…no!

HEY ALL!
I FINALLY GOT THE ANSWER.
So in the previous post, I wrote about sending a QL to a literary agent?
Yeah, well, that's actually my highest hope at the moment because I don't know why but the agent's descriptions and blog posts captivated me but please pardon my sidetrack.
I just got the response today.
I JUST GOT THE RESPONSE TODAY.
And the response answered my question in the end of the previous post: and the answer is…?
The answer is no.
My query letter, as it happens, is just not the project for them.
It stings.
No, seriously. The last time I asked a girl out and got rejected, the sting was nothing compared to this.
Then I think it's by sheer amazing luck that I'd actually read some agents' posts about rejection slips before I built my QL.
I've seen through their perspective…
…and I can't blame them.
Really. And now I'm finally aware why some writers went on and threw tantrums when they got rejected…and I'm also aware that I have the choice not to be like them.
For a moment, since I want to save ink and paper, I can't print the slip to frame and put on my walls. But as soon as I have the means to, I will.
I want to decorate my walls with it.
I want to remember the sting and the boost up it gave me.
And I can't convey the endless thanks I have for the agents who rejected me. Thank you for pushing me to do better. I promise I will.
And to you, all of you aspiring writers out there: keep pushing. Focus your energy on writing and improving your art, don't waste it on lamenting over your rejection slips.
Best of luck and wish me some!

Alfi.

And the Answer Is…

Hullo and happy holidays!
Let me begin with the good news that I was accepted to major Psychology at Universitas Brawijaya.
It was my dream since tenth grade. Goodness knows the catharsis I'm feeling.
Secondly, I've finished a project that popped out of nowhere into my head but didn't stop growing since. As Dom from Inception put it, ideas are like cancer.
This idea is titled GRAVEDANCER. I'll write on that later.
I'm also working on Black Out (an old idea, I'll probably retitle it later) with a whole new approach. Loving it so far, although something tells me I'll hate it later and I'll go on a revision frenzy.
But that's for later.
Right now, I'm pondering over the big Q.
The big Q: what do literary agents want from a query letter?
I am honestly overwhelmed by the 'successful' query letters posted online that I've been reading these past few weeks (which contributes hugely to my current insomniac episodes) and their variety.
Some use the standard three-blocks structure (opening, pitch blurb, bio. I'll elaborate later for those who don't know).
Some use first-person blurbs immediately.
Some only talk about the book with zero writer background information given.
I. Am. Overwhelmed.
So overwhelmed that when I stare at the query letter for GRAVEDANCER, I can already imagine the agent scrolling down in boredom.
Goodness, please don't let that happen.
I've tried and revised and do that over and over again for the pitch blurb alone. And after I put together the query letter, I just realized how much more revision it needs.
Sigh.
I've read one too many blogpost on how to write query letters and cover letters. I'm not sure that the fact that I'm an eighteen year-old science maniac with superstitious background is enough to justify me going so technical on the magic in GRAVEDANCER (yes, it's about magic! And I have a full PowerPoint presentation explaining how it's all possible. Can you imagine?), but goodness knows the lengths I've gone to research this – from leaving my Social Studies background for learning thermodynamics and relentlessly asking my mom about my grandfather's (may he rest in peace) practices (he was a renowned shaman, how cool is that?) and even looking up and asking those traditionally (this is Java, magic THRIVES here) spiritually adept people to share a thing or two. I can say that the Gravedancer universe has quite grown on its own with its own laws and unsolved mysteries.
And boy, do I love the characters' growth.
It doesn't show much in book 1 because the book's plot only spans over less than 24 hours, but that PowerPoint I talked about detailed every aspect of the characters' growth. I can see their lives flashing before my eyes, and I'm trying to put all that into writing all six books that I have in mind (agents will probably reject me immediately as soon as they hear this, but let's not be pessimistic, shall we?). 24 hours can only do so much, but an entire year is enough to transform people, even entire communities. And that is exactly what happens in the Gravedancer universe.
So back to the big Q: what can I do to make agents want me?
In the end, I tried my hardest to fit my style into the query letter. No, not my quirks, I can save that for the novel. Alden (the narrator of Book 1) is pretty quirky. I tried to make it sound businesslike, but friendly and personalized. I tried to make it sound intriguing, and tried to (via subtext) convey in it why I thought the idea was worth making in the first place. And I tried to share that feeling with them.
I have no idea how I did. But I'm going to send it, either way.
I've looked up literary agencies for weeks now (yes, the search for the Good Query Letter overlaps with it) and I've set my eyes on one. I read the agents' blog posts, and suffice it to say that I'm enticed enough to overcome my lack of confidence and try.
For this moment, it'll be my best. But I know that if I got rejected, I'll grow. And my best will be even better! How cool is that?
And if I get accepted, well…talk about dreams come true.
I do know that I'll keep writing, though. I love writing. And I hope this whole majoring in psychlogy thing also helps.
So it all goes down to two things: wish me luck. I need this more than you can imagine (unless if you have experience in writing of course, I'll assume you can).
And secondly, the thing I'm waiting for the most to this moment:
"And the answer is…?"

SEMBELIH

Muu!
Seruku,
Seperti selalu
Harap mata
Melihatku,
Seperti selalu

Kekang.
Ikat.
Tarik.

Terbawa,
Angin senja
Perih merana
Rekah luka
Memar kepala

Kekang.
Ikat.
Tarik.

Korban, katanya
Bantu, katanya
Tolong, katanya
Dengarkan, katanya

Sedih.
Ya, semulah mereka
Ucap tiadalah nyata
Karena kata bukanlah asa!
Mana buktinya!

Kekang.
Ikat.
Tarik.

Siapalah tewas,
Demi dunia luas,
Tapi tidak!
Pembohong kalian semua!
Penipu kalian semua!
Apa yang kau suap
Kepada diri yang bercuap
Agar rela melepaskan
Satu hal teremehkan—

Beraninya kalian.

Kekang.
Ikat.
Tarik.

Dan berkorbanlah,
Sang pahlawan.
Mengucur darah,
Mati harapan.
Tipu daya yang kau ucap,
Harap palsu di tanganmu,
Saat semua terungkap…

Kutunggu matimu.
Akan kupenggal lehermu.
Akan kubalaskan dendamku.
Akan kugigit tanganmu.
Kupotong kakimu.
Kutendang bahumu.
Kupecahkan kepalamu.

Rasakanlah!
Rasakanlah!

"Inilah indahnya keadilan,"
Kataku
Seraya menyembelihmu
Untuk kesekian kalinya.

Kekang.
Ikat.
Tarik.

Ready to Fall - Rise Against

Hold on, slow down
Again from the top now
And tell me everything

I know I've been gone for
What seems like forever
But I'm here now waiting

To convince you that I'm not
A ghost or a stranger
But closer than you think

She says go on with what you
Pretend is your life, but
Please don't die on me

Wings won't take me
Heights don't phase me
So take a step
But don't look down, take a step!

[reff]:
Now I'm standing on a rooftop
Ready to fall
I think I'm at the edge now
But I can be wrong
I'm standing on a rooftop
Ready to fall

Perpetual motion
The image won't focus
And blur is all that's seen

But here at this moment
Like the eye of the storm
It all came clear to me

I found a shoulder to lean on and
An infallible reason
To live out by itself

I took one last look from
The heights that I once loved
And then I ran like hell

Wings won't take me
Heights don't phase me
So take a step
But don't look down, take a step!

