A Piece of Sunset For My Girl

By Seno Gumira Ajidarma

Dear Alina,

With this letter I sent you a piece of sunset with winds, with waves, sun setting down and its
golden light. Did you receive it nicely? Like in every sunset in every beach, of course there are
birds, wet sands, silhouette of rift and maybe boat in the distance. I’m sorry I can’t see it clearly
one by one. There should be shells, colorful little rocks, and the ray of lights in every sea foam
like dreams that always makes me wondering things I can do with you even thought I knew it
will always stay as possibility no one knows when do it will become reality.

I sent this piece of sunset for you Alina, inside of sealed envelope, from afar, because I want to
give you something more than words. There are already so many words in this world Alina, and
words, turn out, it did not change anything. I won’t add words that are already repeated
thousands times in the human history Alina.

For what? Words are no use and always useless. Besides are there people who still want to listen
to it? In this world everyone is busy using words not even care to the people who listen to it. On
top of that they don’t even care about their words either. A world full of words with out meaning.
Words are no longer needed. The meaning of every word can be change. Every words are no
longer have purpose. That is our world Alina.

I sent this piece of sunset for you Alina, not the word of love. I sent you a piece of real soft
sunset with it reddish sky and it exactly look like when the first time i took it.

Sweet Alina, my dearest Alina, I will tell you about how I got this sunset for you. That afternoon
I sit alone in the shore, looking over the world of time. Looking at how world and time become
friends, bringing this nature to my eyes. In the edge of beach, in the edge of world, universe is a
golden sweep of color and sea is liquid metal even if the sea foams are white like cotton and the
sky always purple and the wind felt wet and humid, and the sand always warm when I swept my
feet in it. Then suddenly sunset and light trembling. A beauty fighting over time and suddenly I
remember you.

“Maybe sunset will be perfect for you,” I thought. Then I cut that sunset before its too late, I slice
it square and I put it in my pocket. So the beauty of it can be immortal and I can gave it to you.
Then I walk home happily. I know you will like it because you know this is the sunset that you
always imagine for us. I know you always imagining about a long holiday, long trip, and maybe
a pair of camping chair in the beach over sunset where we are talking while looking at the sky
wondering whether this is happening or not. Now you can bring that sunset everywhere.

When I leave that beach, I see people crowding , they were surprised because the sunset is
missing. I see hole as big as a postcard in the horizon.

Alina darling,

It happened and it will stay at it is. I went to my car when suddenly they point out at me.

“He is the one who took the sunset! I saw him took the sunset!”,

I see people walk directing at me. When I saw that I went into my car and take the gas.

“Remember his car number! Remember it”.

I drove off to the street. I took the gas as hard as I could. I already determined to give this sunset
to you and only for you Alina. No one allowed to took it from me. The golden light glistening
from the sunset in my pocket. I was feeling very anxious even thought my car’s glass are dark
but surely this light will be seen for outside. And it is shining through my car’s glass, making my
car bright on the road even the universe can see it.

From the radio that I played I knew, the news about the the sunset have been aired. I can even
see my face from the TV in the car. Oh my. It just one sunset that missing and they have gone
crazy. Can they wait until tomorrow? How if every person took the sunset for their spouse?
Maybe it is the time when we have to make fake sunset that can be sold in the stores, warp in
plastic bag and sold by the street vendor. It is time for the sunset to be mass produced so the
street vendor kids can sell it on the cross road.

“Sunset! Sunset! Get three for one thousand!”.

On the street I already arrived at the city. I must be careful because everybody is looking for me.
The siren of the police cars are loud I can hear it everywhere. The city lights is so bright that the
sunset light from my car is not too piercing. After all in the city, not everyone care if the sunset is
gone or not. In the city life goes on without looking at the time, not caring whether is it morning,
noon, evening or night. So the sunset is never really important. The sunset is just for the tourist
who likes to take pictures of the sun going down. Maybe that’s the reason why the police chasing
after me.

“Silver Porche car number SG 19658 A, please stop. This is the police. You have been accused
for stealing the sunset. Even thought there is no official rule about stealing it. But stil…”.

I don’t want to hear it any longer. So I crash my car to theirs making it out off the road. I took
my gas and slip in to the other cars on the street. It did not took much time the city is now filled
with the sound of the police sirens. There is an exciting car chase on the street. But I know
exactly the cobwebs of this town, like the streets with colorful lights, unnamed dark alleys, secret
hallways for the people who lives in the street.

