Bandung, 29 February 2200
My ancestors often told me a myth story about Atlantis. A powerful kingdom that sank overnight into the ocean. Little did we know that it could be repeated. Just like Angkor Wat swallowed by the forest, our cities also reclaimed by nature. We lost Jakarta. An earthquake felt at 23.58, a week ago. I was on my way leaving Jakarta. The hollow ground under the metropolitan finally gave up and crumble. Besides Jakarta, we also lost several other cities in these last two weeks and who knows how many more will be swallowed in the upcoming months.
Whether Atlantis truly sinks in a day or over a longer period, Jakarta submerged in a couple of hours. It is the only city that is lost in a matter of hours. Ten million Six million people have to be relocated. Four million people didn’t make it. Statistically speaking, four million people barely amount to one percent of my country’s population. That’s for Jakarta only. No official records on the national level. We lose too many people.
With so many people displaced from their own homes, I wouldn’t be surprised if soon people will dig their own home. It is extremely hard to find a land area to build another house. ‘Dig your own grave’ will bring a new whole meaning when the next earthquake happens.
I’m quite lucky not to live in Jakarta. My family is with me. I couldn’t contact my brother and sister since the incident though. I suppose most of the signal towers are gone along with the city.
Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash