When the Earth Shatters
by Aqila Fiskiawan
Diterbitkan 2020
Disunting oleh Fairuza H. Razak & Yasmine Mulholland
Novel, 151 halaman
dalam Bahasa Inggris
ISBN: 978-623-90383-4-2
-
Ever since Evany’s little brother died, strange natural disasters have been striking Evany’s country relentlessly. Her mother’s crushed form under concrete and metal fillings, courtesy of an earthquake, and her last words haunt her mind; “Control yourself.”
Shattered with grief, Evany embarks on a journey with a complete stranger and an online friend in search for their missing families. But as they cross the country and face hurricanes upon storms upon floods upon earthquakes, they find that the source of these disasters is beyond their understanding.
Set in a futuristic world, this is a story about a family, makeshift and put together in the midst of chaos, coming to terms with grief and loss.
-
The back seats finally vibrated, which meant it was time to get off the train. I was so relieved that nothing had happened on the way, apart from the snack bar incident and how I was still annoyed. But just as we were about to get off the train, the floor suddenly started shaking, other people started panicking and the lights began to flash on and off. I looked up and saw the panicked look on my mom’s face .
“RUN, EVANY!” my mom screamed.
At that moment, I couldn’t think. My mind was filled with what if questions and people started screaming, “EARTHQUAKE! QUICK, GET TO THE SAFE ZONE!”
My mom and I managed to escape from the train and ran out, we ran as fast as our legs could go and barged through many different people. The ground shook, rattling our bones, sending our balance off, that we often stumbled and scraped our knees and hands on the grit-covered road. But at that moment I didn’t really care. All I cared about was getting to safety. All I could think of was my own safety and I forgot that I was with my mom. And so, without me noticing, I released my mom’s hand and started running on my own.
My eye caught the safe zone and I started sprinting my way there, but as I got closer, I realized that my mom wasn’t with me anymore. I slowed down, even though I was right in front of the safe zone. My eyes searched the crowd, here and there, but only saw chaos everywhere. I finally caught my mom at the last minute waving her hands at me. I ran towards my mom and, thankfully, got to her safely.
We ran to the safe zone. Buildings all around us began crumbling and a chunk of cement plummeted toward us, slamming right onto my mom’s back. I screamed, heard a sickening crunch as the weight of the concrete met bones. I tried pulling her hand as hard as I could, but that just caused my mom to scream in even more pain.
“Stop,” my mom gasped. I didn’t listen. My mind was racing as I struggled to pull her arm. I had to get her out. I couldn’t leave her!
She choked on her tears. “Stop! Evany, stop!”