[reff]

I count the times that I've been sorry (I know, I know)
But my compassion slowly drowns (I know, I know)
If there's a time these walls could guard you (I know, I know)
Then let that moment be right now

I'm standing on a rooftop
I'm standing on a rooftop
Ready to fall

[reff]

I'm standing on a rooftop (ready to fall!)
I'm standing on a rooftop (ready to fall!)
I'm standing on a rooftop (ready to fall!)
I'm standing on a rooftop
Ready to fall

So one night…

Assalamualaikum wr wb
Gue merasa sungguh nista dan ga tau diri banget nulis postingan jam segini. Ini stengah duabelas dan besok senen. Ngga, besok ngga libur. Tapi gue terdorong untuk posting dikarenakan baru baca post di blog cewek gue yg dia bikin tadi jam sebelas pagi.
Ya jadi gue blind dulu skrg. Bentar.
Oke skrg guetau maungomong apa.
First off, makasih bgtbgtbgt buat semua kerabat sahabat dan kawan2 huwaaaaa you guysss maaf gabisa ngomen ngelike sm bales mention satusatu:") YAK tepat sekali sodara2 ada yg belomlama ulang tahun, baru 26 feb kemaren. Banyak sih yg ngucapin kecepetan (kalo yg ngerasa baca… *ahem) tp secara legal dengan itungan waktu GMT+7 (iya Flo, ini nyindir dikau) yg pertama ngucapin siapalagi kalobukan cewek gue tercinta Alysha Paxia Susilo:")
Sha, janlupa cebok tar kotor kolornya.
Ngga kok cewek gue terakhir boker kemarin. Top bener emang cewek yg satu ini. Bocahnya awet di muka doang. Gue seperti macarin Esther nya Orphan tauga:") bedanya cewek gue baik2 ngga kaya karakternya Isabelle Fuhrman itu.
Wihi Isabelle Fuhrman^^
GAK. Celeb crush gue udah beralih ke Lily Collins *pentingfi
Tp sumpah, Lily Collins cantiknya ekstrim.
So, selain mengumumkan makasih massal, gue mau sedikit curcol dengan bilang gue belom bikin KTP. Tapi scr teknis gue udah legal mbuka yang begituan ihiii~
Terusss Hitam udah jadi. Kelebihan 1 cerita, malah. Yg fix 6 itu AI Untuk Aisha, Bah, Bayang Imajiner, End of the World, Perahu Kertas, sama Reflecto. Iya, End of the World sm Reflecto baru. Di twttr ada kok. Smtr untuk cerita ketujuh gue bingung: mendingan Two Seconds Too Long yg drama psycho semicurcol, apa Outskirts yang dystopian (dan bakal dilanjutin di Inverse)?
Jujur gue lebih suka Outskirts. Tapi rada sayang juga ngedelete kata pengantar yg udah tlanjur gue bikinin buat Two Seconds Too Long. Maknanya banyak men.
Sementara itu gue stuck di tengah nulis The Strange Head of Ezekiel Tomb, Inverse, dan tugas sekolah.
Waththaaaah.
K kayanya itudulu deh. Makasih Allah^^ Makasih Lysha:*
Wass wr wb
Cheers!

-Alfi

Novus Annum

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.

Wow.
Udah berapa taun gue absen dari blogging ya? Setaun (2012-2013)? Gue bahkan lupa postingan terakhir gue tentang apa. Nope, gue lagi males ngecek.
Yep, ini salahsatu episode pointless aimless midnight blogging occurence gue. Gue check in kesini terdorong cewek gue sebenernya, plus Twitter jam segini lagi mati banget—isinya tinggal para insom, jomblo, quotes2 luar negri, sama acc2 yang posting gambar2 bokep. *gue ngga mau ngaku follow yang beginian*
So! Pertama gue mau bilang met taun baru dan moga harapan lo semua terkabul.
Kedua, gue nengok bentar ke dunia pendidikan. Dengan tidak mengacuhkan fakta bahwa sekolah gue ambrol lengser kehilangan harga diri dan martabat di mata umum dari tahta sekolah2 RSBI dan kembali ke status SSN yang cenderung hina bagi RSBI2 yang tercoreng dan terhapus posisinya dan tidak diperhitungkan usaha keras demi gengsinya, gue mau membawa berita baik dan berita buruk:
- Berita baiknya, setelah rapotan Semester 1 gue mendadaksadar bahwa ternyata selama 3 semester ini di SMA gue ranking bertahan.
- Berita buruknya, ranking gue 24 dari 30 siswa sekelas.
Yeah, dari kelas X gue selalu ranking 24.
Jujur gue ga nangis dll. Ini bukti kalo gue anak yang stabil (3 semester stabil bego2 juga). Gue cuma agak terpukul B. Inggris gue drop dari 92 jadi 87.
What da heck?
Ini jelas2 bukan nilai B. Inggris terbaik gue. Kayanya gue harus beresolusi untuk tambah pinter ngebanyol in english.
Besides, gue pengen banget bisa banyol ala Jeff Winger nya Community.
Speaking of which, gue lagi ketagihan nonton film serial di laptop gue. Berhubung si Moeis buka usaha download beginian dengan harga yang cukup kompensatif—goceng per giga—gue ga melewatkan oportunitas nonton Gravity Falls tanpa harus nunggu Disney Channel atopun Ben 10: Omniverse tanpa terganggu jadwal CN.
Oia, gue suka _banget_ opening song dua show kartun itu.
Terutama yang Ben 10.
Gue turut berbahagia openingnya sekarang pake lirik lagu lagi.
Ketiga, gue udah ngupdate TrueHungerGames ke versi 1.2. Ada beberapa perubahan di sini: mau ketemu trackerjackers? Atau dijelasin lagi soal kinerja stats2 di gamenya? Atau ngeliat apa efek dr stat Stealth tinggi/rendah waktu bobo? Wajib main versi baru ini.
Problem is: karena rumah gue fakir internet, gue gabisa upload Mercury v1.2 ke webnya.
Kampret.
Masih bicara soal game, gue lagi bikin game original justImagine yg pertama, judulnya Endgame. Gue lagi stuck di bikin AI musuh.
Gimana ceritanya developer game action yang gabutuh AI pinter2 tau2 transisi ke strategy dan harus bikin AI lebih pinter dari yang bikin?
Oke. Keempat, gue lanjutin Myth Jumpers dan progresnya di atas ekspektasi. Gue tinggal di Chapter 7 dan skrg gue lagi ngerjain Chapter 13—target gue Chapter 15 an tamat lah.
Inget ya—mawar itu merah, melati itu putih. Idup lu parah? Elu sih.

nb. 1) gue baru tau 'ps.' di akhir surat (kalo di indo 'nb.') itu kepanjangannya 'postscript'. 2) kata 'annum' di judul post ini jangan dikonotasiin sama lubang eek, ini 'annus' bahasa Latin yg berarti 'tahun' bukan 'anus' yang saluran kita semua memuaskan hajat. Noh, sehuruf penting ya? 3) Desember lalu gue dan Lysha 10 bulanan:D/

Wass. wr. wb.
Cheers!

- Alfi

Storm Chasers Prologue (Preview)

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.

