The Land of the Four Suns
Ch. 1 - The Great Catastrophe
Plaque!
“This is your ability? Snowfall? We live in a tropical country. Does that make sense?”
A man of lush stature and thick glasses, threw a sheet of black ink-printed paper on it.
“You think people will be interested and believe reading news like this?” said the man who has the position of chief editor at a well-known news agency.
“But this is very important news, sir. Everyone must prepare for this disaster,” said Arsa, a journalist who never rose to office. “The location of the stars will change due to the collision of two galaxies then..”.
“Stop that theory!” the Chief Editor's orders cut off Arsa's speech. The young man immediately fell silent.
“You were working at a news agency. Not a space laboratory. Anybody's gonna believe your fairy tale. Since when do tropical countries snow? We don't live in a fairyland!” nagging the chief editor while twirling the pen at his fingertips.
“This news I wrote is not a fairy tale or a delusion, sir. I took it from a clear source,” Arsa said in self-defense. The cold air from the air conditioner, could not extinguish the burning fire in his heart.
“Already, you better find news about the scandal of actor ZA, who is rumored to be having an affair with the most beautiful board members. It sells more than your imaginary news,” continued the fat man.
“Pak, maybe not only snow, but maybe there will be other disasters,” said Arsa remained firm on its stance.
“If you manage to get the actor's exclusive news, I'll guarantee you a pay rise next month.” The chief editor gave a sweet promise to Arsa, without listening to the young man's words.
Arsa took a deep breath. Telling the disgrace of the lives of others, is not the vision of his mission when plunged into the world of journalism first.
But reality is not always the same as expectations. Economic demands are far more important than the vision of mission and work integrity.
...🌟🌟🌟🌟...
“Damn it! I said storyteller? A braggart? How could the TINAATON-class space agency produce fake news? If it happens, then everyone believes."
TINAATON: The International Astronomy and Aerospace Organization
Arsa Dewananda snorted in annoyance. The soft drink cans he held, had become useless metal plates in his hands. Mind raging. His feet did not want to step again in the hot sun like this. Sweat flowed from her open skin pores.
Ah, right too. This is a tropical country crossed by the equator. The sun shines all year. Who would believe it would actually snow here? Even ice cubes will melt in less than sixty minutes.
Drrttt.. Drrrttt. HP Arsa vibrated several times. The man reached into his pants pocket.
“Halo, Bu?”
“Arsa, when do you send money to Mom?” said the woman across the phone.
“Lho, Arsa sent yesterday, Bu.”
“That's enough. Your father will have to wash the blood. Not to mention the cost of rooms, the cost of prescription drugs, meals and more,” said the mother.
“Alright, Mom. Later Arsa tries to find a loan first,” said Arsa without daring to argue with the mother.
“Loan again? It's free to have a child who is a regular champion and science olympiad. Your pretation is useless to make money,” scold the woman on the phone.
"Mom, I will try again" said Arsa annoyed.
"Usaha? Your life has never been better than Asep. He's just a junior high school graduate, but can make a lot of money from creating content."
“If only I could rule this world as I please,” murmured the man again.
Scruff!
The sky was all bright, starting to change. Cumulonimbus roll in space. A megawatt electric flash reveals its deadly flame. Cold air began to grip every object and creature on the surface of the earth.
“Rain!” exclaim some people while looking for shelter. No exception with Arsa.
“Hey, come! It's snowfall, not water,” the excited boys shouted.
“Snow?” think Arsa. He turned his back and ran into the rain. “True, it's snow,” murmured the man.
The land, trees and buildings in the area turned white. Everyone was excited to welcome this rare phenomenon. No matter how lightning strikes.
“Wire! Why is it faster than prediction? Supposedly, this is still two weeks away,” thought Arsa as she turned her head to the sky. Unfortunately he could not see anything, because of the thick cloud scrolls that were still lingering up there.
“If the predictions of the scientists are correct, it means that soon there will be that event as well,” thought Arsa panicked. He had no preparation at all for this.
The cumulonimbus cloud scroll slowly disappeared. Seen dozens of bright spots in the sky, it was a shooting star. The rock from space is getting brighter and bigger. The moon and the sun look dozens of times larger than their usual size.
Everyone is looking for shelter. Unfortunately, there is no safe place. The skyscraper collapsed, like a wave-wiped sand castle. Supersonic waves caused by dozens of asteroids measuring 10 – 15 km make the atmosphere burn.
Shouts and cries were everywhere. Parents looking for their daughter's son. The rest are looking for their partners. Unfortunately, there is no time to take cover. All look the same, bright red. The snow that had just descended became a gigantic flood.
“Arsa! Arsa! Come with me.”
In the midst of the commotion, someone called Arsa. He cannot see his figure. Is that an angel?
“Arsa. Over here,” The voice was heard again amid boisterous screams. This time Arsa saw a beautiful woman in a white dress extending her hand. Arsa welcomed him.
“If this is a hallucination, let me enjoy it before this life is lost. If an angel, take me to a quiet place,” said Arsa resigned in heart.
...🌟🌟🌟🌟...
“Ago Cold. I couldn't move my body at all. This is where?”
Slowly the weak body began to move its limbs. His eyelids opened, capturing a beam of light that appeared through the cracks of the trees.
“Wait a minute! It's a forest?” shocks surprised.
Arsa Dewananda was even more surprised, when she saw her very strange clothes. He was wearing only a long linen cloth wrapped around his body. The man was not wearing anything anymore, to cover the other parts. His feet were wearing a footwear, made of animal skin.
“Why are my clothes like this?”
His strength that had just disappeared, slowly reassembled. His eyeballs were spinning observing the circumstances around him. Slender. There was no one there but him. The thick trees blocked his view.
“I where? Isn't this the Tecophilaea Cyanococcus plant that is declared extinct?” Arsa was surprised to see a cobalt blue flowering tree with a strong fragrant aroma that was still thriving around it.
“What happened? Hasn't the earth been destroyed?”
(Connected)
