The Passion of the Segara
Eps. #6 Stranded Wherever

Morning on a remote island that is very far from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The sun has not yet moved from the ground. However, its beam of light had already slightly appeared giving a yellow hue in the eastern horizon. The chicken already sounded like each other.

The waves on the beach had calmed down after last night there was a thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds. The line of traditional fishing boats on the beach also looks irregular, it looks like the sea waves last night were very high to the island. The fishermen also choose not to go to sea because of the threat of extreme weather that is unpredictable.

A young girl was seen walking down the beach sand that looks full of garbage leaves and tree trunks that washed away by sea water to the beach. From the radiance of the girl's face seemed to be implied a very great concern and he stepped quickly towards a dock not far from there.

"Mr...! Mr...!" the girl shouted to the person she was looking for. For a moment the girl fell silent and sighed because she could not find who was there. His head continued to move to look right and left hoping to see his father's boat which would usually dock there when coming home from the sea, the worry was getting stoned in his heart.

"Last night there was a storm but the father was still desperate to go to sea as well" his grunts with his face increasingly look anxious.

"Pearls....! Here, Son. Mr here!" someone called out to her from a distance and the girl turned her head towards the voice. He saw his father's boat had just leaned not far from the dock, his father was also seen waving at him and he immediately ran up to him.

"Mr.., thank goodness you're back. I'm so worried about you because last night there was a storm!" he arrived when he was next to his father's boat.

"Father it's okay, Ra! It's just that there were no fish you could catch last night, the storm was so strong that no fish would stop in my net!" said his father while tying his boat rope on the dock.

"But I found someone!" The father pointed into his boat and the girl named Pearl immediately set her sights on her father's boat.

The pearl widened his eyes when he saw a man lying in his father's boat and appeared unconscious. The girl was aghast, "Who is she, sir?" he asked in a very surprised tone.

"The father didn't know who this man was either, and he found him floating, stuck in the sea, and he helped him and brought him here!"

"The father checked, he's still breathing and his pulse is still throbbing, which means he's alive, we'd better take him home and treat the wound!" his father ordered him to lift the man's body from his boat and put one arm on his shoulder.

"Help carry it, Ra!" then Pearl also draped another arm of the man on his shoulder. Pearl and her father took the man to their humble home located not far from the beach.

Arriving at his house, they immediately laid the man's body on a long bench in the middle room.

"Get me a towel and a P3K box, Ra! You want to dry his body first while treating his wounds." orders his father again.

Pearl just nodded and rushed to get the things her Father asked for. The father then took off his life jacket and the man's shirt which was still wet and looked ragged torn apart by the storm.

"Bring me a pair of clothes too, Ra! This man's wet clothes had to be changed so that he wouldn't get cold!" Again his father gave orders to Pearl. Again the Pearl just nodded and obeyed everything her father had commanded.

"Who is this man, sir? And why is he stuck in the middle of the sea?" Pearl asked her father and looked very curious.

At that time his father had changed all the clothes worn by the man, then put red medicine on the head and some other parts of the man's body. His body was full of wounds torn as a result of hitting the rock and appeared bruised almost all over his body.

"Brother doesn't know either. But, judging from his appearance, it looks like he's not a fisherman and he's not a villager either, you've never seen him before."

His father looked at the man's face as well with question marks, he did not recognize the man at all.

That man was none other than Arkha. Hard sea waves at the time of the storm that night had thrown Arkha's body very far from his fateful ship and now he was stranded somewhere. After being caught in the rock, Arkha's body was again tossed around until finally his Father Pearl found him and helped him.

Pearl continued to stare at the face of the man who was still unconscious before her. Torn wounds and bruises on his forehead were wrapped in gauze by his father.

"Who is this guy? His skin looks clean and he is also very handsome, surely this man is not an ordinary person," he murmured.

The pearl squeezed the small towel she had dipped into the hot water then compressed the bruise on Arkha's forehead while continuing to wonder in her heart.

A few minutes later, Arkha was unconscious from his stupor.

"Sir, this man is unconscious too, the wound on his head is quite severe, should we take him to the Puskesmas instead?" ask Pearl.

"Puskesmas is far from here, Ra. We have an hour from here and this man has not realized, how can you ride him on a motorcycle?" The father shook his head resignedly, to help Arkha and bring him to the Puskesmas was very unlikely for now.

The fishing village is indeed very remote and access to get to the sub-district city must pass through the path and meandering. The road conditions were very slippery and muddy especially in the rainy season like that time.

"Sir, this man is conscious!" Only that sentence could be heard but his gaze was so blurred that he could not see clearly who was speaking next to him.

"Where am I?" ringis Arkha shrieked as he continued to hold his head.

"You were in our house, you found you in the middle of the sea while you were still unconscious!" His father Pearl approached Arkha and touched Arkha's forehead which was still bleeding.

"Who are you and who am I?" Arkha did not remember himself, the violent impact on his head made him unable to remember anything.

Pearl and her father fell silent and stared at each other. They realized the man she was helping now had amnesia.

"My head hurts so much. I can't stand it!" Arkha groaned, the pain in his head getting unbearable. He tried to get up from the bench trying to sit down but Pearl held him back.

"Don't wake up if it hurts, just lie down and I'll compress your head again!" prevent Pearls.

Arkha again laid down his body on the bench, his gaze starting to brighten a little so that he could see the face of a girl before him who deftly compressed his forehead.

"Please give this medicine to her, Ra!" His father handed him painkillers that were always in his store in a P3K box.

The pearl then took a glass of water and helped Arkha take the medicine.

"I am Imran and this is my daughter Pearl, I found you floating in the middle of the sea and then I brought you here!," Mr. Imran introduced himself and also his daughter.

"Do you not remember who you are at all and why you were in the middle of the sea during such a storm?" Mr. Imran again tried to ask, hoping Arkha could remember something.

Arkha held his head back. "I'm sorry, right now I can't remember anything and thank you so much for saving me!"

"Yes you rest first, maybe after your headache is gone you will start to remember everything!"

"Father wants to fix your fishing net first. Pearl, you take care of him please! Prepare food for him, surely he is hungry after a long time adrift in the sea!" mr. Imran orders Pearl and then he steps out leaving Pearl and Arkha there.

Pearls go straight to the kitchen and cook porridge for Arkha.

"Eat first, you must be hungry, right?" The pearl came back to Arkha while carrying a bowl of porridge for him.

"Thank you very much, I owe you for helping me!"

After taking the medicine given by Imran, Arkha felt his headache begin to decrease, he sat on his back on the bench.

Arkha grabbed the bowl of porridge given by the Pearl and slowly began to eat it. He was very hungry at that time, because from the afternoon before the incident not a grain of rice entered his stomach. Although only white porridge with salt but Arkha ate with the porridge greedily until it was not left.

The pearl just smiled looking at the man who was eating voraciously in front of him.

"You really don't remember who you are?" ask innocently to Arkha.

Arkha just shook his head.

"I really don't remember anything, my head will hurt even more if I keep trying to remember who I am!" Arkha massaged his own forehead as his headache was still felt.

"If you don't remember what your name is how should I call you?" ask Pearl again while looking at Arkha with her sweet smile.

Arkha just shook his head. "As far as you are, Pearl!" answer's short.

"Looks like you're older than me, can I call you brother?" Pearl was still smiling trying to get along with the man she had just known.

"Yes can!" Arkha smiled in response to the friendly attitude of the beautiful girl before him. The girl looked very simple, her skin color was tanned but looked very sweet when she smiled.