A Night and A Conversation

Name : Alfino Gaiseka

Author : Lia Tjokro
Category : English Story
Source : cerpenmu.com

Opening, I will be invited to a friend all to listen .

It was a dark night. Kala quickened her steps, and the gravels that shifted under
her flappy sandals almost tripped her. She couldn’t be late. She could feel some rain drops,
cold and sharp on her nose. Ah…that smell of rain. There was a time in her life, long time
ago, that she used to love that smell. Kala shook her head, and focused more on the path
ahead of her. No, no memory of the past. The chill of the night stabbed her skin, and she
kept walking. The wetness of the air permeated her nose, as the wind blew her hair. Kala
stopped suddenly. She took a deep breath, and listened carefully. Rustling of leaves.
Drizzling of weak rain. No. They couldn’t catch up with her now. Not now. Kala continued
walking. She was almost there, she knew it.
Tonight, 4th of April. Every year, she had an appointment for a conversation. A short, but
important, conversation.
Kala saw the house at the end of the street. The lights were not switched on. The
house looked even more run down, as each year went by. Kala froze in front of the door.
The ventilation opening on the steel door was covered with mosquito net. Kala opened
the door. Kala could almost hear little footsteps running around in that house. Laughter
of children. Cries of babies. Bantering of servant girls in the kitchen. Smells of food &
molds. They flooded her, like pictures of moving reels in her head. They came from far
away, long time ago.
And she saw her.
There she was, sitting on a chair, next to the dining table. She looked as beautiful
as she was last year, and the year before last. Her dark hair framed her round face, her
dress was impeccable.
“Mama…” Kala’s voice quivered from the coldness of the rain outside.
“Kala… my dear Kala…” Mama looked up and gestured for her to come close. Kala came
closer, and she could smell her perfume. Flowery jasmine fragrance. Kala sat down on the
floor, next to Mama.
“I come, Mama… I come this year too.”
“Is everything alright with you, Kala?”
“Yes, Mama…”
Kala hesitated a bit. She bit her lips, and she softly continued, “They found a new drug for
me. I don’t know, Mama. Should I take it? If I take it, I won’t be able to come see you
anymore. I don’t know, Mama. I don’t know…”
Mama smiled weakly. She stroked Kala’s hair gently.
“Take it, Kala. 10 years is enough.”
Kala started sobbing. Mama held her shoulders, and whispered.
“I will miss you. But you must go on. There are so many things for you to still do. People
to meet. Memories to be made. Things to learn. Learn, Kala, learn. Learn to hope once
again, learn to love once again. Learn to forgive what had happened. And most of all, learn
to find your peace.”
Kala sobbed.
“One more question, Mama…”
“Yes, Kala?”
“If you could have chosen that night. At that moment. What will you choose?”
Mama smiled weakly, she sighed. She looked so pale.
“I would have chosen to stay, Kala. I would…. but it is not for me to decide, is it, Kala? Go,
Kala, go home to Papa and Sasha. They must be worried sick by now.”
Kala sobbed quietly, as Mama moved slowly up the stairs. She turned around, and waved
to Kala. “Go Kala, go. The rain gets heavier soon.”
“I love you, Kala…”
Kala smiled softly and took a deep breath. She felt lighter. Done. All’s done.
Suddenly, the steel door swung open. Two women came in. They gently sat next to Kala
on the floor.
“Kala, we were worried about you. Your father and sister are waiting at the hospital. Can
we go now?” one of them whispered. Kala looked to her, wiped her tears with her fingers,
and nodded.
4th April. 10 years ago. Mama died when she gave birth to Sasha. She lost too much blood.
Kala was 12. Afterwards, Kala plunged into a severe depression, and now, they discovered
a drug to cure her completely. The only side effect of the drug: An amnesia of her past life.
Kala walked in between the two women from the hospital who came to pick her up at the
place they knew she had been going every year. Her childhood home.
Kala smiled quietly, looked up to the night sky, and whispered, “I will heal, Mama. I will. I
love you…”

Motivation : the reason I chose this story because his story in retesting and nice
Question ; is there who want to as about this in my school
Clossing ; thank you have to listen to my story
 An Ember December

Name : Alpiyadi
Author : Gerald Leonardo Agustino
Category : English Story
Source : cerpenmu.com