Ceritanya gue pengen bikin sekuelnya Myth Jumpers nih, judulnya Storm Chasers.
Oke, gabanyak banyol. Tp ini masih draft ya…
Herewego!
-------

PROLOGUE

It all starts when Seth holds Serqet at knife-point. Then the world is consumed in Chaos…
Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.
A proper introduction, perhaps? My name is Brann Olsen. Long story cut short, I'm a Hephaestus demigod condemned to live a life no one else could stand. Currently present on my right is a Poseidon demigod, Andre Valdez. He's been through as much as I have, as far as I can recall.
Put a couple paces away from us, and you'll find a girl named Serena — a Hopi Native American with astounding skills and charm — trying to hold on to dear life. Further behind us three are a solidifying ghost and a girl. I get a knack to call the ghost Barty since Bartolomeus is pretty mouthful, and the girl is Jasmine. Or so I was told.
The heck, I can't even remember what happened before this.
Sands are blowing wildly here and there, destroying whatever they touch into vaporizing ashes and red dusts on first contact. Everything gets noisy. Nothing's being in Order here—it's all too chaotic.
Of course. There in front of us, holding a fairly attractive girl in his arms (the threatening way), is Seth—the Egyptian Guardian of Chaos. Some sort of the Egyptian counterpart of the Old Nordic Loki, only with even more powers—his assigned Elemental Attribute is sands. He may be the Chaos Guardian, but he can control sands.
Most of the greatest sandstorms ever recorded in history were his temper tantrums (yeah, he did that every once in a while).
In Seth's arm is a girl I'll fall for every time I look at her. But my missing memory pieces knew better—she's a Goddess. Her name is Serqet, the Egyptian Guardian of Scorpions. I know that this girl form she's adapting isn't the real her (I've seen her whipping her gigantic scorpion tail around when she's upset) but simply another disguise she's using, but hey—no one's gonna be able to stay their eyes off her.
Sidetracks. Pardon me.
A part of me wants to fight Seth—my right hand is now literally on fire, setting the Roman gladius (Latin meaning 'sword') in it on fire. Luckily it's Mars' gladius, so it resists the burn from destroying it. Occisor—the gladius' name—turns as brightly red as my hand, as if it's burning along my spirit to fight.
But another part of me know better than to assault like hell to Seth right there. Guardians can kill each other with certain terms of action. I've seen Heget, the Egyptian Guardian of Death, dying on Seth's actions. Apparently Seth had known how to kill a Guardian.
I surely don't want Serqet dead.
Jasmine grabs on to the ground an clears the sands from her and Barty. Barty was once an alchemist and had locked his soul's achieved elemental attributes to the Earth, making him stick around as a ghost. Jasmine herself? I forgot, but I think she's, like, Blessed or something.
Speaking of Blessed, I suddenly remember that I and Andre had been Blessed with certain skills by the Egyptian Guardian…what's her name? Wa, Wa…it sure started with 'Wa'.
Suddenly another form of me surged through my body and sharpens all my senses.
Right. I still have a blade made of a hippo fang in my pocket.
Then a plan forces itself through my head.
"Andre," I say, "tell everyone to prepare their weapons and let go. And tell Jasmine to tell Serqet that she'll be alright. I have an idea."
Andre speaks through telepathy to all as I've told him, and Jasmine tells Serqet through her eyes the message I need Serqet to know.
"What now, Storm Chasers?" Seth asks. "I know you're all up to something."
"We are!" I reply against the noises of chaos all around me.
Wait. Lights? What is this?
Something kicks behind my head and starts filling me with…memories?
Oh, gosh. Oh gosh, I remember everything now.
Then I remember my plan and let go. And with that, four other people let go of their last stand.
The five of us plummet ourselves to certain death as memories flicker on my eyes.

Into the Titan Latest Cover

Assalamualaikum wr.wb.

 By the way! Gue lupa ngasih update yang ini. Gue udah bikin cover Into the Titan, dan rencana gue, akhirnya yang masuk  itungan beneran bakal jadi cover itu yang ini:

 Yep. Gue gak banyak ngubah Titanic, lautnya, maupun balok esnya.
 Tapi cover ini lebih gelap. Siluet elangnya udah lebih kaya uap gelap. Impian gue tercapai. Terus tulisan Into the Titan nya udah keliatan lebih elit dikit. Ada efek timbulnya lagi. Mayanlah. Powerpoint ternyata boleh juga~
 Wdyt? Kalo ada draft baru gue bakal post di sini. Tune :)
 Wass. wr. wb.

-Alfi

INTO THE TITAN

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.
Apa itu Into the Titan? Ke dalam Sang Titan? Maksud?
Gini...itu judul cerita yang gue susun bareng temen2 gue. Into the Titan itu yang bagian gue. Lanjutannya Sky's Fall bikinan SARAH A. R. RADIAN (yang nggak mau namanya diekspos).
Kenapa Kedalem Titan? Mau liat warna kolor Kronos kah? Bukan...SATU jaman itu belom ada kolor dan gue entah kenapa yakin Kronos nggak make kolor. DUA maksud gue Titan di sini itu kapal yang besar dan perkasa kaya Titan, tapi nasibnya tragis (kaya titans juga). Namanya juga mirip. Yak, kapal tersebut adalah RMS TITANIC.
Cerita gue itu tentang Rick, skater umur 16 taun yg pinter dan direkrut dadakan ke organisasi namanya RALPH, singkatan dari Recovery Agency for the Lost and Perfectly Hidden. RALPH ini tugasnya nyari2 kode ke masa lalu dan ngebawa ke masa depan.
Kebanyakan kode yang disimpen di masa lalu itu diancurin sm musuh. Nah ceritanya RALPH itu nyelametin kodenya.
Rick ini dikirim untuk nyari kode yang disembunyiin di Titanic.
Well, itu briefnya. Masih banyak adegan lagi. Taugak yg keren apa? Karena gue pake graphics bikinan gue sendiri di cerita ini entah yang gajelas dan rada nyampah kaya gini:

Sampe yang 3D kaya ini:

Manteb ga? Tapi itu baru beberapa...ada konflik, romance, dan patah tangan di cerita ini. Oia, ada adegan bunuh2nya juga kok. Ah udahlah, namanya juga Secret Agent. Bunuh2an udah biasa, iyaga?

So. Itu review untuk sekarang. Kalo udah jadi gue bakal kasih kabar!

Cheers!

Wass. wr. wb.

-Alfi

Not Yet Titled

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.

Cerita ini udah punya beberapa kandidat nama.
 Yang pertama kepikir ama gue, tema serialnya Secrets.
 Terus ada usulan Unveiling Shadows.
 Ada lagi Revelation.
 Ada lagi...gue lupa.
 Pastinya, ini ceritanya:

Tentang agensi khusus yang bisa ngirim orang balik ke masa lalu untuk nemu kode-kode sejarah yang tersembunyi.
 Misal:
 Rick dikirim ke Titanic untuk nyari dokumen yang disembunyiin di kapal itu sebelum hilang di laut waktu insiden Iceberg Crash,
 Miley dikirim ke Krakatau taun 1883 untuk nyari bunker rahasia di pulau itu dan nyelametin kode sama dokumen2 yg disembunyiin di situ sejak jaman Portugis,
 Terrence dikirim ke perundingan Diponegoro untuk mastiin dimana VOC nyembunyiin harta jarahan Inggris di Indonesia,
 Dona dikirim ke 9/11 untuk nyari kode rahasia dibalik sabotase pesawat itu,
 Sam dikirim ke penyerangan Bizantium untuk mastiin kode di dinding benteng Bizantium bisa diambil dan direkam sebelum Bizantium ancur,
 Dan masih banyak lagi.
 Tiap misi range waktunya sejam, karena kalo telat si agen bakal ikut jadi korban di Mass Death Incident nya.
 Kalo semua kode digabung, rahasia kejadian2 bersejarah di dunia bisa dibongkar sampe ke akar2nya. Di tangan yg bener, ini bisa nyelametin Bumi.
 Di tangan yg salah, ini bisa berarti kiamat.

Gw pengen ngajak tmn2 gue Moeis, Princess, Salsa, sama Sarah buat ikut nulis bareng. Jadi tiap cerita beda gayanya :)
 WML!
Wass. wr. wb.

