That night, as Serafim walked through the narrow alleys of the city, he felt something following him. The wind seemed to whisper, and he heard a faint voice calling out.
"Help me..."
Serafim stopped in his tracks. At a dim corner of the street stood a young man, pale white, with eyes full of sorrow.
"I need to tell my little brother... I didn't break my promise..."
Serafim looked at him intently. "What's your name?"
"Ari."
Serafim turned his gaze to Ari, who was desperately asking for help.
"My brother's name is Bima. He's a good person, but because of his disappointment and the feeling of being betrayed by me, he's become hard-hearted. He got involved in the wrong crowd and threw away all his dreams."
"You want me to help him?" asked Serafim.
"Yes, I want him to know... I never abandoned him."
Serafim paused for a moment, then nodded.
That day, Serafim infiltrated Bima's life by becoming a police officer assigned to a criminal case in the area. Bima and his gang had long been on the police's radar for troubling the community. They often mugged pedestrians and threatened small vendors. Bima was one of the gang members and one of the most wanted fugitives.
One night, Serafim and his team found traces of Bima and his gang in a narrow alley.
"We've got them," said one of the officers.
Serafim stepped forward. "Bima!"
Bima turned his head. Their eyes met briefly. Realizing his identity had been discovered, Bima quickly ran to escape.
"RUN OVER THAT COP!" shouted a gang member.
One of them hurled a large trash bin at Serafim. Serafim dodged swiftly, but that gave Bima and his gang enough time to flee to the main road.
Serafim and his team continued the chase.
They ran through alleyways, jumped fences, and leaped over ditches. Bima was strong and agile, running with precision through an area he knew like the back of his hand.
At one point, Serafim nearly caught Bima. But Bima had carefully planned his escape—he jumped into the back of a slowly moving truck, then slipped off at a crossroads and vanished into the night.
Serafim stopped in frustration and took a deep breath.
"I'll catch you next time, Bima," he muttered.
On the other side, Bima felt proud for escaping the police once again.
But his luck didn't last long.
While planning their next robbery, Bima noticed something strange. Their new leader, Rendi, and a few others were whispering suspiciously.
"What's going on?" asked Bima.
"Nothing," Rendi replied with a fake smile.
Rendi was the son of the previous gang leader. His father, Tobi, was currently in a coma for reasons Bima didn't know.
That day, they robbed a small shop. Their operation was swift, but just as they finished, the sound of sirens grew near. Unbeknownst to them, the police had already surrounded the area.
"RUN!"
Realizing the danger, Bima fled the shop—but something unexpected happened. Rendi and the others had already taken off. As Bima tried to follow, one of his own gang members shoved him into the street.
A police car screeched to a halt in front of him, blocking every possible escape. Helpless, Bima turned back to see his gang disappearing around the corner, leaving him behind.
Bima tried to run, but Serafim easily grabbed his arm.
"You can't escape this time."
Bima struggled, but Serafim held him tightly.
"LET ME GO!"
"No," Serafim replied. "You're not getting away this time."
"AAARRGGHHHHHHH..."
Bima could only scream in frustration as he was dragged into the police car.
In prison, Bima shut himself off. He sat in a corner, gripping his hair, still in disbelief. Betrayal swelled in his heart. He remembered how his gang had handed him over to the police. The disappointment was overwhelming.
Bima remained silent in his despair. The next day, restlessness set in. His heart was shattered—not just from this betrayal, but from the many others before it.
Days passed. Slowly, he began observing his surroundings. He realized he couldn't let himself be trapped in sadness forever—he had to survive, even with a broken heart.
To his surprise, the prison was livelier than he expected. Inmates talked, some read, others wrote. This prison was rare—there was no violence between cells, no rivalry, no abuse from guards.
Every afternoon, inmates were allowed to gather, share talents, or simply express themselves. One day, Serafim arrived, stood among them, and played a guitar with a soft rhythm. The music echoed through the cell block, drawing the attention of other inmates. Even those still in their cells peeked out, drawn by the melody, and came closer to sing along.
"What is this?" Bima muttered from his cell, pretending not to care.
Day by day, Serafim kept coming in the afternoon, playing his guitar. More inmates gathered to sing around him. Watching this over and over, Bima began unlocking memories—his childhood, his dreams.
After one of Serafim's performances, Bima hesitantly approached him.
"Can you... teach me to play guitar?" Bima asked, almost in a whisper.
Serafim gave a small smile and turned around. He lifted the guitar and handed it to Bima. Then he led Bima to a room and let him try playing. Bima's hands were stiff, but Serafim calmly guided him. Before they knew it, the prison alarm sounded—time to return to their cells.
TRRRREEEETTTTTT... TRRRREEEEETTTT...
