“It is not only the eye that travels, but the ear.” Alain Corbin
Di atas kapal ferry, langit biru terbentang luas di atas kepala kami. Matahari menempel ringan di kulit, angin laut membawa aroma asin yang segar dan pulau Sumatra terasa semakin dekat.
Sophie sudah tidak menyandarkan kepalanya ke bahu saya. Ia kini duduk tegak lalu sedikit menoleh dan berkata pelan, “Mama, the wind feels different.”
Saya menatapnya. “Berbeda bagaimana, sayang?” “It feels heavier, like it’s not empty anymore.” sambil mengerutkan keningnya.
Dua tourist di dekat kami saling pandang, lalu tersenyum. Yang laki-laki mengangguk pelan. “Yeah, that’s usually when land is close. The wind starts carrying more than just air.”
Perempuan di sampingnya menambahkan dengan suara tenang, “You often hear it before you see it. Once the wind touches trees, hills and the shoreline, the sound begins to change.”
Saya tersenyum kecil. “So you don’t always need to see it to know you’re already close?”
“Not really. If you spend enough time on the water, you learn to trust what you feel. The sound, the pressure and the way the wind moves.” Ia ikut tersenyum, ringan dan tanpa banyak kata.
“Sometimes you hear a place before you see it.” Rebecca Solnit
Part 22.
