THE BEAT OF DEATH: Part 2, Second Act | The End
Published on HivePostify by @ayijufridar · Sat Aug 01 2026
SECOND ACT RAIN FALLS SLOWLY OUTSIDE TEUKU JAFAR'S HOUSE. THE SOUND OF WATER DRIPPING FROM THE ROOF IS EVERYTIME AUDIO. IN THE LIVING ROOM, BULEUN IS FILTERING OLD DOCUMENTS. AN OLD BOOK FALLS FROM THE CABINET. PAPERS ARE SCATTERED. BULEUN PICKS THEM UP ONE BY ONE. SUDDENLY, HIS VISION STOPS. HE IS READING SOMETHING. FOR A LONG TIME.
BULEUN:
(SLOWLY) It can't be...
HE TURNS A PAGE. REREADS IT. THEN READS IT A THIRD TIME.
BULEUN:
It can't be...
THE LIGHTS GO OUT.
IN THE SAME ROOM, BULEUN STANDS. IN HIS HAND WAS AN OLD FOLDER. TEUKU JAFAR SITTED QUIETLY ON AN OLD RATTAN CHAIR. TOO QUIET. BULEUN: Do you recognize this document, Dad?
TEUKU JAFAR LOOKED AT THE FOLDER BULEUN WAS CARRYING. HIS FACE CHANGED. VERY THIN. BUT CHANGED. LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAD JUST SEEN HIS PAST COME BACK, KNOCKING ON THE DOOR.
BULEUN: Is this your signature, Dad?
TEUKU JAFAR: Yes.
BULEUN: The pollution report from twelve years ago?
TEUKU JAFAR: Yes.
BULEUN: Have you known about it for a long time?
TEUKU JAFAR: Yes.
BULEUN: And Dad was silent?
A MOMENT OF SILENCE. THE RAIN OUTSIDE WAS GETTING HARDER.
BULEUN: Why?
TEUKU JAFAR: (In a voice trembling with regret) Because I was afraid. They came bringing hope. Jobs. Roads. Schools. I thought it was the best way.
BULEUN: But this river has paid too high a price.
TEUKU JAFAR: I only realized it when it was too late.
IN THE VILLAGE HALL, THE RESIDENTS GATHERED. RAHMAT, A MAN DRESSED IN BROWN SAFARI OUTFIT COMPLETE WITH PANTS, WAS PRESENT AS THE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE. IN FRONT OF THEM WAS A BANNER FOR THE INAUGURATION OF THE EXPANSION OF THE OPERATIONAL AREA. THE GEUCHIK MAWARDI STOOD. MAWARDI: Development must continue. We cannot stop just because of fear.
MUSA:
This isn't fear. This is reality!
MAWARDI:
It's also a reality that many families live off the mines.
MUSA:
Then what about families who live off the river?
THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES TENSE. BULEUN STEP AHEAD, CARRYING A DOCUMENT.
BULEUN:
Before we talk about the future, let's talk about the past.
HE SHOWS THE DOCUMENT.
BULEUN:
This report was prepared twelve years ago. The pollution was already known. But it was never made public.
CITIZENS BEGINS TO WHISPER. THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES NOISY. RAHMAT STANDS IN FRONT OF THE MICROPHONE. IN HIS HAND IS THE OFFICIAL REPORT. EVERYONE WAITS. THE DISTRICT OFFICIAL NODS TO HIM. RAHMAT OPENS A MAP. READING IN MY HEART. THEN SILENCE. LONG. VERY LONG.
OFFICIAL: Please continue.
RAHMAT CLOSES THE MAP. RAHMAT: I can't read it.
OFFICIAL: Why?
RAHMAT: Because I live in this village. Because I drank from this river as a child. Because I swam in this river before I knew the world. And because I know this report doesn't reflect reality.
SILENCE. NOTHING MOVES.
RAHMAT: Rivers never learn to lie. But humans often do. Today I choose to listen to the river.
SILENCE BROKEN THE ROOM. TEUKU JAFAR STOOD UP. SLOWLY. HE SEEMED TO SUDDENLY AGE.
TEUKU JAFAR: I want to talk too.
THE PEOPLE STARED AT HIM. Mistakes don't always stem from bad intentions. Sometimes they stem from overly high expectations. I once believed that development would save us. Today, I admit, I share the responsibility for choosing to remain silent.
MUSA BOWS HANDLED HIS BOWS. BULEUN HOLDS BACK TEARS.
TEUKU JAFAR: If this river must recover, then the first thing that must be restored is our honesty.
THE LIGHTS DIM. ALL THE FIGURES STAND FACING THE RIVER. THE SOUND OF THE WATER RETURNS. THIS TIME CLEARER. LIGHTER.
THE VOICE OF THE RIVER: I'm not asking you to return to the past. I only ask you to remember. Because humans who lose their memories will repeat the same wounds. I will continue to flow. Through nature. Through mud. Through time. But you... not necessarily. Take care of what remains. Before the lamentations from upstream become cries throughout the downstream. THE LIGHTS SLOWLY GO OUT. JUST THE SOUND OF THE WATER. THEN IT'S DARK.
THE END
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