Novel Penghuni Senja kini dalam proses terjemahan ke bahasa Inggeris. Ini ada sebahagian episod 1 - Senja Muram.
Chapter 1-Sombre Dusk
DUSK. You appear at the most extraordinary circumstance. Your presence eternally waited. Your beauty is praise-worthy. Your loyalty, attested. Be it sombre or cheery, I wait for your appearance, even if it is for eternity. This is precisely what Ahmad Dasuki says to himself, daily, as dusk descends. Among his friends, he is casually known as Pak Ahmad. In physique, he is neither obese nor skinny, just moderately built.
Without revealing the remotest sign of boredom, Pak Ahmad will wait in passive anticipation of the dusk, to revel in its beauty. Dusk, in effect, is a lurid interface of darkness and light. It folds day into night. Such transformation often induces more than a hearten smile in him. Dusk has for long been deemed as his closest ally. He valued it for its sheer loyalty. With many of his closest friends and families already forsaking him, the dusk is his sole panacea or even his playmate for that matter. In short, Pak Ahmad prefers the present way, the way it has always been.
Although preoccupied with gazing the falling dusk, Pak Ahmad is still sensitized to his immediate surroundings. He knows what goes on around him. Seeing the dusk falls is merely his dutiful, mandatory obsession. With eyes peering onto the immeasurably distant horizon, and delightful with a rapturous display of golden hue blending with velvety orange, his surreal devotion to the dusk has, nevertheless, never encumbered anyone in this house.
“Don’t have to do anything else,” Pak Ahmad whispers to himself during a peaceful dusk. Since his younger days, Pak Ahmad has been predisposed to nature, admiring and reflecting its beauty. Nature and Pak Ahmad are inseparably connected. Sad news about deforestation will trigger streams of tears down his cheeks. In his twilight days now, he resolves to savour the beauty of earth. Its absolute magnificence will not slip away from his mind. Many godly creations scarcely engender much attention from human like himself.
“This is one of earth’s magnificent creations. No one can create likewise. You are beautiful, dusk.” Pak Ahmad’s voice is vivid but a vestige of sadness is evident in his tone. Lately, his character has been inexplicably capricious, temperamental, much to the chagrin of his friends who understandably distant themselves from him. His feelings and thoughts shifting spontaneously; at one end quiet and at the other end testy. At times, he remains silent for days. When he is temperamental, unpleasant words rattle off. When he is silent, it is as though his tongue has been stitched. Such is his freakish disposition. As it is with people, some like him and some do not.
Once, Haji Deraman was engrossed in a harmless, cordial conversation with Pak Ahmad. Then, all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, Pak Ahmad hurled incoherent abuses at him. Harsh words spattered out with ease from Pak Ahmad’s mouth leaving Haji Deraman in total bewilderment. His face reddened with anger and confusion from the onslaught of abuses. He felt like a school kid lashed by a teacher for forgetting to bring his book. After a few months of getting to know him better, Haji Deraman gradually understand Pak Ahmad’s demeanour. Despite the revilement, Haji Deraman remained composed, holding himself well against Pak Ahmad. He is always relenting, and fully conscious that a small group of Malay dwellers like them simply cannot allow themselves to be reduced to squabbles and sour-faces. Otherwise, more problems and confusions will emerge. A small group among them alleged that Pak Ahmad is of unsound mind. Nevertheless, Haji Deraman still maintains his friendship as he believes they do not truly comprehend his real behaviour.
“This old man must be crazy! He talks to himself,” declared Meon, the youngest of the lot who is in his fifties.
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