#mildawrites

--the lady or the tiger: the hardest choice ever Beberapa hari lalu saya kurang enak badan dan jadi pusing kalau baca lama-lama sambil tiduran. Padahal membaca buku--printed maupun digital--sudah jadi salah satu rutinitas pengantar tidur yang biasa saya lakukan. Saya jadi dilema. Nggak bisa tidur karena masih pengen baca, tapi juga nggak bisa baca karena pusing. . Akhirnya saya download file audio short story collection. Ketika dengerin playlist-nya, saya jadi ngerasa kayak lagi dibacakan dongeng sebelum tidur. And more than that, it feels like I can read with my eyes closed! Hehe. Sensasinya emang nggak sama sih dengan baca sendiri, tapi lumayan lah... 😄 . Nah, salah satu short story yang sempat saya dengar sebelum mata terpejam adalah kisah karangan Frank R. Stockton berjudul "The Lady or The Tiger". Kisah yang menurut saya tidak tepat untuk didengarkan sebelum tidur! Karena begitu selesai, saya malah jadi susah tidur mikirin jalan ceritanya. Intinya menarik sih. Menarik banget, malah. Tapi endingnya itu... argh! Tanpa kepastian. Setelah peperangan batin yang cukup intense, kisahnya berhenti tanpa diketahui akan berakhir dengan "bloody killing" atau "happy ending". . Sang penulis memang sengaja membiarkan pembaca (atau pendengar seperti saya) menyimpulkan sendiri akhir dari kisah ini. Hmm... . @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1810 #mildawrites #shortstory

What makes someone qualified as your friend? . “We’re friends because we grow up together. We live in the same neighborhood and attend the same schools. We’re inseparable, and wherever she goes, I can make sure I’ll go, too.” . “The universe wants us to meet, I just know that. I got the feeling at the first time I met my friend that we’re gonna help each other when life gets bad.” . “Someone who always stays with me through ups and downs. He supports me no matter what, and has a faith in me that I can be anything I want to be.” . “We like doing anything together: traveling, going to cinema, shopping, even basic things like eating and hanging around. We often laugh at the same joke… or at the same people we thought as a joke.” . “You know the saying that friendship grows as the time goes? That’s what happened to me and my friends. We started as an acquaintance, but because we meet frequently and often share our moment together… we finally become friend, even before I realize it.” . “The ones who are worth to spend my time with. Whenever I’m surrounded by my friends, I always experience the best time ever. And when I can’t see them for a long time, I know I’ll miss them terribly.” . “I don’t know. I let my heart choose who will be my friend.” … End of discussion. . . . —

--what we talk about when we talk about fiction "I don't understand how people can be so attached to fictional stuff." "Some people have just have a really good imagination." "Good imagination or an excessive one? I mean, they know it's not real--well, that's why it's called fictional. Those stuff are made by some human like us, nothing more." "When the real world is so tiring, some people tend to seek for another world created by others. They use it as an escape from their reality. We do that sometimes." "Definitely not me. My reality keeps me busy enough until I don't have time to find 'another world' you're talking about." "Clearly, we live in different world." "I just don't feel like it's the right thing to do. Why should I divide my mind to think about several other worlds when all I have to do is focusing on the only world I have? The real one." "And just like that, I can assure you, we have different kind of soul." "I'm just saying... it's kind of ridiculous when people put too much of their thoughts for things that are not even real. Ironic, no?" "Why do you care about it anyway? Why do you bring this up?" "No reason. Just wondering." "A little advice, my friend, if you have no intention to care, just leave it for good. It only makes me conclude that we have different way to look at 'fictional stuff' in particular." "That again?! Come on! Are we really that different?" "It's a lot more than you think." . . --- *title inspired by Raymond Carver's short story. only one word that makes it different. @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1807 #mildawrites #fiction

--a day in dreamy sky: daydreaming what's better than having your dreams come true? i have a good answer for that: it's having them lying next to you. . because that's what happens right now. here we are, resting our head on the same pillow of grass while looking at the same point of sky. it feels unreal, but it's happening. . we're lying next to each other, and it's the best feeling in the world. . though no words come out, we both know that our hearts communicate. . "this nice feeling... it almost feels like a dream," whispered my heart. . "i know. let's enjoy it while it lasts," replied yours. . and the conversation continues. we keeps talking quietly. you said you're happy to visit. i said i'm glad you come. you said you miss me when i'm gone. i said i'm feeling the same. you're hoping to be with me forever. i'm expressing my regret that no matter how much i want it, i can't. . then we stop. we allow each other to enjoy our thought. . until you asked me out of the blue, "why do we have to do things that we don't want to?" . how am i supposed to answer that? . "it's probably just a matter of obligatory," i answered at last. "we don't have control of our life." . "but what if you do? we do have control. we can choose what's best for us. you can do it, too. it's a matter of choice." . "it's easier said than done. what if there's no choice? . "well, that's just... sad." . "exactly." . "i'm sorry." . "let's talk about something else," i said. . "as you wish," you replied. . what to talk? what to talk? what to talk? our mind entangles to find the answer. . then we speak in unison: "let's talk about dream!" . oh, dear, we can spend a whole day talking about that. (2/3) . . . --- @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1805 #mildawrites #flashfiction