- Alfi

Sneak Peek: MYTH JUMPERS - X-FILES

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.
Gue lagi nulis Myth Jumpers kan, nah gue udah ada ide bikin lanjutannya. Isinya data2 ama cerita pendek gitulah. Ini slshstu sneak peek nyaa. Dipotong dr slhstu cerpen yg ada, judulnya Holiday's End.
---
I listened more carefully.
 One, two, three. Three knocks. Tony was right.
 "Go," I said. "Go!"
 Fera ran away so quickly I can barely see her. Tony went underground -- Underworld. James ran after Fera. Laura stayed by my side.
 "Why aren't you running?" I asked her. She smiled.
 "I'm always by your side, remember?"
 "I thought it was just a song lyric." But I have to admit, I am sort of pleased having Laura around.
 Laura raised Chrusos. She isn't to defend. She's to fight. I smiled and raised Silverlight.
 "Let's go," I said.
 We ran to the other side of the alley. I accidentally kicked a paper and realized it was the test questions.
 "Check this out," Laura said as she took a sheet while running. "Benjamin Franklin is known for his kite-and-key experiment that he did in the middle of a thunderstorm. In what year does he did this?"
 "I don't think I know when," I said. "But Franklin is a Thor-Blessed. He won't get shocked in that experiment -- which is pretty much fine."
 Laura laughed. "Right, and who's supposed to be a child of Aphrodite?"
 "Don't ask," I said grimly. My last encounter with an Aphrodite offspring didn't go on so well -- I can only cope with Laura and that's the best already. "I just know that Shaka Zulu's Buffalo Horn tactic is apparently given by Athena through the animals around Africa."
 "And you know that from...?"
 "She told me."
 "Oh."
 We finally reached the door. It was dark outside school. No one is around -- everyone's fled when the storm started striking in.
 "Show yourself," I said. Laura prepared her Chrusos to fight.
 A hooded figure appeared. He held a grip in his right hand and a silver knife in the left.
 The grip glowed and started spreading electricity. I felt the power and took Silverlight into action just in time.
 It shot an electricity bolt. Silverlight managed to disperse it into air. Laura shot to that man, but he suddenly disappeared.
 "Who's that?" Laura asked. I shrugged.
 "Probably a Zeus demigod. Or a Thor-Blessed."
 Then a voice rose, "Or neither."
 We looked back. Another lightning bolt struck me, but this time I have no chance to neither defend nor evade the attack. Laura was hit as well. We flew for several feet backwards when the man disappeared again.
 Where could he be? I looked around but he's nowhere in sight. But then that's when a ball of wind emerged from the air and pushed something -- or someone -- away.
 "Will!" I cried. He's the only one able to do this. Will smiled from the distance.
 "I'm not too late, am I?" he asked. Laura stood up and helped me to get on my feet. She hugged Will.
 "It's a long time," she said. "How's your father?"
 "He's good," Will said. "But -- look out!"
 His sudden warning made its way into my mind quickly and I ducked. Will swung his blade Anemos into where I was and a blast of wind appeared there. The hooded man was thrown away.
 "Let's see who this is," Will said as he forced the hood open. But then Laura gasped and I can feel myself paling.
 The man was headless.
---
Well, that's it for now.

Wass. wr. wb.

-Alfi

FRICTION Installment

I had the idea for these since practically several months before the 2011 New Year Celebration.

Okay, so I have this idea of FRICTION Installment, consisting the DOWN Tetralogy, FORWARD Trilogy, and LEAP Sequence. In total, there are 12 books.

here are the back cover texts. They also pretty much covered the synopsis. Enjoy! :)

=DOWN=

1) Unconscious

THOMAS Craig was having weird dreams.

 Although normally dreams are weird, but he had always noticed something else.

 Everytime he woke up, his life would return him the tickling sensation of deja vu: he's seen the exact events in his dreams.

 At first, it suits him just fine. But lately, his dreams involved disasters. And they all came true.

 Tom soon realized the fact, and he knew he had to master his dreams before he caused even mroe disasters...

 And ended up losing his loved ones.

2) Deep Thoughts

GABRIELLA Watson is known as the smartest girl and the best puzzle solver at her school.

 Any puzzle, riddle, maze, give it to her: she'll always find a solution. Or put her in a labyrinth without a map. She could always get out.

 But her school itself just became a maze when it fell into the custody of a criminal mastermind and his gang of terrorists.

 The building is soon isolated. No one could get out to find help.

 No one, maybe, except Gabriella -- but only if she can finally find a solution for an impossible maze...

3) One False Impulse

THE Andersons had been unique.

 Margaret, the older sister, could see everything around her that the others can't. While Steven, her little brother, can see past events in the place he's in.

 Lately, Maggie feels like being tailed by someone. Not long after she started feeling so, her parents were murdered.

 Steven checked the murder and stated that the killer wore black cloak and is armed with a golden dagger that's red by blood. With a chill down the back, Maggie said that the mystery man that followed her had the same features.

 Maggie and Steven must uncloak the murderer hiding in their Manor before they fell next victim. Or else...

4) The Thinker's Final Mistake

THOMAS Craig, Gabriella Watson, Margaret Anderson, Steven Anderson. Four different people. Four different gifts. But they had two things in common: one, they've all cheated death swiftly. And two, they've all met Peterson Cahill.

 As a genius who lived for centuries -- thanks to his friend Nicolas Flamel's Elixir of Life -- he created an experiment to enhance human's brain and senses. He tested it on four random samples -- the gifted four -- and the results are astounding.

 Due to his success, Pete tried the experiment on himself. But it grew off control and Pete's no longer himself.

 Knowing the truth, Tom, Gabriella, Maggie, and Steven joined forces to return Pete and keep his inventions off the wrong hands. Before things get worse...

 And, as always, they do.

=FORWARD=

1) Eyes

AMBER Ruth might be blind, but that doesn't stop her from always trying to get her eyes fixed.

 In the meantime, she used her other senses to survive. But she had no idea she was brought into an illegal military program.

 Sightless, consumed in fear, and chased by the program executors, Amber tried to get out and tell the government what really happened. But she is overwhelmed in every corner she turned into.

 Forced to leave the base uncaught and blindfolded, Amber suddenly realized what she's actually capable of.

 But this program ended up giving her normal eyes.

 However, she started doubting if she still want another set of eyes...because the ones she had already witnessed enough without having to literally see.

2)Mirrors

JASON Case suddenly appeared at Anne's party.

 No vehicle. No transportation. Just...appear.

 Anne saw him entering through mirrors and thus knew his secret. She kept things fine. But then Jason accidentally witnessed a murder.

 The murderer noticed him and vowed to chase him to death.

 Jason is an expert in escaping things. But the killer kept his vow, and anywhere Jason goes that will be where the killer is.

 However, Jason had one weak point even he doesn't know: Anne. And, sooner or later, the murderer would know this...and exploit Anne for himself.

3)Lenses

DOM Wilson never had any idea how vital his bloodline is to the world.

 His great grandfather's great great grandfather's father is a legacy of knowledge. He formed the backbone of the modern day science. He brought breakthroughs to the world of mankind.

 But his legacy were all destroyed when one of his inventions fell into the hands of Peterson Cahill.

 Dom explored the world on the purpose to return his ancestor's invention and proved to the world that it's not Cahill that created it.

 But as he journey deeper, the truth started unveiling itself...and, by every piece of puzzle he found, Dom would see that things aren't what they seem.

=LEAP=

1) Rendezvous

THOMAS Craig faced another bitter truth.

 He's mastered his subconsciousness alright, but his girlfriend Catherine Owen left him for "Reasons you won't understand just yet."

 Tom got over her by setting himself to dream of her every night. But somehow those dreams won't come true.

 Apparently Kate had a secret Tom have never known: she is also a test subject, and she escaped from the scientists that tested her. She's a fugitive, and she knew Tom won't be safe anywhere near her. And, with the test ran on Kate, Tom isn't the only one around with gifts.

 She determined to find Tom and explain everything. But her captors are closing in and she had less than a slim chance to ever meet her loved one again.

 Except she managed to master her gifts...which is rather impossible concerning the time she had.

2) Cornered

DOM Wilson finally understood the truth about his ancestor George Wilson. He also understood his life-death rivalry with Peterson Cahill. But he knew he can still clean George Wilson's name.

