Finding Light in a Dark World
Chapter 4 The Journey Home, Full of Parental Anxiety

Raka looked far ahead, looking at the slow-moving vehicles in front of her. He sat in the back of the taxi with a frightened face. He knows that going home to Jakarta alone can be very dangerous, especially for a child his age. But he had no choice. He had to go home, because he had been in bandung 4 days and not permission to his parents and he had left school long enough.

He thought of Maya, the girl he met in Bandung. Maya's face continued to cross her mind, making her heart flutter. He felt at ease with Maya, as if a light had illuminated his dark heart.

It did not feel like it had reached the front of the terminal, after Raka paid for the taxi he walked in .

Raka stepped quickly among the busy crowd of people in the terminal.His hand he held a small bag containing all his important items. He looked around vigilantly, looking for signs of evil people. He was once taught by his friends in the game to always be vigilant in unfamiliar surroundings.

But amidst the crowd, Raka felt troubled by her agitated feelings. He kept thinking of Maya, the girl who had opened the light in his life. He wonders if Maya is doing well, if she also misses Raka as Raka feels.

"Hopefully I can meet again with Maya," Raka murmured inwardly.

He was relieved when he arrived at the bus station. There, he tried to find a bus that would take him to Jakarta. After a long search, he found the right bus. He bought a ticket and took the bus.

In the bus, Raka sat in a comfortable chair. He felt a little relieved that he had made it to the bus station. However, he still has to be vigilant, because the trip to Jakarta is still long. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He thinks of Maya again, hoping to see her again someday.

He felt anxious and scared, but tried to stay calm.

Along the way, Raka thinks about Maya and how she will miss her. He can't wait to meet again and hopes to be back in Bandung soon.

However, Raka also realized that she had to think about her own safety. He promised himself that he would become more cautious and vigilant when in unfamiliar surroundings.

Finally, the bus arrived at the terminal and Raka got off safely. He felt relieved and grateful again no one lost any object , then he looked for ojek to go home his , I don't know what will happen next because maybe my parents will scold me .and maybe even he'll beat me up

Not feeling the journey from the final to the house, he stepped up and tried to get into the house.

Raka's mother sat on the living room sofa with an anxious face, watching every movement of Raka passing in front of her. "Raka, where have you been ? it's been 4 days you haven't come home mom is so anxious, are you okay?" ask her in a soft tone.

However, Raka did not answer her mother's question. He just lowered his head and went towards his room without a word. His mother saw Raka walking away and felt increasingly worried.

Arriving at the room, Raka threw her bag beside her bed and pondered for a moment. She kept thinking about Maya and the strange feeling she felt near the girl. However, Raka did not understand her own feelings. He was confused, he was still a child and there were still many things that he did not understand.

When her mother walked into her room, Raka immediately woke up from her bed. "Sorry, Mother. I just stayed at a friend's house and traveled to the zoo with friends" she replied as she yawned

But suddenly Raka felt a violent tremor from the slap of her father who arrived to enter because he heard that raka had come home , making him fall on the floor. Tears flowed down her cheeks, not only from physical pain, but also from heartache and fear. He knew his father was angry because he was worried about him, but didn't know how to make him understand that he just wanted to see the world out there and meet new friends.

Raka got up from the floor and locked the door of her room from inside. He felt angry and sad at the same time. How could he open his father's heart and make him understand? After a moment of crying, he felt exhausted and fell asleep in the arms of a pillow.

The next morning, Raka wakes up with her eyes moist.she decides not to talk to anyone, and prepares herself for school

Raka returned to school after being absent for a few days. His classmates asked for his whereabouts, but he only replied with a faint smile and said that he was not feeling well.

Later, as the lesson progresses, Raka's teacher also asks why he hasn't been in for a few days. Raka felt even more nervous because she did not want to be punished or make her father angry again. He repeated the reason that he was sick and could not come to school. The teacher nodded and asked Raka to pick up the taskbook that had been shared during her absence.

Raka felt a little relieved that she managed to convince her teacher and friends with the lie, but her heart was not calm. He felt guilty and afraid of the consequences of the lies he told. However, he did not know what to do to improve the situation that had occurred. Raka pondered deeply, trying to find a way out of the complicated situation he was in.

After returning home from school, Raka headed straight to her favorite cafe to play the game. He had already thought about the game he wanted to play all day at school, and it was time he made that wish come true. After paying the rent, Raka immediately sat in front of the computer and opened the game that he had been waiting for.

However, after a few minutes of play, Raka was unable to concentrate. His mind always floated on Maya, the woman he met in Bandung. Raka is eager to contact her, but she doesn't have Maya's phone number, only her Facebook and Messenger accounts. He hoped Maya had that account, too.

Raka opens Messenger and searches for Maya's account. He sent her a message, "Hi, how are you? Long time no talk."

However, after a few minutes, Maya did not respond. Raka started to worry. He thinks Maya may not be interested in him or even forgot about him. Raka felt sad and disappointed, but she still tried to send a message again.

Moments later, a notification appeared on the computer screen. Raka saw and it turned out that it was a reply from Maya. Her heart was pounding as she read the message, "Hi, Raka. Sorry I couldn't reply to your message. There is important business at home. How are you?"

Raka was pleased and relieved that Maya finally replied to her message. He immediately typed in a reply, "Alright. I'm playing a game at the cafe. What are you doing?"

Maya responds quickly, "I'm finishing schoolwork. Thanks for calling me. I'm glad to hear from you."

Raka was happy to be able to talk to Maya again. He decided to finish the game and go home. He is tired and needs to wake up tomorrow morning. But he can't wait to see Maya again. He hopes to take her for a walk or a meal together when Maya comes to Jakarta again.

After finishing playing the game, Raka left the cafe and went home. He did not even think too much about the question of his friends at school why he did not enter. He just wishes he could sleep and dream about Maya

The next morning, Raka decided to try chatting with her father again. However, when he opened the door of his room, he saw that his father had already gone to work. He felt disappointed and lonely, but also felt stronger. He knew that he had to figure out a way to make his parents understand that he just wanted to explore the world, without having to worry about safety.