My Love From The Sea
Sagara Recognition

" Sagara, I'm hungry!"

Sagara who was sitting on the wooden porch turned his head. Looking at Belva with a strange look. Perhaps because of how to wear plain pink fabric Belva so it looks beautiful and fashionable. The woman was seen twisting the cloth onto her body as usual, but tying the edges of the cloth to the neck.

" Sagara, don't be so dumb!"

Like a child, Belva whines. He takes his place next to Sagara. Looking straight ahead. Where there is a vast expanse of jasmine gardens. Belva also saw people dressed not much different from Sagra working there. Harvesting the fragrant jasmine. They were bare-chested and only wore sarongs. How strange. But Belva can't be critical if she's hungry. Instead of taking care of the appearance of others, it is better to take care of his rumbling stomach.

" Fear up" he said again. His head imagined roasted chicken with delicious soy sauce chili.

" Let's get some food" Sagara stood up, extending his hand to help Belva stand up.

Belva is so excited. He received Sagara's hand. When he stood up, he took Sagara's hand proudly. As if showing off to the sky and the rest of its contents, if he has a very handsome and cool companion angel.

" Are you tired?" sagara asked as she looked at Belva's hand holding her hand.

" No," Belva replied briefly as if he did not care about Sagara's question. Belva looked around at the vast jasmine plantation. Like the expanse of tea gardens in Bogor or in Bandung. The difference is, the atmosphere here is more pleasant because there is Sagara.

" Sagara, where am I really?" Ask Belva at the end. Something stuck in his heart, had now come out smoothly through his mouth.

" You are on the island of Cenderawasih" short, dense and inviting confusion for Belva.

" Cenderawasih Island?"

Intentions wanted to ask, but Sagara did not answer.

" Is Cenderawasih Island in Heaven or Hell?"

Sagara, who had been looking straight ahead, now looked to the left. Not to see Belva from the side, but rather because he heard something screaming for help. His voice sounded from the gutter not far from his place.

" A little while," Sagara passed leaving Belva.

From a distance not too far from the place, Belva can see Sagara crouching and looking down. Looking to the right and left as if looking for something in the gutter made along the way as a barrier between the path and the stretch of jasmine garden.

Before long, Sagara came back with nothing. His forefinger and thumb smelled and there was a blackish stain tucked in his nails. When Sagara wants to hold Belva's hand like he did earlier, Belva pulls both hands back. Reluctant to be littered with dirty Sagara hands.

Sagara doesn't ask much. He immediately walked again without saying anything, making Belva have to run a little in order to equalize the pace with Sagara.

" Sagara wait!"

The man slowed down his pace, "let's hurry. It's getting hot."

Belva agrees with Sagara. He quickly equated the pace with Sagara. When her steps were aligned, the still curious Belva finally discussed their previous conversation.

" Is Cenderawasih Island in heaven or hell?" Belva asked once more. He was really curious about this magical foreign place.

" Do you think?" As always. Sagara prefers to ask questions instead of answering questions.

" Sagara don't make me feel dizzy."

" Do you feel dead?"

Belva nodded confidently. He was sure it had sunk to the bottom of the empty sea. It is dark and there is no oxygen.

" Do you think people die when they consciously vomit on someone else's face?"

Suddenly Belva remembered something that happened yesterday. He was unconscious, but he felt coughing and vomiting. Did he vomit on someone else's face? Jesus, did he throw up on Sagara's face yesterday?

" Sagara, did I vomit on your face yesterday?"

" So you remember?"

Belva is upset by himself. Why does Sagara always ask questions?

" Not really. But, I feel like I'm throwing up."

Sagara nodded his head. Then turn to the right where there is a small hut crowded. The dark skinned people in the sun seem to be enjoying lunch. Most of the men are middle-aged, the rest are young adult men. They all dress like Sagara.

" What message do you want?" ask a middle-aged woman behind a table as tall as an adult's stomach. On the table there is rice and a variety of tempting side dishes.

" I want some water, Bude."

Belva thought for a moment. Choosing what side dishes make the stomach more rumbling, "rice is the same vegetable. Sambel ya Bude."

The woman nodded while putting the Belva order into the plate. Before long Belva received the plate with sparkling eyes.

Sagara invited him to sit on one of the empty wooden chairs. They sat next to each other facing a patch of green chili garden that smelled spicy in the nose.

" Sagara, do you think I'm alive?"

" Aren't you overconfident that you're dead?"

Belva stuffed the rice into her mouth while thinking how could it be?

" So that Cenderawasih Island is not in heaven or in hell? I'm still on earth?"

" You still can't believe you're alive?"

" the sagara! answer me. Don't keep turning back."

" Yes."

Belva put her food back in her mouth. In his heart he still could not believe that he was still alive. Though Belva was sure if he had drowned to the bottom of the sea. But, how did he survive?

" Sagara, why am I here?"

" Because you're closest to here."

" So you found me on that beach?"

Sagara nodded. Sipping the water until the toilet glass in just one breath.

" How can you find me?"

" She said someone needed my help. So, I came to help you."

This is the third time Belva has heard Sagara allude to Ayahanda.

" Where did your father know I was drowning?"

" It's not like I told you, Father is a wise ruler of the sea."

Sea ruler? What does Sagara mean if his father is a sea god? Then Belva laughed out loud, realizing the joke Sagara made was really very funny.

" Your father is Neptune? or Poseidon? If that means you... Perseus?"

" You think we're a western myth?"

Belva's laughter subsided, "so you're not the Perseus who fell in love with Andromeda?"

" It's just a fairy tale!"

" What are you, Sagara?"

" I am Raden Mas Agung Sagara Banyu Biru. Crown Prince wise ruler of the ocean."

Belva still thinks Sagara is joking, so he replies with a joke, "You know Nyi Blorong?"

Sagara nodded, "She is very beautiful and generous."

Seeing the ordinary-looking Sagara, almost always expressionless and not eating consciously if the man had eaten nothing since yesterday, made Belva inching to shift her seat. Fearful. Don't be right what he said.

" Sagara, aren't you hungry?"

" I'm never hungry. But, if it's on land, I have a lot to drink."

Belva further distanced his sitting position with Sagara, "Sagara, what are you really?"

***