On the Earth or among the Stars

Prompt tulisan harian

Ketika berusia lima tahun, apa cita-cita Anda bila dewasa nanti?

Lihat semua tanggapan

The scent of clove cigarettes and jasmine incense hung heavy in the air, a constant backdrop to my childhood in the late 80s Indonesia. Back then, our small village sprawled under a canopy of stars so vast, it felt like they spilled over the horizon. Every night, nestled on a woven mat on the porch, I’d devour dog-eared books about ancient civilizations and faraway galaxies.

Indiana Jones wasn’t just a movie character; he was my idol. I dreamt of unearthing forgotten temples, deciphering cryptic hieroglyphs, and piecing together the whispers of the past like a grand archaeologist. But then I’d look up at the Milky Way, a shimmering river of stars defying comprehension, and a different kind of explorer ignited within me – the astrophysicist.

The universe, an enigma whispered in hushed tones by my science teacher, Pak Budi, held an allure that transcended anything on Earth. Black holes, pulsars, the very fabric of space-time itself – these were the mysteries I craved to unravel.

One day, perched on the roof, tracing constellations with my finger, a shooting star streaked across the inky canvas. It was a fleeting, luminous message, and in that moment, I knew – my future lay amongst the stars, or perhaps beneath the soil, each path leading to a different kind of discovery. The world was a vast, uncharted territory, and I, a wide-eyed child, dreamt of being the one to map it all.

The late 80s offered little in terms of technology, but my imagination was a boundless cosmos. Cardboard boxes became spaceships, the dusty ground transformed into alien landscapes, and fireflies were bioluminescent creatures from distant planets. Every rustle of leaves in the wind whispered secrets, every sunrise a promise of new adventures.

As I look back, my childhood was a beautiful paradox – rooted in the familiar warmth of my village yet yearning to explore the furthest reaches of the unknown. The world, for me, was a treasure chest waiting to be unlocked, and the key, I believed, lay in the stars and the soil, waiting for the day I held it in my hand.