One car flew away from the main street, another car lost in the village, and the other one rolled
around after hitting a truck and burned after. There are still two police with motorcycle chasing
me. This is easy. They can never chase after me, and after this exciting car chase they are slowly
out off gas and the two police start swearing at their motor. I see the sunset in my shirt’s pocket.
Still in piece. The wind blows. The sky begin to turn purple. The ocean waves shouting at the
beach. Just for you I will give this sunset Alina. But Alina, The Police are not as fool as I
thought. They are already in every corner in the city. Because of that I can’t buy any food to fill
my stomach with. Moreover in the sky without sunset, their helicopter projecting it flashlight
across the buildings. If there is no open water tunnel back then I can’t go anywhere and will
definitely got caught. I leave my car behind and begin to walk in that dirty place. I run in the gap
of a warehouse, an old house, a pole and also it’s ropes. I fall to the garbage, climbing a broken
stairs, until a Hobo lead me to a place that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

“Go in,” He said, “You are safe in there.”

He point out an open water tunnel. There are mice coming out of it. It smell so bad like the smell
of urine. I look down. I see bats hanging upside down. I’m hesitate. But the sound of the
helicopter and it flashlight making me do it.

“Go, you don’t have other choice.” And that Hobo push me down. I fall right on my face. The
smell of this place is no joke. The water tunnel hole is closed and I heard this Hobo lay down on
top of this water tunnel. The flashlight of the helicopter slipped through the gaps but not enough
to see me. I touch the sunset in my pocket, its golden reddish lights helping me see in the dark
water tunnel. I walk to the tunnel that actually quite tall. I ditch some of the hanging bats who
either already death or not, who knows. I see a bright light in the end of the tunnel. A dark water
flowing down as high as my knees, but the more I walk the water is slowly decreasing. In the dry
land I see bunch of homeless children sitting down or lying down, they are all over the place,
each holding tambourine with no happiness in their eyes. I walk pass them and try to hold on.
No matter how hard it is, this is better than I have to give up Alina’s sunset for anyone.

In the end of the tunnel, in the place of that bright light, there is a stairs going down. I follow it.
The light is getting brighter and brighter. Oh my, it’s okay if you don’t believe this Alina, but
you have to read it. The stairs take me to a cave, and did you know when I went out where did it
took me? In the place where I took this sunset for you Alina. A beautiful beach with waves,
winds, and flaps of the birds wings not to mention the golden with a touch of purple sky like
something out of a dream. But in here there is no hole as big as a postcard. So even though it is
the same, it is not exactly the same place.

I walk through the shore, drown by the virgin nature. The coconut tree, the sun, and the clear
deep ocean with the sizzling of the waves. There is no cottage, no barbeque, no harbor.
“ All that is unnecessary. The sunset who shakes while fighting the destiny blows it golden lights
in the edge of the universe. I always embarrassed seeing all that. Alina, is this can be translated
in to language?.”

While sit on the shore I think, what is the use of this scenery without no one seeing it? After
hours walking back and forth I realize this water tunnel is empty. There are no humans, no mice,
or dinosaur. Just birds flapping its wings, but it look like it did not make nest or lay eggs. It just a
bird made for the sunset. It just a bird who keeps flapping it wings over and over. I can’t help
myself thinking Alina, nature like this made for what? For what this sunset exist without
someone who wants to fall in love without dinosaur enjoying it? Meanwhile at the above they are
still crazy about the missing sunset.

So, that’s it Alina, I took that sunset as well. I cut it square with the swiss knife that I always
bring, leaving a hole as big as a postcard. With two sunset in my left and right pockets I walk
back home. The earth stop rotating in my back, it change to wet and rotten darkness. I climb up
the stairs back to my beloved earth. When I look up, after going through the hanging bats, the
homeless children, and water as high as my knees, the police with the helicopter are gone. The
Hobo who save me sleep above a light pole playing a saxophone. I walk searching for my car. It
still parked nicely at the supermarket. Looks like someone has wash it. While chewing on pizza I
drove to the beach. With two sunset in my left and right pockets, complete with the sun, the
ocean, the beach, and the golden lights each, my car looks like a sparkle of holy light. On the
highway, on the street, I took my gas full speed.

Alina darling, my girl, my women. You must be know what happen next. I put the sunset from
the water tunnel in the hole and it fit. And then I sent the real sunset for you, through mail. I want
to have the first sunset, the real sunset not the sunset in the water tunnel.

Now the water tunnel is fully dark Alina. In the time being parents will tell their grandchild
about why this water tunnel became dark. They will tell about the other world who has its own
sun and moon in its water tunnel, but there would be no more story because someone took it to
replace the real sunset on earth. The parents also tell them that the real sunset has been cut and
someone gave it to their spouse.

Sweet Alina, my sweetest, and will always be, accept that piece of sunset, just for you, from
someone who wants to make you happy. Be careful of the ocean and the sun in it, the lights may
burn the sky and if it spilled the water may flood the earth.

With this I sent my longing to you, with kisses, hugs, and warm whispers, from the most quiet
place in the world.