"Your name, you're bestowed with a great name, your father gave you the name because he sailed to the East and never come back. Your mother who harbored you die the moment you were born. She's might be now in the Sky together with your father. The world is cruel toward you my child. Now you're stuck with this old bones. Neither I have enough time to be with you until you're a grown adult. A stubborn man he is. I hope his soul find peace in the heaven even if his body is now in Davy Jones's Locker." Said the old grumpy man to the kid
"The Sea is a mysterious place my child. Right now the most faraway land can be seen with satellite, we have dig deep to underground, our technology made it possible to go to the moon but the depth of the sea... from the very beginning of ships were made we are afraid to look down what's under the water. You ask me whether i have seen what's under the water? I have, and it's not a pleasant experience. There's only lies a cold... and dark grave for the sailors."
"Langit Timur. It's your name. Bestowed by your Father before he sail to the East. It's an ancient language for the Eastern Sky. The place which your father seek to conquer. He's planning to conquer the Eastern Sky, took it's name and bestow it to you and he did it with the cost of his life. I think that's enough storytelling Langit. I know you're sleepy. Come, Aki will lead you to your bedroom" The Old Man stand from his position and led the boy to his room
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...
"Aki can i ask you something?" The kid is closing up to the old man
"What is it?"
"I wonder if you will take me with you sailing to the sea sometimes. You know what? I think I'm quite good at swimming and i can help a bit in lifting up the fishing net." The kid clench his palm
"Langit, don't you have to go to school tomorrow? Also don't get too interested in my job. You don't want to be a lowly fisherman like me, kid."
"Aki! I'm already a grown up now. I won't hold you back." I insist
"For a 14 years old brat you sure talk a lot. Sleep earlier now. We'll set sail to the sea late at night."
It was my first. Very first experience sailing to the sea. Even if i live on the seaside all i do is playing on the shore. Aki never really let me to go to the open sea.
The wind was cold and it blows so harsh. I'm still wondering why. The other fishermen on my neighborhood already use a motor to power up their boat but Aki still use the wind to sail to the open sea. Maybe he has a reason.
We went to the sea after everyone's light is turned off. It was dark. We were on the pier and Aki is prepping the boat. Our only lighting is the moon and an old oil lamp with a burnt out fuse. We took off into the darkness of the sea.
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...
"You're a grown up man now Langit. So now that you graduated high school what are you going to do? Do you still want to be a fisherman like me or something else" said the Old Man while pouring a tea into his cup.
"Actually Aki. I want to go to a college in the city. I'll take a Maritime degree and maybe become a ship captain like father"
The old man is fazed by the boy's saying
"You brat, where do we even get that much of money. It's not easy feat to enroll to such a prestigious university. It's not like I'm stopping you to reach your dream but you know our circumstances" the Old Man disagreed
"Oh actually. I got a recommendation letter. They're amazed with my scores in high school and with open hand, invite me to the university and choose whatever degree i wish to enroll and the tuition is free! This brat does his study well you know" I showed him the recommendation letter
"Also i had enough money for living expenses. I have been saving up as much as i could since the past two years and I'll get a part time job as soon as i move to the new apartment" I said it proudly
"Well then suit yourselves. You're now a man Langit. I won't hold you back as long as you ain't asking me to sell my boat for your expenses" he said while sipping his tea
"Aki... are you fine with being alone? There'll be no one here when i left"
"I'm used to being alone more than you know. I have spent days floating on the water alone when the wind didn't blow on my sails. I'm fine, don't worry about me. Knowing that you have sufficient funds already made me feel at peace that i could die! Gahahahahahah!" He laughed loudly and patting my back, or more likely slapping it.
"Aki that's hurt. Ah! I have one more worry or maybe i should say it a curiosity. Aki, what kind of a man father was?"
The old man furrowed his brows and sipped his tea slowly.
"He was a fool. He graduated as the bottom of the class at college. He met your mother during childhood and were a good friend. But that fool. He has a devil luck. Your mother, she might be the sweetest maiden around here and your father hooked up with her. If i were your mother I'll ditch your father because he was a son of a fisherman yet she chose not to. Regarding your father's devil luck. Despite being the bottom of the class i could say he's the most successful man out of his classmates. He got a job on the deck. He's kind to the other crew. He's a fool but he has good instinct and luck. He raised to become a captain of a new ship in just 3 years. He then proposed your mother and married. After your mother is pregnant he went to another voyage to the East, leaving your mother behind. Even with his stupid amound of luck and after hundreds of his succesful sailings he never came back to see his own son" He put down his cup and stopped talking.
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I have grown weak. My breathe are heavy. My head is spinning and my vision is no longer it's used to be. My limbs is now just a decoration. It's been two years since Langit went to the university and here i am. Dying alone. My son and his wife on the heaven. I can't bear this pain any longer. I wish Langit will be a strong boy. Because after my death there's.. no one left to keep him safe. Oh my son that's now faraway in the distant place. Father will... come.. and we'll be together again...
...
The phone is ringing
The ringtones resonates throughout the room
It's 5 in the morning who could have phone me on this time?
"Langit! Langit! Are you there boy?" It's a familiar voice
"Oh you're Aki's patron. We always sold our fresh catch fish to you. So what's up?"
"It's about your Aki! When I'm about to pickup the fish as usual i found that he's lying on his bed. His body is cold. Your Aki has passed away!" He screams in awe
As if a bolt has struck my tongue. I can't talk at all. It froze up and unable to move and i unable to speak another word.
Thirty seconds has passed in pure silence. Tears start to flow from my eyes. I know he doesn't have much time left but i wish he will be there in my marriage. Until i can show him my family.
