I’ve taken a long while to write this post. It was a shock and a very humbling experience to meet a student whose family had been caught up in the Indian Ocean tsunami. When I heard that the teenager’s family came from Banda Aceh, scenes of devastation filled my mind. I remembered the TV coverage after the tsunami had hit the shoreline: whole villages annihilated. All you could see from the horrific aerial photos was thick debris.

Fearing the worst, I asked if any of her family had died in the tsunami. I was told that her grandparents, her uncle and cousins, and all her mother’s village had died.

“I’m pleased that you wrote Kiss of the Tsunami, because I don’t want people to forget,” said Sascha. “My family and so many other people were killed; and although it was over thirteen years ago, some people are still coming to terms with what happened.”

Then Sascha opened the file she was carrying and showed me a heart-breaking painting about the loss of her family in the 2004 tsunami. I felt very honoured when she said that I could use it. The following poem was written by Sascha during the workshop after I had read extracts from my novel. It is especially poignant now that I know her background.

The sea roared and crashed and wailed,
In its midst a small child flailed;
But this beast is unrelenting, it has no mercy to spare,
And at last the child takes his last breath of air.

This dark, angry beast was hungry and tall,
Even the strongest opponents did fall;
Man, building and animals alike,
A huge ominous wave their final sight.

Homes, villages and towns torn apart,
Families split breaking the heart.
This one huge event caused so many to cry;
This one huge event caused so many to die.  

On the left of Sascha’s picture is a song which she grew up listening to. The lyrics of this part of the song are translated below.

Tak Bisakah – Peterpan                                           

Could you please wait for me
Still waiting until then
Could you please guide me
Be with me in my life
I walk through the times
Hoping I can find the remains of your heart
Understand I want you to be like that
Understand you are inside my heart