 He's heard rumors about Cahill testing his latest inventions on random samples. He intended to find them, but he got more than he bargained for: the samples and  Peterson Cahill himself.

 As secrets started leaking, Dom was forced to take a drastic measure: to use the last legacy George Wilson left for his descendants, an invention so powerful that even an insane would have second thoughts to use it...

3) Divided

THE Andersons, Maggie and Steven, found a boy that claimed to be Jason Case stealing their food. He apologized and said he needed food to help cure his sick girlfriend Anne.

 The Andersons softened and frequently letting him in to get him some food.

 But along the time,they started suspecting each other. They've both escaped a brutal killer. They've both had a loved one used by that killer. And an even stranger fact is in: Steven rechecked his parents' murder, and suddenly noticed that there's a witness in the room corner. And it was Jason.

 Apparently the Andersons and Jason had been pursued by a same person. But who is he? How can he be at places at a time?

 But as the question awaited an answer, the suspicion between grew stronger and it's either the Andersons or Jason that'll backstab one another first...

4) Gather

WITH Dom Wilson not being himself, Gabriella Watson suspected something. Her (once blind) good friend, Amber Ruth, thought the same thing.

 Gabriella soon figured out it had something to do with Peterson Cahill. Pete's face only darkened when he heard this news. He simply said, "Then now it's used."

 Gabriella decided to call the other Cahill test subjects, and got more than she bargained for.

 Tom brought his girlfriend Kate who was apparently able to temporarily block or rewrite brain functions, and the Andersons brought along Jason who can teleport through a mirror to another.

 However, nothing is considered safe even with new forces in their party: the Man in Black was back, Dom Wilson is a step closer to his ultimate power...

 And he knew the secret to the newcomers' powers.

5) Destination

PETERSON Cahill knew he was about to lose the war.

 It's a personal rivalry with neverending loath, but since both sides are nature-born geniuses, he figured out that the struggle will eventually spread to the whole world.

 Dom Wilson, the last descendant of George Wilson -- Cahill's Rival -- took the last weapon George left him. A weapon that had totally changed him.

 Dom started over-enjoying his new powers, and Pete and his team knew they had to stop him. A new curtain of tyranny is opening wide, and it's only Pete's team that stood between Dom and the control over the world...

Annunnakian Vocab

Oke, gue bikin bahasa sendiri buat cerita gue Come Full Circle. Ini dia kamusnya u/ sementara :)

=Words=

A – (read: A) 1. adl (is/are/am) [namun tidak harus selalu digunakan]. 2. sama dengan. Cth: Nerons zak senon a sens. [Sembilan-puluh dibagi tiga sama dengan tiga-puluh.]

A-hi – (read: A-hi dgn bunyi 'a' agak dipanjangkan dan langsung disambung dgn 'h') Ibu.

A-hy – (read: A-hii [baca A-hi u/ pronounce] dgn 'i' panjang) Ayah.

Ane – (read: Ane dgn 'e' dalam 'sate') 1. main (kata sifat). Predikat: Aniath [read: Aneyath] (bermain) bisa berubah arti sesuai kalimat (cth. Menjadi ‘memainkan’).

Arus – (read: Aerus) Mereka, ones (mereka yang [...]), they, them, they who – [verb. Verb/predikat ditaro di depan, kaya d Bhs Ing (cth. Mewtath Arus artinya 'killing ones')].

-ath – (read: Ath) mengubah bentuk kata menjadi Verb bentuk 1 atau verb+ing.

-athe – (read: Ath- dgn bunyi 'th' agak dipanjangkan dan diberi bunyi nafas sedikit di belakang) mengubah bentuk kata menjadi Verb bentuk 2 atau 3.

-a­ – (read: a) akhiran yang mengubah bentuk kata menjadi plural.

Bre – (read: Bre dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') Anak (child/kid). Plural: Bra (children/kids).

Celin – (read: Selin dgn 'e' dalam 'sate') langit. Plural: Cela (dalam bentuk plural artinya 'langit luas' kadang2 dipake untuk refer luar angkasa).

Ditkem – (read: Ditkem dgn ‘e’ dlm ‘sate’) sebentar.

Drelath – (read: Drelath dgn ‘e’ dlm ‘sate’) lelah.

Dym – (read: Diim dgn 'i' panjang) 1. hati-hati, tanpa suara, diam-diam [sifat]. 2. tidak terlihat/tidak terasa. Predikat: Dymath (mendiamkan, menyuruh diam, membuat diam).

-e – (read: E dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') Akhiran untuk kata pengganti subjek (he, she) menjadi kata kepemilikan (his, hers) atau referensi subjek (his, her). Cth: Ie-e artinya milikku (mine/my).

Enhe – (read: Enh- dgn 'e' dalam 'sate' dan bunyi 'n' diakhiri dengan hembusan nafas[hampir berbunyi 'e' mati]) 1. telah, sudah, have, has, had. 2. milik, punya (Enhath/Enhathe).

Fosie – (read: Fosi dgn ‘i’ ringan) mimpi. Plural: Fosya.

Gosd – (read: Gosd) bagus, baik. Gosdi (best).

Henken – (read: Henken dgn semua ‘e’ dlm ‘sate’) 1. manis. 2. bagus.

Hylen – (read: Hiilen dgn 'i' panjang dan 'e' dalam 'sate') 1. cahaya. 2. matahari. Plural: Hyla (lights).

Ia – (read: Eya) iya. Predikat: Iath (mengiyakan).

Ie – (read: I dgn 'i' ringan) Aku.

Ien – (read: In dgn 'i' ringan) Saya [formal].

-in – (read: In) akhiran ke kata benda mengubah bentuknya jadi 'noun is' (cth: Nibiren+in mjd Nibirin, artinya 'house is' spt dlm kalimat di bawah).

Iynath – (read: Iin dgn bunyi 'i' panjang) lihat, see, glance, saw. Kata benda: Iynen (penglihatan/sight).

Khan – (read: Qan) akan, hendak.

Khi – (read: Qi) Betina (gender/penunjuk jenis kelamin).

Khy – (read: Qii dgn 'i' panjang) Jantan (gender/penunjuk jenis kelamin).

Klabhe – (read: Klabhe dgn ‘e’ dalam ‘sate’) baiklah, oke.

Klos – (read: Klhos dgn 'L' agak berat) hilang. Predikat: Klosath (menghilangkan).

Lo – (read: Lo) 1. kecil. 2. pendek. 3. lebih kecil dari, lebih pendek dari. Cth: Lo khi-bre (Smaller/shorter female child [‘little sister’]/Anak perempuan kecil [‘adik perempuan’]). 4.sedikit.

Manfrie – (read: Manfri dgn ‘i’ ringan) teman. Plural: Manfria.

Mayen – (read: Maeyen dgn 'e' dalam 'sate') peradaban. Plural: Maya. Hati2! Maye (tanpa 'n') artinya 'rakyat'.

Mewt – (read: Meuut dgn 'e' dlm 'wafer' dan 'u' panjang) mati. Predikat: Mewtath (membunuh). Predikat ekstrem: Ve Mewtath (menghancurkan).

Midsyren – (read: Midsiiren dgn ‘i’ panjang dan ‘e’ dalam ‘sate’) manusia. Plural: Midsyra (bbrp manusia, ras manusia).

Mo – (read: Mo) 1. besar. 2. tinggi. 3. lebih besar dari, lebih tinggi dari. 4. banyak.

Nertiath – (read: Nerteyath) 1. tahu. 2. mengerti. Cth: Ie nertiathe. (I know/Aku tahu).

Neshiath – (read: Nesheyath) 1. memberi. 2. mewasiatkan.

Ney – (read: Nei dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') Kamu.

Neyn – (read: Nein dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') Anda [formal].