Opening , I will be invited to a friend all to listen to my story

Weariness seemed to treat his spirited soul roughly as Agustin sat himself on the
bench near the big mango tree before his campus one Monday afternoon. He had been sat
there for about half an hour after his English Literature class. English Literature class was
always confusing to him, but none of the words of that afternoon class had confused him
the most except the text from his mother in the middle of the class that very afternoon. It
was a usual text message of a mother missing his son so bad. Thinking of a way to be free
from all of his mother text messages, Agustin dark brown eyes would gaze sharply to the
sky as he puffed every little smoke off his mouth in a very static puffing, as if every smoke
puffed was constructing a callout filled with a lot of filthy swears. Not a single puff of
smoke went wasteful off of his mouth. It was really an unusual Agustin in a very usual
afternoon.
Agustin Leonard was a busty college boy with a rather dark complexion. He was
in his early 20 managing to grow his hair as long as the world permits. People would think
he was a nerd by his glasses, but he was not. He seemed to be really popular because he
could make friends easily to everyone. He was kind of a nerd, though, in some kind of
things. None of his classmates in the campus could talk some cheap heavy metal or punk
rock gossips in front of him without him being rather angry while forcefully involving
himself into the conversation. He would also hate someone for mocking Martin Scorsese’s
films without some excellent explanations. He was a nerd, an angry nerd.
The pain he felt every time he took a heavy breath seemed to grow massively in
both of his lungs. Friends of him joked him by often calling him an iron-lunged man. That
kind of a nickname was gained as he could be spending two or three packs of cigarettes
every single day. He could even spend four when he was stressed by raging assignments
in some particular occasions. That December seemed to be filled with none but
assignments. The most confusing one was the English Literature assignment that forced
him to analyse “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Agustin did not like poetry because
it was boring to him, he thought that all of them were meaningless words. But what was
worse in that December was that it had been two months since Dr. Al told him in a medical
or hospital protocol that Agustin had been infected with tuberculosis, and never in those
two months could he even tell his parents.
Two Months Earlier.
A slight strike of shock punched him really hard in the middle of October, at the very
moment the doctor told him that he got a notorious disease attacking his lungs. Still
stunned in the doctor room, he scared that it was not the illness that worried him the
most, but the fact that he should quit some of his favorite things and tell his parents that
he got sick.
“What should I do, Doc? I’m scared.” said Agustin.
“You see, Agustin, long time ago tuberculosis meant hell. But, now, you still can have some
fun even with some pain in your lungs, don’t you worry, Son” with his supposed-to-be-
calm gesture, Dr. Al told Agustin.
“What do you mean, Doc? I thought I would die soon..” in his very little knowledge about
tuberculosis, Agustin worried even bigger.
“Hahaha, I ain’t no God to tell you your demise, but one thing I know is that you
will be handled just fine in my hand. Well, it’s no big deal worrying, Son. You see, Agustin,
long time ago people with the TBC virus would be so helpless because the meds for that
kind of disease had not yet been found. You would see people died of the TBC, and
sometimes you would also see people suffered in some asylum or sanitarium struggling
to fight the disease, and you know, a lot of them were failed to survive. But you and I live
differently today, Son. We can do this and that easily, heal some sick, ease some pain.
Everything’s so flexible today, Son, that is the reason you shouldn’t worry.”
“But, Doc, I can’t..” Dr. Al could feel some hesitations in the words Agustin said.
“You can’t what, Agustin? Tell me like I’m a fool.”
“I can’t stop all those things, Doc. I’m not ready.”
“Oh, come on, just spit it out, what do you mean?”
“I..I just love smoking, I can’t even imagine my life without smoking. It’s just so hard, I
think.”
“Let me tell you, Son. Sometimes, it’s not what you do that you should change. It’s what
you think.”
He took the prescription from Dr. Al, and went home with a loaded head. That night after
the telling, he was thinking about all the possibilities that he should do to tell his parents
about his illness, and to save every penny he spent for every pack of cigarettes, but poorly
he was so scared if he could not make them. That night, with the head still loaded with a
lot of confusing stuffs, he masturbated to sleep.
The cigarettes in the pack were only three left. He went directly to the bench near the big
mango tree before the campus and sat there after the class. That December was an ember
that was burning somewhere in Agustin’s heart and mind, crushing everything good in
Agustin’s being. He could not even think of anything in that December afternoon. He was
so depressed by the fact that life and death were just a blurry kind of thing. Should he
come back to his old habit or not was still just a mystery, but at least Robert Frost had
convinced him slightly. It was the last cigarette from the last pack of that afternoon that
made him realize he could be dead anytime. He should change, and he would do that just
now. With a convinced heart and mind, he reached his pocket for his cell phone and pick
a number from his contact. There was one thing he should do before he finally changed
himself into someone better, and that thing, he thought, was the most hopeful thing. Still
gazing to the sky, he puffed another smoke and talked in a greasy voice to someone in the
phone.
“I miss you, Mom.”
Slightly adapted from personal experience.

