Cloud over Tentena

The dawn has broken, while the sun reach our window’s surface to make it more shiny. My mom wait quite a while at the veranda, and start ask me to get going. Today, we’ll go shopping at the Tentena market, yes, our local market which open everyday to provide us a large amount of goodies, and of course my favorite, a lolly pop in numberless color, Yummy!.
“Mom, can I have one, just one Lolly Pop after we finished shopping. Please, mom, just one for me. You wouldn’t mind, right?,” this is my regular persuade to her, and proudly always granted.
“If you help mommy carry the fruits, Lissa, and no more running on the street okay,” My mom is always the best.
Here we are in the middle of Tentena market, surrounded by lively church town with utmost beautiful scenery from the shore of lake Poso until the magnificent jungle which can’t wait to disclose its beauty. To describe this environment from the eye of 6 years old kiddo, is quite confined, but my Mom always shows me the beauty of this place, therefore only luscious sense of breeze that I could remember.
In sudden, my mom ask me to hold her hands and not too far from her side. Sometimes I thought, her overwhelming anxiety of losing me getting greater everyday. Sometimes, she act like I’m her precious possession in need to be protected in every beat of her heart. Just like when we visit Wera Salopa falls, she grabbed my hands so tight from time to time, I still remember I got mad at her for this reason. Though I understand why she did it later, that her worries greater than my curiousity of sensing that fall’s cold water.
“Lisa, hold on my hand and never let go of it okay. I want you to stay right next to me, you’ll get swallowed by this crowd,” my Mom said in anguish.
“No, mom you hold my hand, I’m afraid if I hold yours somehow I will let it loose. But if you hold my hand, I’m sure you’ll never let go of mine no matter what,” I said again, and here we are odd mom and child holding hands
walk along Tentena’s market.
Few minutes later, one blaring sounds broke the silent as our body bounce back few meters away instantly. Afterward the quite and chilly wind collide into loud screaming voice while human bloods spread in every corner of the street. Dust and darker cloud suddenly appear over Tentena’s market, more like when dusk falls earlier. And mommy who still holding my hand, runs as fast as she can avoiding the crowd get far away from the blast. But her step weakening as her body was full by icy running sweat fall over her face to toes. She barely catch her breath while holding my body still trembling which I have not felt ever before.
“It’s all right, we’re save now. Mommy will protect you from any kind of horrors created by human. Yes, human who already lost their humanity, eradicate love from their solemn heart, able to do this. My child…, when love is lost from our deepest heart, we’re never be human again. This blast, is an evidence that somehow human also able to let go of love from their heart. They’re not only try to eradicate love from their heart, but also trying to vanish love from our heart with hatred among our self. Therefore, no more condemn, no more revenge, no more hatred, we’re just victim and someday there’ll be another victims like us somewhere else, if we couldn’t maintain this love lays inside our heart. There’s no rational reason, for taking life of others. Differences in faith, race, or thought will never be strong enough to create this huge hatred inside human heart. It’s always the evil inside our heart who never stop trying obliterate love inside this precious heart,” That’s how my Mom calms me down.
Note:
My deepest condolence for the 21 victims died at the Tentena blast, May 27th 2005. They’re all one step ahead reaching stairs way of heaven.