A short mermaidy story in Bahasa Indonesia, by an author writing under the pseudonym of Indah Laut.
Hari ke-3.712 di bawah permukaan danau
Namaku… ya, aku sendiri sudah lupa. Tapi orang-orang desa memanggilku Putri Duyung Maninjau. Mereka pikir aku kutukan. Hantu. Legenda. Tapi aku cuma cewek biasa yang dulu pernah jatuh cinta. Salahnya aku sendiri — percaya sama janji manis cowok manusia.
Aku masih ingat malam itu. Bulan penuh. Angin dingin. Dia bilang, “Aku akan kembali sebelum fajar. Tunggu aku di dermaga.”
Aku tunggu.
Fajar datang.
Tapi dia nggak pernah kembali.
Aku duduk di ujung dermaga sampai matahari naik tinggi. Saat aku menangis, air danau ikut menangis. Ombak kecil muncul, dan dalam satu momen, aku merasa seperti ditarik oleh kekuatan yang aneh. Hangat tapi dingin. Lembut tapi kuat. Aku jatuh ke air — dan aku tidak pernah muncul lagi sebagai manusia.
Sejak itu, aku berubah. Tanganku masih sama, tapi kakiku jadi sirip perak yang bersinar kalau kena sinar bulan. Aku bisa bernapas di bawah air. Bisa bicara sama ikan. Bisa menyanyi dan membuat gema naik ke permukaan.
Orang-orang bilang, kalau suara nyanyianku terdengar, berarti akan turun hujan, atau ada hati yang sedang patah di dekat danau. Kadang mereka benar.
Hari ini, aku melihat manusia lagi
Anak laki-laki. Sekitar umurku waktu aku masih punya kaki. Dia duduk sendirian, bawa gitar kecil dan nyanyi lagu sedih. Suaranya bikin jantungku berdebar.
Aku muncul sedikit di permukaan air, cukup buat lihat wajahnya. Dia nggak lihat aku.
Tapi dia nyanyi.
Dan aku nyanyi balik, pelan, dalam bahasa danau.
Dia berhenti main gitar.
Dia dengar aku.
Apakah dia bisa ngerti nyanyianku?
Kalau iya, dia mungkin satu-satunya manusia yang bisa menemukan rahasia danau. Dan mungkin satu-satunya yang bisa menyembuhkan hatiku yang dulu ditinggal.
Tapi aku nggak mau berharap lagi.
Atau boleh nggak sih berharap sedikit?
Ttd,
Putri Duyung yang (masih) suka galau
Day 3,712 under the surface of the lake
My name… I’ve forgotten it. But the villagers call me the Mermaid of Maninjau. They think I’m a curse. A ghost. A legend. But I was just an ordinary girl who once fell in love. My mistake was believing in the sweet promises of a human boy.
I still remember that night. Full moon. Cold wind. He said, “I’ll be back before dawn. Wait for me at the dock.”
I waited.
Dawn came.
But he never returned.
I sat at the edge of the dock until the sun rose high. When I cried, the lake cried with me. Small waves formed, and in a moment, I felt something strange pulling me. Warm but cold. Gentle but strong. I fell into the water — and never returned as a human.
Since then, I’ve changed. My hands stayed the same, but my legs became silver fins that shimmer in the moonlight. I can breathe underwater. I can talk to fish. I can sing and send echoes to the surface.
People say if you hear my singing, it means rain is coming, or that someone’s heart is breaking nearby. Sometimes they’re right.
Today, I saw a human again
A boy. About the age I was when I still had legs. He sat alone, brought a small guitar, and sang a sad song. His voice made my heart race.
I rose a little above the water, just enough to see his face. He didn’t see me.
But he sang.
And I sang back, softly, in the language of the lake.
He stopped playing.
He heard me.
Could he understand my song?
If he could, he might be the only human who could uncover the secret of the lake. And maybe the only one who could heal the heart I once lost.
But I don’t want to hope again.
Or maybe… is it okay to hope a little?
Signed,
The Mermaid who still gets lost in her feelings