewarded.
Q2: What made the fish “aneh” or strange in the story?
A: The fish was strange because it possessed supernatural qualities: scales that shimmered with impossible, shifting colors (green, purple, blue), eyes filled with ancient wisdom, the ability to speak human language, and clearly magical powers. These characteristics marked it as a spiritual or divine creature rather than an ordinary fish.
Q3: Why did Si Anak Belait decide to release the fish?
A: Despite his family’s poverty and the potential value of such a rare creature, Si Anak Belait chose compassion over profit. Raised with respect for all living things and mindful of his grandmother’s teachings about spirits testing human hearts, he honored the fish’s direct plea for freedom, showing mercy without expecting any reward.
Q4: How did the magical fish save the village from the flood?
A: During catastrophic flooding, the fish returned and guided the villagers to an upstream logjam that was forcing the river to overflow. It showed them how to clear an old, blocked tributary channel, which diverted the floodwaters away from the village to a safe floodplain, thus saving their homes from destruction.
Q5: What does the fish symbolize in Bruneian folklore?
A: The fish represents spiritual messengers or divine beings who test human character and reward genuine compassion. It embodies the Bruneian belief in the interconnection between nature, the spirit world, and human morality, showing that supernatural forces observe and respond to human kindness toward all creatures.
Q6: What cultural values does this Bruneian tale teach?
A: The story emphasizes core values in Bruneian and Southeast Asian culture: compassion toward all living beings, respect for nature and spiritual forces, the importance of selfless kindness, the belief that mercy creates reciprocal blessings, and the understanding that kindness flows through the world like water, returning to those who first offer it.
Source: Adapted from traditional oral folklore of Belait District, Brunei Darussalam, as preserved through generations of storytelling in coastal and riverine communities of Northern Borneo.
Cultural Origin: Bruneian folklore, Belait District, Brunei Darussalam, Southeast Asia
