Aster Muryono

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Records of Aster Muryono
I write this now as a review on my life thus far. Currently I am 14 years old and am an orphaned child. The plague forced my mother to drown herself in the sewers. Since growing strong enough to not leech off society, I’ve worked in the depths. I clean the sewers every day, the kilometers of stone and copper always needing to be cleaned. I spend most of the day underground, only resurfacing for a meal before I slumber. The man who used to do my job brought me, Jinsei, into his home and offered me food, clothes, and shelter. He is mute and thus I don’t know very much about him. If he needs something, he writes it with charcoal on a plank of wood. Otherwise he keeps to himself.

When it rains, I don’t have to work. It’s not safe to be in the depths with rainfall, I’d drown too easily. It is during this time I usually rest, read in the city library, or simply sit and watch the people of the city. Not many jobs stop when the rain comes, so I often see many people continuing their daily chores and responsibilities. Sometimes I overhear conversations, talks of business, religion, family, and most interesting, love. It fascinates me the relationship between two Sorradi, especially when it gets to the point of affection. Maybe it’s simply my lack of affection that drives me to it, but I can’t help it.

- - - - -

I write this now at age 16. I think I perhaps experienced a miracle. I’ll begin from the start of the day. I awoke at my usual time, first checking the sky before setting out for the sewers. I usually pack a small sealed bag of lunch along with the lantern and cleaning equipment. The work day was fairly usual when I heard the distant and distorted rumble of thunder. This caught me off guard as the weather had seemed fine this morning, but I knew I had to leave quickly. The rain had already begun to pour in, but as I drew closer to the surface, the rain became overpowering. I slipped on one of the metal ladders, falling into one of the retaining pools. The rushing water pouring in from above pushed be further down into the pool, my strength unable to overcome the force of the downfall. The more I struggled, the quicker my body became heavier and tired. I finally went limp, my last breath escaping my mouth and bubbling up to the rumbling surface. My mind was blank for a moment, before a deep hatred and rage seeped in.

My life from beginning to end had been nothing but hardship and bad luck. I had barely survived my infantile life if it hadn’t been for Jinsei, I’d have starved or fallen sick. Since then I had done nothing but work and earned my shelter and meals. Cherishing every rainy day to enjoy life. And yet, I am punished, for what? For being born to a sick mother in a decrepit and crumbling city? For working my entire life to clean the bowels of the city that everyone dirties every day? For taking what little time I have off to enjoy my simple life? The poor lot I was given in life slowly enraged me. Filled my mind with nothing but evil thoughts and pain. What little joy I had in my life was overpowered by anger, just like the raging torrent of rain had overpowered my weak body.

Then, a soft warmth filled my mind, like an embrace. My rage had been quelled, my mind slowly filling with a love only a mother could give. When I opened my eyes once more, I was laying on the floor of a stone pipe. A trickle of water flowing past my body. Below my feet was the pool I had fallen into, the plummeting rain now just the usual dripping and lines of water splashing into the dimly lit basin. Intermixed into the dripping and flowing water, was a glowing silver light that washed the room in its ethereal glow. It slowly ebbed and flowed like the water. Slowly it moved towards me, the pluck and pull of a stringed instrument ringing out into the stone pipes of the sewers. It stopped just before my face, its glow resonating as it finally rested on my chest. The same warmth from before enveloped me, its glow embracing me and filling me with warmth. A motherly warmth.