The Lightless Land

He walks in slowness. It is me, his walking stick. It is me, his map. Without me, he is no one.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To the place where is still shinning.”

Darkness surrounds us. There is nothing but black. There is no life at all. But clearly, my eyes are still able to see. It is just skyscrapers that turned into piles, and dead bodies of people who were satisfied of eating the sunlight seem like scratched dry leaves.

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know. Just keep walking. If you see the light, take me to it.”

I’ve never remembered about what have happened before. When I was born, the world is already dark. The sun had gone, been eaten by people. The aurora had been stolen. The rainbow was split into pieces, and was sold out on low price. And the moon and the stars were seized, by them who killed their own brothers and sisters.

“After we got the light, what will you do then?”

“I’ll take two pieces of it. One piece for meal, another one we sell it to the foreign land.”

We ascend hill. And at the peak, I am astonished. I see light foothills, at the end of a footpath. However, I see no beauty on its colour. Doesn’t seem like the ruins of aurora. Unlike the pieces of rainbow. And completely different from the sun, moon, and stars. It’s only yellow and white, and a little bit red. But shiny. Piercing my eyes.

“Why foreign land? Why don’t we brighten our own land?”

“Overseas, many people need it.”

“So do people in our land. Don’t you realize it?”

“I do. But people here won’t give us any smile.”

Getting closer, being clearer. I finally decided to stop. But I let him keep walking to the light that he desires.

“Okay. There it is, the light.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go there! Come on, take me!”

“No. Just go by yourself. Walk.”

“Where?! Take me!”

“It is actually in front of you. Not far.”

“Really?! You don’t come?!”

“No, Dear. I appreciate your dreams of helping people overseas. But this land belongs to me. I can’t leave it.”

“Then?!”

“Take all those lights, and go help them.”

On fire, and a wide smile on his face, he runs to the light. And when his distance is only few steps anymore, he turns into ashes—and flies, blown by the wind.

410 words of The Lightless Land. Your comments are always welcomed.

Click here for Indonesian version of this story.