--a day in dreamy sky: morning greeting one thing you should do in the morning is stop dreaming. and it has to be done even before your eyes are opened. it's not an easy thing to do, especially when your dream at night is better than the reality you have to face in the morning. however, this morning is different. when my eyes look through the window to see the clouds with the early ray of sunlight, a shadowy figure appears. i'm fully awake, i'm sure of it. yet, looking at the figure reminds me of my dream last night. as the figure drifts closer, it doesn't look like a shadow anymore. it happens to be someone so familiar. then, it hit me. i find you. the one who always appears in my dream for no reason at all. suddenly, i can feel it that today will be brighter than any other day. it's a good feeling i can't resist. (1/3) . . . --- @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1804 #mildawrites #flashfiction

--stopping the time or turning it back? . it's just the usual "would you rather" game. you choose one option and abandon the other, then you'll get the consequences for every choice you've made. simple as that. . this time, the question is intended for those who has a slight fear about what will happen tomorrow. so, forget about the ideal answer like, "i'd choose neither. i'd rather live in the present and aim for the future." . sure, that's what everyone would say. but who knows what they secretly think? . some of them probably want to stay at the moment that makes them feel really happy; so happy, until they don't want it to end. . meanwhile, some others have a desire to go back in time; getting back to the point when they can fix what already happened. . now, we'd give you a chance. . for those who already live a comfort life right now, at the very exact moment, you'd have a chance to stop the time and enjoy it forever. no need to worry about the bad things that may steal the good ones. . and for those who feel regretful over the bad choices you made or because you didn't do something right, you'd have a second chance to turn back the time and do the right thing or choose the right choice. . either way, you can always win. so, what would you choose? --- Picture credit: Time Turner, pickywallpapers @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1802 #mildawrites #instablog

--wish (un)granted . "Can I grant you a wish?" asked the genie once he was freed from the lamp. . Who would deny a chance to get your wish granted? So I said my wish, "I want to have the whole courage to say "no" for things I don't want to do." . "Wish grant... wait?! What kind of wish is that?" . "It's just something I really need right now. I want to be able to say "no" without worrying about what other people think of my refusal." . With a gentle swoosh, the genie moved closer. I don't know if he granted my wish or not, but he asked another question in one single word: "Why?" . "I agreed to many things that I don't really want to. And everything ends up with me regretting my own decision. If only I could easily say no in the first place, I'd definitely put myself out of misery." . "That's what you thought?" . "Pretty much." . "Well," the genie sighed after a long pause, "Have you ever thought about me?" . Of course I shook my head, "No. We've just met, right?" . "Yes, that's true. So, let me tell you how much I want the same ability you're talking about." . "Huh?" . "I can't give you the ability to say "no" when I myself don't have that kind of ability." . "But you're a genie! You grant anyone's wishes." . "Yeah, because I'm destined to do that. But do you know how many times I want to say "no" for granting other people's wishes? A lot of times. Sadly, I can't do it. And I fully regret it." . "You still owe me one wish to grant, you know." . "I'm sorry. After what you said... I think I should try to stand up for myself by saying the magic word. No." . Shoot. Apparently, I'm out of luck. . . . --- Picture credit: Pinterest @30haribercerita #30haribercerita #30hbc18 #30hbc1801 #mildawrites #instablog

(Suarakan Suara Hati) . Ketika mulut tak mau berbicara, hati tak akan pernah berhenti bersuara. . Kadang kita menyimpan semuanya dalam hati. Apa-apa yang menggelisahkan, apa-apa yang membuat kita merasa gusar. . "Cukup aku yang tahu." Begitu cara kita meredakan ragu, lalu kita memilih diam atau bersikap seolah semua hal itu tidak mengganggu. . Padahal, seperti halnya kita yang tak pernah tahu kebaikan mana yang akan membawa ke surga, kita juga tak akan pernah tahu pikiran dan perasaan mana yang bisa memperbaiki suasana... jika kita tetap memilih untuk menyimpannya. . Jadi kenapa suara-suara itu tidak kita ceritakan? Jika tak mau berucap secara lisan karena takut tak didengar, maka ungkapkanlah dalam tulisan. Bukan dengan harapan ingin dibaca banyak orang, tapi dengan keinginan untuk membuat perasaan menjadi lebih tenang. . Saya jadi ingat sebaris lirik Bahasa Indonesia dari opening theme salah satu anime favorit saya di masa kecil, Ghost at School. . Katanya, "Ceritakanlah... kisah yang belum diketahui. Untuk bisa memahaminya, 'kan kubuka hatiku..." (saya nulis bagian ini sambil nyanyi, lho. 😅) . Maka, tak perlu lagi kita menunggu nanti untuk menyuarakan suara hati. --- #10hbcgelisah #10hbcgelisah10 #mildawrites