Motivation : the reason I chose this story because his story in retesting and nice
Question ; is there who want to as about this in my school
Closing ; thank you have to listen to my story
 About Time

Name : Agus Winanto

Author : Inas Husnun
Category : English Story
Source : cerpenmu.com

Opening , I will be invited to a friend of a friend all to listen to my story .

A hundred years ago, there lived a girl with her old brother and old sister in
Rubbing Village. They treated by a tree which life like a human. However, it can’t walking
like us. The tree’s name is Mrs. Liver one. Liver one had a hole in its trunk for a shelter
and took care of the children from danger.
Inas, Isna, and Riza abandoned by their parents since they were baby then treated
by Mrs. Liverone. They grow healthy, smart, beautiful, and handsome. In 1915 only men
who were allowed to go to school. The woman just stayed at home, cooked for their
family, and took care their children. So were Inas and Isna. They just stayed and waiting
for Riza to brought some books from his university’s library.
One day at 7 a.m. Riza was prepared to go to Mexico to research something. Isna
would cook tomatoes soup before Riza’s disappearance and order Inas to picking some
tomatoes in the garden. Inas was enthusiastically greet, “Good morning Mrs. Liver one!”
Inas said.
“Good morning, dear!” answered Mrs. Liver one. Suddenly, Inas stumble a long roots and
fall over the bushes. She blamed the roots which make her fall. Surprisingly, it was not a
root, it was like a damaged cable. Then, she followed the cable’s origin. It seemed has a
connection with Mrs. Liverone. Because when she cut down the cable, Mrs. Liver one
become pass out.
Inas called Isna and Riza to come out. They shocked about what happened. “We
must help Liverone! or it will be die!” Inas said.
“Stt… calm down, the colonist will know that we are not protected anymore. They will
take us to be their slave.” Isna said slowly. Riza dig a hole in the origin of the cable.
Suddenly, the colonist came in hurry. Fortunately, they saw a wooden door in the hole.
They opened the door and went into the hole.
The hole was located under the liverone tree and it was very dark. Their move
automatically makes the whole room filled with light. “What the hell is this!?” Inas said.
“Is it a television, radio, or…. maybe time machine? But, why it’s so many?”
“Unbelievable!” Isna said with gaping. “This is the center of Liverone’s life.” Riza clarify.
Alright, Liverone is a machine. It is controlled by someone who loves them very much
which leave their son and daughters with this tree machine to protect them. They knew
that their parents were still alive.
So much glare after they opened the door. “Is it morning? I feel, we’re just getting
into the basement 4 hours ago.” Inas said. The morning looks different. Everything is
changes. They are not come out from basement. They wake up from a long sleep in the
hospital. And they looks 5 years younger than before. “Hi, kids. I’m Mrs. Liverone. Your
new psychiatrist and your new nanny. Let’s go home. Let’s start a new live.”
“what year is it?”
“2015.”
Motivation : the reason I chose this story because his story in retesting and nice
Question ; is there who want to as about this in my school
Closing ; thank you have to listen to my story
 My Sleepless Night

Name : Afifah
Author : Kurniati Saptarina
Category : English Story
Source : cerpenmu.com