"Langit? Are you still there boy? Me and the locals are planning to bury Aki later at noon. I haven't tell the other town elders about Aki's death. Are you planning to give him a final respect?" The voice on the other side of the phone asked me
"Ah, uh. Yeah. I will come. Thanks for notifying me. I'll be there by 8. Don't start without me"
"Yeah we won't start it before you come"
"Can i ask one more thing? How was Aki's face on his deathbed?"
"Langit, I'm not sure but i guess he's smiling. He must be proud to have such a strong son and a grandson like you and your father. See you later, call me again when you arrived" the phone hung up.
I sit on the bedside trying to process the 4 minutes conversation i just had. I know this is coming but still...
I bawled my eyes out. Cried like a little boy. Now i don't have anyone else in this world.
...
I have arrived. People are gathering on the stoneway to my house. The sun is around the horizon and the temperature is getting warmer. I have to say a final goodbye to Aki. I walk up the stoneway and met many familiar faces. Aki has always been a friendly person to the other neighbors no wonder everyone comes when the information about Aki's death spreads.
I get in from the front door. The village elder can be seen in front of Aki's cold body. With small steps i get closer and hugged Aki's face and wrapped it around my face. I cried but it's just a gentle stream of tears. I won't bawl in front of the elder because Aki might curse me in the afterlife for raising a crybaby.
"So about the aftercare of the body... Langit i suggest to cremate Aki and sow the ash on the sea. Aki lives by the sea and by the sea he comes back" The Elder speaks up
I'm not sure. I want Aki to be buried normally so i can pay respect regularly. If Aki was to be cremated and the ash to he spread on the sea won't i miss him fully? His body will be swallowed by the depth.
"I'm sure it's a hard choice. You can make a gravestone of Aki at the hill on the back of the village that face the sea directly. It's the tradition around here"
"... fine if i can there's still some piece of Aki even if it's only the gravestone. I'm sure Aki too wished to become one with the sea"
"Ah also regarding Aki's assets. It'll be yours now. It's alright if you still want to continue your study. The local will come to tidy up the house maybe once or twice a month"
"Sure i guess..."
...
It's late at night. The cremation process took all day long and we just finished spreading Aki's ash to the water. I'm here alone at the furthermost point at the village, at the pier. My very first sailing to the open sea. It feels like yesterday. I pulled the fishing net with these hands. Aki's boat can be seen docked closer to the shore. The night breeze is really chilling. I wonder what am i going to be from now on. Does Aki watch over me from the heaven right now? Maybe Aki and my parents is having a reunion party at heaven and Aki right now is scolding father for being a brat who leaves his son. I felt warmth. The breeze is cold but it's warm. My heart... is warm. It's saddening but it's also heart relieving. Aki said he's used to being alone but i think he actually miss his dear son.
I think it's time for me to go back to my apartment on the town. I still have lectures tomorrow and it'll be a 3 hours drive to town. I walk up the pier and go back to the stoneway that lead to my house. I look inside for the last time and lock the door then drive my motorcycle back to town. I'm leaving. I'll come back but not now.
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...
It's been a year since Aki's death. I'm now a third year in college. I have to start working on my thesis to graduate so i proposed a field observation on the sea around my hometown. The idea is to check the local biodiversity and learn more about the winds and waves. It'll be an easy work, i guess?
My group consists of 6 person including me. We are going to make an observation around the area and make a report out of it.
"Is everything ready?" Shout the driver.
I don't particularly have anything to bring since i have a snorkeling gear on Aki's house. It's not like I'm going to dive. I think we'll go into open sea though? I don't think we're going to observe the biodiversity of coral reef.
It's another 3 hour drive to my hometown. As soon as we reach the village i went to the small hill behind the village to pay respect to Aki while the other went to rent a medium-sized speedboat.
After paying respect to Aki i went back to the main road and follow the stoneway, to my house. The house condition is well maintained, just a little bit of dust or maybe too much dust. I opened the door and walk inside. Nothing changed. The locals really didn't try to touch or steal this house belongings.
I step out from my house and hurriedly go to the pier. The other people have already waiting for me.
It's noon. The weather looks fine. No clouds can be seen on the horizons.
"How's the weather forecast?" I asked
"Have you always been a worrywart Langit? I thought you live around here and familiar with the weather"
Yeah. The weather around here is pleasant, night breeze are cold though but mostly it warm.
Nothing to worry then.
My friend start to pack the speedboat with oxygen can, some gadgets to read the wind, food packs and some scuba diving gears. Expensive stuffs.
The driver started the engine and the speedboat start to leave the shore to open sea. After around 40 kilometers offshore the boat stopped.
They start to prepping their gears. The tubes are sorted out, they cleaned the googles and the captain of the ship is talking to someone on the radio.
There's only clear sky and blue sea as far as your eyes can see. It's a fine weather. But something looks like popping out from the sky? It looks like a crack on the sky.
3 seconds after i saw that the sky rapidly turns darker and darker. Heavy clouds gather around the horizons. The wave raged and a storm crashed. Our boat lose it's balance.
I can see a shadows lurk under the water but after that it went missing. I thought we were safe but that's not the case.
Our boat got hit from below, i was sent flying by the momentum and crashed into the water. A lot of things fly towards my direction and i got hit by an oxygen canister on the head.
Everything went dark. I can feel that I'm drowning. I can't seems to find something to keep me afloat.
I'm getting deeper and deeper as if something is pulling my leg to the bottom of the sea.
"LANGIT! LANGIT! CAN YOU HEAR ME!" the people aboard the boat shouted his name
Aki! I'm afraid! I! I DON'T WANT TO DIE YET!
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...
Nothingness...
"The gentle wind will bring you to an unknown destination..."
A calm voice
Is it the voice of angels? Or maybe god himself? I don't know
It's getting darker
And harder
To breathe...