Ni – (read: Ni) Dia (betina). Ny – (read: Nii dgn 'i' panjang) Dia (jantan).

Nibiren – (read: Nibirin) rumah, tanah tinggal, tanah hidup (kata benda).

Nirekh – (read: Nirrekh dimana bunyi 'r'nya panjang dan 'e' dalam 'sate') 1. tempat yang luar biasa panas, gurun. 2. Panas. Predikat: Nirekhath (memanaskan).

O – (read: Ou) 1. 'the'. 2. 'with'.

Oe – (read: Uu) itu (that).

Paetren – (read: Petren dimana 'e' pertama dalam 'sate' dan 'e' kedua dalam 'wafer') 1. perisai. 2. markas, rumah, tempat berlindung. Predikat: Paetrath (melindungi). Plural: Paetra.

Piere – (read: Pire dgn 'i' ringan dan 'e' dalam 'sate') 1. api. 2. Lightning Blaster (senjata Annunnaki, laser). Predikat: Pierath (membakar).

Posie – (read: Posi dgn ‘i’ ringan) 1. tempat, posisi. 2. derajat, pangkat, posisi.

Rog – (read: Rogh dgn 'g' berat) 1. kuat. 2. terang.

Romfys – (read: Romfiis) maaf. Predikat: Romfysath (meminta maaf).

Ruts – (read: Ruth) Kami, kita.

Statath – (read: Statath) 1. berhenti. 2. istirahat.

Stiegia – (read: Stigeya dgn 'i' ringan dan 'e' dlm 'sate') pelindung, energi yang melindungi, berkah yang menyelamatkan (spt konsep Tangan Tuhan).

Stybe – (read: Stiibe dgn 'i' panjang dan 'e' dalam 'sate') 1. pedang. 2. tombak. Plural: Styba. Hati2, Stybei artinya 'pisau' bukan 'pedang' (pronounce mirip, kalo pisau bacanya Stiibey).

Tillaish – (read: Tillaish) masih.

Tore – (read: Tore dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') luas (sifat, perhitungan).

Torion – (read: Toreyon) jauh.

U – (read: Uw) ini (this).

Ubtia – (read: Ubteya) tapi.

Utda – (read: Udda) 1. tidak. 2. jangan. 3. belum.

Ve – (read: Ve) 1. sangat. 2. kata yg digunakan u/ mengekstremkan suatu kata. Cth: Ve Mewtath mengekstremkan mewtath (membunuh) mjd ‘menghancurkan’.

Venie – (read: Veni dgn 'e' dalam 'sate' dan 'i' ringan) 1. suka, cinta. 2. tertarik. 3. sayang. Kata benda: Venyn [read: Veniin] (rasa suka).

Wngath – (read: Uungath dgn ‘u’ panjang) tunggu, menunggu.

Yurun – (read: Iiurun dgn ‘i’ panjang) perintah. Predikat: Yuruath (memerintahkan). Yurui (pemerintah, yang memberi perintah).

Examples:

Ny klosath o stybei! [read: Nii klhosath ou stiibey!] (He makes the knife gone!/Dia menghilangkan pisaunya!)

Sor pierath o nibiren. [read: Sor pirath ou nibiren.] (Sor burns the house./Sor membakar rumah itu.)

Ien enhe mewtathe Sor. [read: In enh- mewtath- Sor.] (I have killed Sor./Saya telah membunuh Sor.)

Utda aniath o piere! [read: Udda aneyath ou pire!] (Don't play with fire!/Jangan bermain [dengan] api!)

Ie iynath o hylen! [read: I iinath ou hiilen!] (I see the light!/Aku melihat cahayanya!)

Ie venie ni. [read: I veni ni.] (I like [or 'love'] her./Aku suka [bisa juga 'cinta' atau ‘sayang’] padanya.)

Ni nibirin tore! [read: Ni nibirin tore!] (Her house is wide!/Rumahnya luas!)

Oe a-hy-e enhe xeon bra. [read: Uu a-hii-e enh- zeon bra.] (That father had six children./Ayah itu punya enam anak.)

O hylin ie iynathe rog! [read: Ou hiilin i iinath- rogh!] (The light I saw was bright!/Cahaya yang kulihat tadi [benar-benar] terang!)

Ney iynathe oe? [read: Nei iinath- uu?] (You saw that? [‘did you see that?’]/Kau melihatnya? [‘apa kau melihatnya?’])

Oe stybin ie-e! [read: Uu stiibin i-e!] (That sword is mine!/Pedang itu milikku!)

Oe a ve tore cela! [Uu a ve tore sela!] (Those are very wide skies!/Itu langit yang sangat luas!)

=Numbers=

==Singular Reference==

Gon – (read: Ghon dgn 'g' berat) nol.

Oun – (read: Own dgn 'u' dibaca mengayun spt 'w') satu.

Zon – (read: Zhon) dua.

Senon – (read: Senon dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') tiga.

Qron – (read: Khron) empat.

Gion – (read: Geyon dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') lima.

Xeon – (read: Zeon dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') enam.

Vion – (read: Veyon dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') tujuh.

Dedrion – (read: Dedreyon dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') delapan.

Neron – (read: Neron dgn 'e' dlm 'sate') sembilan.

Ouni – (read: Owni) pertama.

Zoni – (read: Zhoni) kedua.

Senni – (read: Senni dgn 'n' dipanjangkan) ketiga.

Qroni – (read: Khroni) keempat.

Gioni – (read: Geyoni) kelima.

Xeoni – (read: Zeoni) keenam.

Vioni – (read: Veyoni) ketujuh.

Dedrioni – (read: Dedreyoni) kedelapan.

Neroni – (read: Nero-ni dgn bunyi 'o' dan 'n' seperti dipisah) kesembilan.

Ouns – (read: Owns) sepuluh.

Zons – (read: Zhons) dua puluh.

Sens – (read: Sens) tiga puluh.

Qrons – (read: Khrons) empat puluh.

Gions – (read: Geyons) lima puluh.

Xeons – (read: Zeons) enam puluh.

Vions – (read: Veyons) tujuh puluh.

Dedrions – (read: Dedreyons) delapan puluh.

Nerons – (read: Neronss dgn bunyi 's' agak dipanjangkan) sembilan puluh.

Had – (read: Hatd dgn akhiran mati) tambah.

Trak – (read: Trak) kurang (operasi hitung).

Klak – (read: Klak) kali (operasi hitung).

Xak – (read: Zak) bagi (operasi hitung).

Traki – (read: Traki) kurang (jumlah). Predikat: Trakath (mengurangi).

Hadi – (read: Hatdi) tambah (jumlah). Predikat: Hadath (menambah).

Xaki – (read: Zaki) bagi (jumlah/barang). Predikat: Xakath (membagi).

-z – (read: Z yang agak mendengung seperti 's') akhiran untuk kata penunjuk angka yang berarti ratus. Cth: Ounz (seratus) Zonz (dua ratus) dst..

-st – (read: Sth dibaca sehingga seperti pasir berdesir) akhiran untuk kata penunjuk angka yang berarti ribu. Cth: Ounst (seribu), Zonst (dua ribu), dst..

Iu – (read: Eyu dgn 'y' diayun spt bunyi 'i') pangkat (angka, hitungan). Cth: Iu senon (pangkat tiga/kubik).

Ie enhe ounsonst paetra. [read: I enh- ownsonsth petra.] (I have ten-thousand shields./Aku punya sepuluh-ribu perisai.)

Ni nibirin neronz NiM iu zon tore. [read: ni nibirin tore neronz Nibiru Meter eyu zhon.] (Her house is nine hundred Nibiru Meter Square wide./Rumahnya seluas sembilan ratus Nibiru Meter kuadrat.)

Zon had senon a gion. [read: Zhon hatd senon a geyon.] (Two plus three is five./Dua tambah tiga adalah lima.)

