Inspiring Will-Writing
July 21, 2008 by haziamyperspective
The will-writing exercise during my religious course cum nature retreat last week inspired the story below. The main character is based is on a guy I reunited with only recently.
On the Road with Her - 1st Cut
That Saturday, Manan drove the converted white truck into the compound of Nur Lembah Pangsun eco-chalet. He whistles softly to himself.
Fresh village air greets him. Tall, faded mountains wave from far, far away. The majestic pond ahead forms the heart of the land. Two stretches of buildings flank it on the left and right, their designs inspired by traditional Kampung houses on stilts.
He has a feeling that this time around, he would stay much longer than usual.
Manan looks at his watch, tea break is due in ten minutes. Soon, the course’s participants will rush out like a flock of geese and pass his way. He climbs out of the converted truck and closes the door. He walks to the back of the truck and rolls up the canvas sheets. The neatly arranged rows and rows of books of various sizes and colours always make him smile. He imagines them returning his smiles, revealing two long rows of white teeth. He laughs.
He has taken extra care to display them so Nurlia’s own work would be the first to capture visitors’ eyes. Her novels stand at the edge of the display, followed by her memoirs, poems and short stories collections. Other books by her favourite authors line up the racks deeper inside the vehicle.
He wants her to be happy with what he had done, he is proud of Nurlia. Even though their encounters were few, he feels like he knows her well. Her quirky characters grab him, her words dance on the pages, her plots always surprise him. He is embarrassed that he had not taken to reading until they were reunited right there. Much later, he discovered that the protagonist in her second novel resembled him. She did not deny when he asked. He felt flattered, and shy too.
He strolls along the path, crosses the bridge and sits down on one of the white stone stools. This is a good spot to observe them without anybody noticing.
He watches the group approaching the truck. Several women pick up the books and glance through them. A man notices the sign on top and reads out loudly ‘Nurlia Nasir’s Mobile Library – Books for all’. They gasp.
“Hey, she’s my favourite author!”
“Yes, mine too. I wonder who takes care of this.”
He gets up and walks towards them. “Assalamualaikum.”
“Waalaikum Salam.” They chant simultaneously.
“I’m Manan.” He shakes hands with the men and nods at the women. “I’m the librarian.” He chuckles.
They smile.
“This is an awesome library, Pakcik. How did you come up with the idea?” The young woman speaks.
“The author handed me this unique project in her will.”
“Really? You know the late Nurlia Nasir? What was she like?”
“What was she like? He does not believe that he could answer that question.
(more)