Bima looked at Serafim and asked,
"Can I learn again tomorrow?"
"Of course," Serafim replied, packing up his guitar.
Bima ran out, happy. From that day on, he practiced guitar with Serafim every day. Slowly, his skills improved. He began playing different songs—sad ones, jazz, pop, even rock.
Eventually, Bima, who had found a new role model in Serafim, opened up. For the first time, he spoke about something beyond guitar.
"I used to be really mad at my brother. He was the only family I had left, but he left me alone on my birthday when I was just a kid. I was angry but didn't know what to do. He promised to protect me and help me reach my dreams. But I had to survive this cruel life alone. Then I met Mr. Tobi—he raised me and shaped me into who I am now. But life hurt me again. After Mr. Tobi went into a coma—no idea why—Rendi took over, and I became his pawn. I realized too late... this was all Rendi's plan. The one I treated like a little brother was happy to hand me over to the police."
"What was your dream?" Serafim asked.
"I wanted to be a famous guitarist. I was so inspired by Slash. He's awesome!" Bima said with a big smile.
"But do you know why your brother left you?" Serafim asked again.
"I don't know... maybe I was just a burden to him. Now that I think about it, it was probably my fault. I asked him for a guitar. And I knew he had no money. He couldn't even afford food for us," Bima replied, sadness washing over his face.
Serafim paused for a moment, then took out his phone and showed an old news article:
Mall Collapse: Unidentified Victim Found Clutching Guitar Tightly
Bima stared at the phone screen and slowly read the news. As he took it all in, his body froze. He kept rereading it and then—
"That's the guitar I asked my brother for. This date… it's my birthday. And the day my brother disappeared," said Bima, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Bima dropped to his knees and cried. The mood shifted to something sorrowful. The room dimmed, and a beam of light appeared beside him.
"Little brother, I tried not to break the promise I made..."
A voice Bima hadn't heard in so long echoed around him. His brother appeared beside him with a gentle smile.
"I always wanted you to be happy, little bro..."
"Brother? Brother..." Bima sobbed even harder.
"Why didn't you tell me you went to that mall? All this time I misunderstood you, bro… I thought you left me because I was just a burden to you..."
"You were never a burden to me. You were my responsibility. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. Now, live your life well and reach for your dreams," his brother said softly.
"But bro… I'm already broken. My life… it can't be fixed anymore..." Bima sobbed.
"You still have a chance. Use the chance you have, as best you can," his brother replied.
Bima tried to touch his brother's image, but he couldn't. They could only look at each other, and slowly, his brother faded away—departing in peace.
Ten years ago, Ari and his younger brother, Bima, only had each other after their parents died. Ari, still in high school at the time, was forced to drop out and work to support the both of them.
Bima, who was still in elementary school, dreamed of becoming a guitarist after watching a video of Slash performing with Guns N' Roses. One day, while collecting recyclables near a mall, Bima spotted his dream guitar in a store display. He wanted it so badly, even though he knew it was just a dream.
Ari, who knew his brother's wish, started saving money. He promised that one day, he would buy that guitar. On the night before Bima's birthday, Bima begged Ari for the gift he'd been dreaming of. Ari just smiled and promised he would get it for him.
But on Bima's birthday night, Ari never came home—and never returned.
After meeting Ari's spirit, Bima tried to change his life. He asked Serafim for help and began to find direction. He joined the prison's equivalency education program to finish his studies. Every day, he studied hard. Serafim and other officers supported him by bringing all the textbooks they could find. On top of that, encouragement came from fellow inmates. They cheered him on and helped him memorize everything he needed.
"I used to not know how to read. Watching you study made me want to learn too," said one of the inmates.
They lived their days filled with hope and mutual encouragement. Every afternoon, Bima and the others would sing together, accompanied by the gentle strumming of Bima's guitar.
He gave it his all. He passed the equivalency test and received his diploma. His guitar skills also improved rapidly—at a level comparable to seasoned musicians.
When the day of his release finally came, everyone in the prison celebrated.
"We're proud of you, Bim," said one of the inmates.
Bima smiled. "Thank you… all of you."
After saying goodbye to his friends, his eyes searched the crowd. Then, they stopped on one familiar face. He walked toward Serafim.
"Thank you, sir… If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Serafim smiled.
"Now, live your life well."
Bima stepped forward, walking out through the prison gates.
He had a big plan ahead, supported by Serafim and his fellow inmates. He had earned a scholarship to study the arts and a place to stay in a dormitory. He also got a part-time job at a café owned by one of the former inmates to help support himself.
With steady steps, Bima walked away from that gate.
And for the first time in his life, he felt like the world was on his side.
***