AI Untuk Aisha

Gue ngarang nih. Ceritanya ttg anak namanya Alif yang jago programming dan betapa dia nyamain dunia maya sama dunia nyata, tapi mulai bingung tentang merging dua dunia itu pas jatuh cinta u/ pertama kali...
Gue tau ujungnya nggembos, gue tau cerita ini abal...tapi, well, enjoy!
- Alfi

-------

Entah bagaimana, aku bisa membaca kehidupan semudah aku membaca routine sebuah program.
 Tapi ini berbeda. Hei, aku sudah menciptakan berbagai Artificial Intelligence alias AI, Kecerdasan Buatan, dan entah karena itu atau kenapa tapi aku jadi mampu membaca tindakan setiap orang. Dari hobi yang sama aku juga mampu membuat rencana sempurna, dimana tiap rutin berjalan semestinya, namun kali ini adalah sebuah kasus yang berbeda. Entah kenapa aku tidak bisa membaca jalan pikiran seorang yang satu ini.
 Aku begitu terbiasa membaca program. Aku telah merasa terhanyut ke dalam aliran sungai berbeda yang bersikan digit 0 dan 1. Hidupku telah mendigitalisasikan diri, bagiku dunia maya yang abstrak dan dunia nyata yang begitu riil telah menyatu menjadi satu, sebuah kombinasi yang unik namun mungkin. Bagiku, di dunia nyata maupun maya, rumusnya sama. Jika dalam kondisi A, akan terbentuk variabel bernamakan variabel X. Jika variabel X ini diproses sesuai kondisi B, maka nilai dalam variabel tersebut akan berubah, dan nilai temporernya disimpan dalam variabel Y. Kemudian barulah dilakukan ekuasi dimana X ekuivalen dengan Y.
 Itu baru rutin dasar. Hidup bisa menjadi lebih kompleks, namun bagiku, walaupun semakin rumit jaringannya, rutinnya tidak berubah. Hanya sebuah rutin yang ribet dan berskala besar, namun berlakulah fungsi repetisi sehingga menjadi sebuah jaringan rutin yang berbeda. Hidupku tidak pernah lebih dari itu.
 Hingga datanglah seorang gadis bernama Aisha.
 Di dalam daftar rutinku, aku telah membuat kira-kira seratus tigapuluh ribu rutin berisi AI yang memiliki sifat, reaksi, dan sikap yang berbeda-beda. Masing2 AI mempunyai rutin yang sama. Aku hafal tiap fungsi di dalam tiap AI, dan dari itu aku hafal sifat tiap orang hingga ke rahasia2 yang mungkin disembunyikannya. Aku juga telah menambahkan ekuasi Rumus Kekacauan, nilai berkisar kira kira 4,669 untuk mengantisipasi kejadian dan ledakan tak terduga dari AI tersebut. Dan di dunia nyata, dugaanku yang tertuang dalam formula AI tersebut 100% benar.
 Paling tidak, sebelum Aisha masuk dalam hidupku.
 Aku entah kenapa begitu tertarik padanya. Ia berbeda, hanya itu yang bisa kudeskripsikan. Ini tidak wajar, biasanya aku bisa mendeskripsikan seseorang dari fisik hingga psikis nya dengan berdasar kepada AI-ku yang paling tepat mendeskripsikan orang tersebut.
 Aisha cantik. Itu aku yakin. Banyak gadis yang lebih cantik darinya, namun aku tetap merasa lebih senang memandang wajah Aisha dibanding gadis2 cantik tersebut.
 Aku berusaha mengenalnya. Dari sejak berkenalan hingga kini kami berteman baik, malah bisa dibilang bersahabat, aku telah berusaha membuat AI yang mungkin bisa mendeskripsikannya -- kira2 sudah dua ratus enam puluh tujuh kali -- namun tidak satupun yang cocok. Entah kenapa, aku selalu mencapai jalan buntu di tengah jalan.
 Ini tidak biasa. Aku selalu berusaha mengenal orang dengan membuat scratch AI nya, dan biasanya dari lembar tersebut akan berkembang sistem yang lebih kompleks, hingga jadilah kode AI yang sempurna. Dengan mempelajari AI tersebut, aku bisa mempelajari sifat orang yang ku ingin tahu.
 Namun aku selalu gagal membuat kode AI yang bisa menggambarkan Aisha. Selalu ada yang meleset -- 267 AI yang kucoba tidak ada satupun yang akurat.
 Aisha memang berbeda. Tidak hanya aku tidak bisa membuat AI yang sempurna untuk mendeskripsikannya, ia entah bagaimana benar2 mempengaruhi hidupku. Aku selalu berusaha membuatnya terkesan. Ia ilmuwan, kecerdasannya telah dikagumi banyak orang, dan banyak yang bilang bahwa hanya aku yang bisa mengerti perkataannya. Namun ia juga orang yang extrovert, ia benar2 terbuka, dan karena itu juga ia dengan mudah mendapatkan teman. Atau cowok lain yang juga suka padanya.
 Aku belum bilang ya? Aku banyak saingan dalam berebut Aisha. Mulai dari Romi yang jago biologi, Ronal yang terkenal dengan permainan futsal nya, Jodie yang benar2 lihai bermain basket, hingga ke Herman yang cuma terkenal karena bandelnya. Mereka semua punya nama. Aku? Tidak pernah ada yang dengar tentang Alif kecuali sebagai seorang yang freak, antisosial, aneh, tidak punya teman selain komputernya, dan suka menuliskan kode2 yang -- di mata orang awam -- hanya sekumpulan digit tak berarti. Tidak ada yang mengerti diriku sebaik Aisha. Bahkan orangtuaku sekalipun tidak berusaha mengenaliku, mereka menganggap ada baiknya aku mendapat kebebasan tersendiri untuk menjelajahi dunia tanpa ada orangtua yang mengunci.
 Namun Aisha tidak seperti kebanyakan orang. Ia mengerti maksudku, ia adalah orang paling logis yang pernah kukenal. Ia mengerti maksud semua kode yang kutuliskan dengan belajar hanya dalam lima menit, ia telah menyempurnakan berbagai karya digitalku, ia mendampingiku hingga mendapatkan Worldwide Juvenile Programmer Award -- sesuatu yang tidak punya arti di mata teman2ku yang benar2 duniawi. Namun itu benar2 sebuah prestasi di mata Aisha, dan itu benar2 menghangatkan hatiku entah bagaimana.
 Aku mencoba lagi membaca Aisha. Sementara teman2ku berebut perhatian darinya, aku mencoba mengenalinya dengan caraku sendiri.

function AISHA {

 require "AI_BASE.part";

 $mind = fetch(../AI_STD.dll);
 $soul = fetch(../AI_SOUL.dll);
 $gender = fetch(../AI_BASE.part?g=female);


 $lock = focus_SECURE($gender);
 $lock = lock_down($lock);

 if($condition1)
 {
  $person = $react20187;
  $condition1 = FALSE;
 }


 while($condition === TRUE)
 {
  $person = fetch(../AI_ACT1.dll);
  $person = $person++;
  $react = $person;
  $react = TRUE;
 }


}


Aku berhenti sebentar. Aku telah menuliskan rutin yang sama di semua kode AI yang telah kubuat. Aku kembali memeriksa Aisha1.co (kode AI untuk Aisha yang pertama kubuat) hingga ke Aisha267.co yang terakhir kubuat. Kubandingkan kodenya, berusaha menemukan kelebihan dan kekurangan tiap kode, dan aku menyalin beberapa baris kode dari tiap file. Aku menyalin tiap baris yang menurutku akan menyempurnakan kode kali ini. Kemudian aku mencoba mengeksekusi kode tersebut.