Opening; I will be inveted to a friend of a friend all to listen to my

It’s 23:54. My husband hadn’t arrived yet. I responded a message from my
Blackberry high school group. It was Damang. As a forever head of the class he started
the first chat by a usual opening “It’s so quiet.” I replied, “Everybody is sleeping.” When I
still subscribed Speedy in Bandung, I often found that many of my high school friends
were still awake at exact time, just by looking who were online on Facebook. Damang was
one of them. It didn’t mean that we always had sleeping problems.
No. We’re both lecturers and sometimes we could concentrate better at night
doing our chores, especially when there were too many answer sheets demanded our
attention. Then I updated my Facebook status and he did the same but in German
language! Whenever there was a car, I listened but it wasn’t Aa’s car. I believed the reason
behind Aa’s late attendance was his usual routine at our restaurant, Geulis Warung which
was opened on 30 September this year. It’s across from Santika Hotel in Cirebon. Book
keeping and stuff.
But waiting for him was never boring. Thanks to my over than 1000 Facebook
friends, so my Newsfeed was always fresh and new. I chose some interesting status
updates to be analyzed and here are some of them: Ai Kurniawati said, “If you want to lie,
you should have a good memory.” That’s a good advice for a natural born liar who could
dedicate his or her love to more than one person at the same time. Rather doing teacher’s
assignments first at home, he would carry his girlfriends’ books!
Amalia Farra said, “Your smile makes me realize that you are my first and last
love.” Is a smile really convincing that much? Can you believe it the power of smile? Or
love really comes from the first and most beautiful smile you saw?
Puspita Mayuhime said, “I don’t want this night ends.” Time is running when you enjoy it
the most, but it freezes when you hate it, seems like the clock stops ticking. It’s a proof
that sometimes we don’t value time better than money and all those glittery things. We
can’t enjoy the time with those repetitive and same old duty calls. We suddenly realize
that time is lost when people die and we regret that we hadn’t spent precious quality time
with them.
The first and the second status update have one similarity and one difference. The
similarity is about love and the difference is love abuse. The third status is uncertain. We
don’t know why Puspita wished that time stopped although we could assume that she
was with someone special. She rarely sees the person and wants to spend more time with
him. A typical teenage girl would cherish her time with her long-distance boyfriend (like
I did!) than her girlfriends. But if you see your boyfriend everyday, you’ll feel bored if
both of you don’t have different dates in different sightseeing. The magic would lose its
touch.
Fourth and final status. Vio Ekky Pradipta said, “I don’t know why I’m angry all the
time. I also feel disappointed even though people treat me nice. Maybe because they love
me too much and when the shower of affection shown less, I’ll feel neglected and
abandoned.”
Well what can I say? Just like Vio, we are social human. We need attention and want to be
the center of the universe otherwise why we update status and send tweet? In real and
virtual world we really absorb with the way we dress, talk and act. Secretly we would
admit that we enjoy the number of likes we received in every photo, video, and status
update. If all your friends are too busy to read, comment and praise it, then we wonder
what it’s wrong with ourselves.
Nothing is wrong, believe me! There is a time when I’m so sick and tired with Facebook
which makes me forget my spiritual religious duties and reconnect with my friends
offline. Enough with status updates. Here is my favorite unknown quote, “A man who
treats his woman like a princess is proof that he has been born and raised in the arms of
a queen.”
A queen is also a good mother. She teaches her son what it takes to treat a princess
which means every single female tenderly and respect. To tell you the truth I really don’t
know how a man can make me feel like a princess. Should he say that I always look good
and beautiful even though I haven’t taken a bath, washed my hair, and brushed my teeth?
Should he open the door and let me walk first?
Is that why there’s a phrase ladies first not princess first? Because how many women in
this world are true princesses? Then again we as young girls really love to be called
princess by our parents and boyfriends. And an ordinary mother is a ‘queen’ in her
household who lives in a ‘castle’ or a ‘palace’. But there is no phrase such as castle sweet
castle but home sweet home is.
Now it’s 3:21 AM. It’s been a long day. I suddenly remember a scene from Twilight
when Edward is awake at night watching Bella asleep. A vampire never sleeps and so
does God. That’s a beauty of a fairy tale and fiction which why I’m so thankful that I’m
charge in teaching Drama Analysis. You can make believe and imagine that you are the
hero and heroine. Impossible things do happen which really exist in paradise.
I never regret or blame my insomnia episodes aren’t triggered by anything. It is God’s
desire and He blesses me so I can produce this story and makes me more motivated in
teaching. To be honest I keep asking myself, “Rina, aren’t you bored teaching all the time?
What about your passion in writing and travelling around the world?” Well I don’t teach
for money itself. Only God who decides what is the best for me and all of you. Thank you
readers who survive reading this 1023 words.

Motivation : the reason I chose this story because his story in retesting and nice
Question : is there who want to as about this in my story
Closing : thank you , have to listen to my story