Sadiah's+legend+of+Langkawi

Sadiah wrote this story about a famous legend from her country, it's fantastic, thanksSadiah.

  **__Legend of Mahsuri, a Langkawi tragedy __**   //By Sadiah Bowman – CGEA 2009 //   The following story happened in my home country, Malaysia. It is the legend of Mahsuri, from the beautiful island of Langkawi.   During the old days in the rural country in Kedah, there lived a husband and wife, who loved each other dearly. They were God fearing people, who worked hard in the padi fields, always staying devoted to each other. They were older, and without any children. One night, however, the wife had a dream and the following morning, she found what she was looking for, having followed the instructions of her dream. What she found was a handful of "dedak padi", which is the ripest padi she could find. In the wee hours of the morning she added it to the rice that were to be their dinner that night. Afews month later she got pregnant and had a baby girl, named her Mahsuri.  Mahsuri was a beautiful girl and kind hearted. She captured the hearts of many villagers, including the chieftain. He wanted to marry her, but he already had a wife. So he asked his son Mat Deris to marry Mahsuri. They lived in harmony for couple of months before he was sent on a mission.  Feeling a little lonely, after doing her house chores, Mahsuri spent much of her time with the juggler at the time. She was pregnant with her first child, but she was not aware. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">During her husband (Mat Deris) absence, a young traveler came to the village. The good hearted Mahsuri offered a place to stay. A few months later Mahsuri gave birth to a baby boy. Her mother in law was always jealous of her, for she knew her husband had feelings for Mahsuri at one time. Her mother-in-law made a false accusation against Mahsuri saying she had committed adultery. The Chieftain was very angry and arrested Mahsuri, sentencing her to death without trail. Dragging her to her execution site, she cried and pleaded that she was innocent, but to no avail. No one came to her defense, not even her own parents or the mysterious juggler who vanished into the night. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">As the executioner plunged the dagger into her heart, all present were shocked to see that her blood was pure; it was white. In her dying breath, she claimed her innocence, and cursed Langkawi Island to seven years of destruction, poverty and death. To the seven generations of the people that had denied her innocence//1//. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">A week after her death, her husband returned from his mission. No one told him the story. So he went looking his wife. No one dared tell him about the incident. He was very upset when he meet the juggler. The juggler told him the real story. He was very angry, so he went to see his step mother and father. They said the baby is his. He killed many people during his mission and continued to go on killing people, including his step mother and decided it was to leave the country with his son. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">Seven decades have passed since the heartless treatment of Mahsuri. Now Langkawi is prospering as a duty free island, with many activities such as, Le Tour De' Langkawi and the LIMA, both internationally acclaimed tours and groups. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">I have been to the house proclaimed by the locals to be the original dwelling of Mahsuri and her husband. As I entered the house, there was a feeling of sadness in me, and I suddenly became overwhelmed with so much sorrow that I had to leave. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">If you go to Malaysia, do not forget to come to Langkawi and see where the Mahsuri Legend began. <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">Rest in Peace <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';"> //__<span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">References __// <span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">(1) //<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">http://www.mymalaysiabooks.com/Kedah/Langkawi_Attractions.htm // <span style="font-family: 'Footlight MT Light','serif';">