Unable to execute order. Invalid executed function.
(L98) Not expecting NULL_CONDITION in line 98.
(L114) Unexpected '(' in WHILE function in line 114.
(L118) Unable to execute WHILE function in line 118. Refer to previous error.
(L167) INVALID_FUNCTION error in line 167.
...


Aku terus membaca daftar kesalahan di kode yang kubuat. Rupanya ada banyak fungsi yang belum kuhentikan, padahal seharusnya ekspresi tersebut kututup sebelum menjalankan fungsi berikutnya.
 Aku memperbaiki lagi AI ku, dengan cepat memindai tiap baris kodeku dan menemukan tiap error yang dimaksud oleh parser kodeku.
 Aku kembali mengeksekusi kodeku. Namun ternyata hasilnya masih belum memuaskan.

 save_file("Aisha268.co","../AI/Aisha/");


 "Ini payah," gumamku. Akupun mematikan laptopku dan pergi tidur.


function Sleep($user) {


 require "user.dat";

 if($brain_work=17%)
 {
  $user = SWITCH_OFF;
  $user = temp_SHUT_DOWN;
  $user = limit_SD;
  $faint = temp_SHUT_DOWN,SWITCH_OFF,long_term_SD;
  $faint = FALSE;
  $death = SWITCH_OFF,perm_SHUT_DOWN;
  $death = FALSE;
  $user = TRUE;
 }
}


 Sleep("Alif");


******


Aku terbangun mendapati limabelas missed call dari Aisha di layar ponselku.
 Tumben?
 Aku segera menghubungi Aisha. Belum sedetik teleponku tersambung, Aisha sudah menjawab.
 Pembicaraan kami benar2 singkat secara harafiah. Ia memintaku menemuinya di taman sesegera mungkin, dan aku segera mandi kilat dan mengenakan baju santai -- kaos dan jeans, jenis baju yang tidak mungkin diduga kumiliki oleh teman2ku.

function quick_bath() {


 require "user.dat";


 if($hygiene <= 50% || $chase = TRUE)
 {
  $user = clean_user("Alif",$time-500);
  $user = TRUE;
 }


}


quick_bath();


Selesai berganti pakaian, aku segera berlari ke taman. Kulihat Aisha di tempat ia berjanji akan hadir. Airmata membanjiri wajah eloknya.
 "Ada apa?" tanyaku segera. Itulah tipeku: langsung ke pokok permasalahan, mempunyai rumus untuk segala kondisi.
 "Kau tidak akan percaya," katanya dengan agak tersendat. Iapun menceritakan pengalamannya semalam. Semakin ia berusaha mengingat dan menceritakannya, semakin deras aliran airmatanya.
 Ia benar: aku tidak bisa mempercayai yang diceritakannya.
 Seorang Aisha? Seorang yang nampak begitu innocent, terlindung, dan ahli ilmu beladiri...diperkosa?
 Kurang ajar.
 Aisha semakin menangis. Beberapa orang mulai menoleh. Aku tidak tahan lagi, semakin jauh ia menceritakan pengalaman mengerikannya, semakin aku tidak mau mendengarkan.
 Mengerikan.
 "Sudah lapor polisi?" tanyaku karena aku tidak tahu harus bagaimana lagi. Aisha mengangguk.
 "Mereka sudah janji akan -- hik -- mengejar pe-- hik --lakunya. Katanya bekas2 di pakaianku dan sisa2nya di tubuhku bisa digunakan untuk membantu pencarian," jawabnya sesenggukan. Aku agak gemetar waktu ia mengucapkan 'tubuhku' -- aku bisa mengerti ketakutannya -- namun aku kemudian terdiam.
 "Itu tidak akan cukup," ungkapku. "Kau sudah memberikan detailnya?"
 "Sudah," katanya. "Sudah kuberitahu mereka segalanya yang bisa ku ingat dari waktu itu. Aku benar2 takut."
 Aku tidak bisa menahan diri untuk tidak merasa iba. "Lalu kenapa kau masih diperbolehkan berjalan2 tanpa pengawasan?"
 "Aku tidak pernah berkata akan ke sini tanpa pengawasan," jawabnya sambil memiringkan kepalanya sedikit ke arah bangku di seberang air mancur taman. Aku melihat sebuah mobil sedan metalik diparkir di sana, dan saat melihat plat nomernya, aku langsung tahu itu mobil Aisha. Kemudian Aisha memberi sedikit tanda padaku untuk melihat ke belakang. Di belakangku pun aku melihat mobil yang langsung kukenali sebagai mobil paman Aisha. Dan kemudian aku sekilas melihat orang tua memandangku tajam dari balik koran yang pura2 ia baca. Aku mengenali mata elang yang ramah itu. Kakek Aisha.
 Aku menjadi waspada.
 "Aku ingin sekali menghiburmu," ujarku jujur. "Tapi aku tak tahu mesti bagaimana."
 Akhirnya Aisha tersenyum. Pipinya masih basah airmata, namun ia segera mengelapnya kering.
 "Terimakasih banyak," katanya. "Sebaiknya kau mulai memisahkan rumusmu di dunia maya dan kehidupan sesungguhnya. Hidup tidak bisa dihitung."
 Saat itulah aku sadar maksudnya. Dan mendadak aku telah mendapat menyempurnaan untuk kode Aisha.

function AISHA {

 require "AI_BASE.part";

 $mind = fetch(../AI_STD.dll);

 $soul = fetch(../AI_SOUL.dll);

 $gender = fetch(../AI_BASE.part?g=female);

 $lock = focus_SECURE($gender);

 $lock = lock_down($lock);

 if($condition1)

 {

  $person = $react20187;

  $condition1 = FALSE;

 }

 while($condition === TRUE)

 {

  $person = fetch(../AI_ACT1.dll);

  $person = $person++;

  $react = $person;

  $react = TRUE;

 }

 continue(FALSE);

 terminate_function();

 terminate_command(); 

 end();

}

Aku kembail memikirkan kode yang terbentuk di pikiranku itu.

 Ya, pikirku. Itulah baris yang kucari selama ini. Seharusnya aku tidak berusaha mengkalkulasikan Aisha. Jika aku ingin memahaminya, aku harus mengenalinya dengan lebih duniawi. Dengan cara yang tidak hanya bisa dihitung, namun juga dirasakan. Seharusnya aku mengakhiri kode ini dari dulu.

 Aku tidak bisa menahan senyum.

 "Kau akan dijemput mereka?" tanyaku.

 "Boleh tidak," katanya membaca pikiranku. "Namun mereka akan mengawalku."

 "Tidak masalah," kataku. "Mau kuantar pulang?"

 Aisha langsung memahami seluk beluk pikiranku. Ia memberiku senyumnya yang memukau.

 "Tak akan kutolak," katanya sambil menggenggam tanganku. 

 Kami berdiri dan berjalan kaki ke rumah Aisha. Dari pojok mataku, aku bisa melihat tiga penjaga Aisha ikut bergerak. Tapi aku tak peduli.

 Keluarga Aisha kenal baik padaku. Mereka percaya padaku. Dan aku percaya mereka.

 Kali ini adalah waktuku sendirian bersama Aisha. Kami menikmati tiap langkah yang kami ambil, aku selalu merasa ada yang melonjak di dalamku tiap teringat tangan yang kugenggam, dan aku mulai berusaha mengenalnya lebih baik. Dan -- jika sempat -- kami membicarakan tentang AI yang telah kubuat atau mungkin, hanya mungkin, aku melihat matanya berkilat tiap ia menanyakan sesuatu tentangku dan mendapatkan jawaban.

 Aku cuma bisa berharap perkenalan kami ini bisa menjurus ke arah yang lebih dalam. Yang lebih permanen.

 Doakan aku ya?

function Story_Terminate($title) {

 terminate_function();

 terminate_command();

 end();

}

 Story_Terminate("AI Untuk Aisha");

******