Autumn Leaf: FIREWORKS

Blog post ini dibuat dalam rangka mengikuti Proyek Menulis Letters of Happiness: Share your happiness with The Bay Bali & Get discovered!

By: Aulia Angesti

This early evening is so shaded with the remainder of the sun light. It leaves the warmness in the salty air that blowing my face since a while ago. Along with the sun which is going down, I trace the line between the white sands and the clear water. Those little steps I have made sometimes block the way of salty water which tries to reach sands, and I really enjoy it. Also, I cannot hide the excitement when hearing the sound of blue waves chasing each other in the middle of the sea, or the sound of the crowd of people while they do such beach activities. Suddenly, the weary that I feel because of the long-way trip is gone, replaced with the happiness fused in my blood and rushing through my veins, fulfilling a whole body of mine.

I stop my steps and starting to close my eyes, drawing on the warm salty air to my respiratory system only to know that it is real. My thought slowly moves to the deepest part of mind, seeking for the memories of some times ago in my head. All I can remember is the time when something was about to explode before I realized it as my mind. Minutes later, I decide to leave all of those exploding and back to the amazing reality I am facing right now.

The place where I am standing now is totally different with the place I have stayed for quite a long time. I live in the most crowded city in this country, and for me, living in the middle of one crowded city is quite similar to live in the middle of nowhere. People will have so many works that are waiting to be done, so many places that are standing to be attained, so many people that are promised to be met, and so many problems that are lining up to be solved. It means that people will be shaped as the busy society all the time because that city wants them to. In the end, all that I can imagine is the portrait of uncertainty, as I live in the middle of nowhere.

Unfortunately, I am a part of that kind of society. I have to face it, like or dislike. Less of choosing a choice, most of all is walking with the flow and let society chooses. Let people choose what is beneficial for them rather than what is fit to me. It happens most of the time. I am really sick of that kind of situation, so when Harry asked me to go with him, “yes” was my only answer. I had no reason to deny. We took a flight from Jakarta to Denpasar and boarded a bus to get here. Here we are then, to the place that called The Bay. It refers to an amazing beach with beautiful scenery right in front of my eyes. The heaven on earth is in sight.

It has been about ten minutes since I close my eyes, then I am trying to leave the horrible things behind. I open my eyes the second after. I feel my joy of being here is in the same level with the joy of people who swimming in the light blue-green water of the beach, or just take a walk enjoying the view and waiting only for seeing the sunset. I am happy as the children of the foreign tourist who is running on to the waves for the first time. I lie down in the dry sands which still have the warmness of the daylight, staring at the orange sun at five o’clock. I lie down until it has arrived to the west horizon and gone. The clouds seem to fly around it to give me a fabulous view in the red-orange sky. I am not alone. There are so many people around me who do the same as I do. Of course, the crowd here is not the same with the crowd in my city. There are so many things here differ us from them. We are not chased by any work, place, people, or problem. We are absolutely having a very good time and enjoying it as well.

The sky is getting darker as I decide to go back to my room. Taking a bath and having several minutes rest will be nice for me before continuing to go out and have some fun. Besides, I have to find Harry since I left him in the hotel several hours ago. I am too excited when I saw beach and it made me ran away from him. This place is a little bit crowded, perhaps because it is the last day of December. New Year’s Eve should be great and fit to the weather here.

I see my trunks saved well in my room, so does his, but I cannot find Harry everywhere in our rooms. After taking a bath, I try to call him through my phone many times, but he does not answer it. I begin to worry. Even the hotel room is very comfortable, I cannot enjoy it. Harry is probably angry to me because I left him like it is not him to take me to this place. I feel guilty. Almost half an hour I try to call him, but still there is no answer. So, I decide to go out and try to find him. One of the hotel employee said that he was leaving about thirty minutes after I was leaving him.

This wind of this night is howling but the place is getting crowded and crowded as minutes past by. The decoration of new year is setting luxuriously beautiful. I will enjoy colored-lamps, unique properties, and all of the things if only I know where Harry is, or if only he is here with me. People are having their time with family or friends while I walk through so many places around there still to find Harry. He is not in the four elegant restaurants here to have a dinner nor in the pool to enjoy the night, so I decide to go to the beach to find him.

Ten o’clock. It has been three hours and there is still no single sign from Harry. I am looking for him through the crowd of people and between the white umbrellas in the beach but all I have is nothing. The wind is is still howling, even firmer with the passage of the night. I feel the sound of the wave is so horrible and the white sands are not warm anymore. The hotel lights which are seen from the beach are actually awesome if I do not have to worry about Harry.

I almost give up finding him and planning to head back to hotel when my wrist is holded by someone. I turn my head and see a smiling face. Harry. I do not have a sufficient time to say a single word because suddenly he pulls my hand and I am forced to follow him to somewhere. I have no idea where we are walking. All I know is we walk through the crowd of people and the parade of colorful lanterns which is pretty cool. Happy and joy faces are seen everywhere under the night sky, while Harry and I are still walking through it. We arrive at one place when Harry issues a handkerchief from his pocket and begin to cover my eyes with it. I do not say anything, even a single word, and obey what is done by Harry. The typical printed is all I see before my eyes covered, Pirates Bay.

Harry still holds my hands and guides me to somewhere I still do not know. I only can depend to my ears to know the situation and the sound of the hustle still dominates the description of what is around me. Harry stops walking. I have no idea what is he doing right know because he still does not let my eyes to see. Minutes later, he guides me to climb some stairs.

“Take off your blindfold right now,” he says.

My hands automatically lead to the node and slowly untie it. As I open my eyes, I see a wonderful landscape meets my vision. The feeling of tired and worried because of the seeking for Harry is instantly replaced by the happiness peaked to the fontanel of my head. I find myself standing in the replica of wooden ship on the white sands. Below, some people seem to enjoy their self and their time in the place set like a pirate village on the oceanfront. Treehouses, wooden dining tables, and even some fire-dancer are in sight. Like the name of the place, Pirates Bay. I see the lights from the person beside me. It is Harry, holding two flying-lanterns which then gives me one.

I am glued, do not know what to say and have no idea what to do. I see such a satisfaction implied in Harry’s face after seeing my face is full of satisfaction too. Seconds later I hear the boisterous of people around me starting the countdown. Harry does so. What happens next becomes the best moment in my life. My vision is full of the blossoming of so many fireworks that meets the dark sky. It is so warm, as Harry’s eyes meet my eyes. Together we smile, simultaneously with the heads up witnessing such miracles in front of our eyes.

New Year’s Eve feels so ordinary before. Nothing turns it into as bizarre as this while the eve anchors the ordinary man to dangle the miracle made by him with all his simplicity. I name it the moment of “right place with the right man”. Harry let me to do ‘make a wish’ before we fly our lanterns together. It feels like I find my paradise here, in The Bay, Bali. Harry, my perfect best friend ever, is such a firework which glows beautifully in the dark sky of New Year’s Eve. Together they are collaborated to be an invaluable marvelous miracle ever; happiness.