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"Solar, Big Brother Upan said the flowers in that garden represent all of us," Duri chimed in.
"How so?"
"Yes. The red rose is Big Brother Hali, the orange gladiolus is Big Brother Gempa, the marigold is Big Brother Aze, the forget-me-not is Big Brother Ice, the little chrysanthemum is me, and the white climbing rose is you."
"Why do I get a climbing rose?"
Solar watched as his twin simply shrugged and said he didn’t know. Solar shrugged too because, to him, it didn’t matter. He’d rather get back to studying; there was a quiz tomorrow, and Solar didn’t want to fail.
Duri kept talking about the flowers in Taufan’s garden. He said Taufan had just planted a Himalayan poppy today with Halilintar. Then he mentioned some types of butterflies he had seen in Solar’s book that visited Taufan’s flower garden. Duri also talked about Taufan’s plan to plant pink Tabebuya trees to make it look like cherry blossoms. Solar didn’t say anything, but he listened. After all, his twin loved talking about plants.
To this day, Solar still didn’t understand why Taufan went to the trouble of building a garden. Especially since their parents had initially forbidden it, though their second eldest brother didn’t seem to care. Well, as long as his brother was happy.
...
Lately, Taufan had been acting strange.
Alright, to be fair, he’d already been strange since starting that flower garden, but now his odd behavior was escalating. Taufan didn’t talk much; he just looked at all of them with a complicated expression Solar couldn’t decipher. Every time Halilintar or Gempa asked what was wrong, Taufan would simply shake his head, smile, and say, "Nothing. I just want to look at you guys."
Their parents seemed increasingly worried day by day. Solar had caught their mother crying multiple times while hugging Taufan, who would only give a small smile, but his eyes didn't have any expression. Their father also looked deeply sad whenever he gazed at Taufan. They often left without saying where they were going.
Why were they acting like this?
Solar might have kept quiet and not asked, but he knew one of his brothers would eventually voice what he was thinking. Halilintar was one of them. He asked their parents what was really going on, but neither their father nor mother would give a clear answer. They lied, saying everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about.
If everything was fine, then why wouldn’t they tell the truth?
If everything was fine, then why did the atmosphere in their home feel so far from fine?
Solar was growing anxious. Something was happening, and he didn’t know what. He didn’t know how to fix it. It was like a complicated math problem with no clues about which formula to use. No hint of which numbers to calculate. And Solar knew he didn’t like it.
...
"Solar, do you know that the wind is the freest element in the universe?" Taufan asked.
"Yes, because the wind can go wherever it wants. It isn’t trapped in one place," Solar replied.
He watched as Taufan trimmed several rose stems to place in a vase on the kitchen table. Taufan was right in front of him, yet Solar felt as if he were so far away. It was as though, with just a breeze, Taufan would vanish from his sight.
"But do you know that the wind is also a prison for memories of the past that can never be forgotten?"
"How is that possible?"
Taufan turned to him, laughing as if Solar’s question was silly. In his hands were a few red rose stems, and his blue eyes mirrored the vast blue sky above them. The sky stretched endlessly as if it had no limits. The wind blew, scattering petals into the air.
If Solar were an artist, he would paint the scene before him to preserve it forever.
"Because the wind will always be what’s left behind. Observing as one by one, everything it knows leaves it. It may be free to go anywhere, but it can only cling to the past, unable to let it go."
Solar didn’t understand. He was confused.
Taufan was always like this—saying strange things but never explaining what he meant. Even Halilintar and Gempa couldn’t decipher Taufan’s words, so how could Solar, who rarely interacted with him, hope to understand?
Or perhaps Taufan said such things on purpose, hoping they would try to figure out what was wrong with him and make an effort to understand. If none of his other brothers would do it, then Solar would.
Solar bought books about flowers, human behavior, and how to interpret people’s words. He stayed up late night after night reading them. He observed Taufan’s behavior closely, searching for answers to all the questions in his mind. Even though he hadn’t found a clear solution yet, Solar wasn’t going to give up.
One night, when Solar woke up thirsty and went to get some water, he noticed the door to the backyard was open. Though he was scared, Solar tried to stay rational. Every door in their house was always locked at night. If someone had tried to open it from outside, their parents and brothers would have woken up. The only explanation Solar could think of was that someone inside the house had opened it.
Setting his glass down, Solar grabbed a wooden stick Blaze often used as a sword and walked toward the open door. He knew he should wake his father or maybe Halilintar, but his curiosity got the better of him. He had to see who had opened the door in the middle of the night.
In the middle of Taufan’s flower garden, Solar saw the figure. Standing there, gazing at the moon shining above them. The dim light from the lamp hanging above the door only partially illuminated the figure. But Solar would recognize him anywhere. No matter how dark it was, Solar could identify the person standing in the garden, staring at the moon.
"Brother Taufan?"
Taufan turned to him, waved, and gestured for him to come and look at the moon together. Solar approached, eyeing Taufan with suspicion. A small, childish part of him wondered if the person in front of him was really Taufan or an alien disguised as his brother.
"Why are you out here in the middle of the night?" Solar asked.
"Just thinking."
"If it’s just to think, why do you need to come out in the middle of the night?"
"Shh..." Taufan pressed a finger to Solar’s lips, winked, and pointed to the glowing moon above them.
"Do you hear the rustling wind? It’s sending messages to the moon."
Solar was sure his expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief. He thought Taufan was teasing him. But the playful laughter that escaped Taufan’s lips made Solar forget his doubts. That laughter... It had been so long since Solar had heard it. He missed it. Taufan’s genuine laughter. Without thinking, Solar rushed to hug Taufan. He felt his brother’s body stiffen momentarily before Taufan returned the embrace.
"Remember this, Solar... Whisper to the wind, and it will keep your whispers within itself and carry them to their destination."
Once again, Taufan said something strange. Solar wanted to protest, but his eyes grew hot, and his chest ached. He tightened his hold on Taufan. As the night wind blew, Solar felt as though his brother had merged with the wind, even though he was still holding him tightly.
...
"The trellis made by Brother Hali is starting to fall apart; we need to have it replaced. If it stays like this, the climbing roses will get damaged too," Duri said.
Solar agreed with his twin's observation. The trellis supporting the climbing roses was deteriorating, and if it wasn’t replaced soon, it would surely affect the roses. Especially since they were about to bloom soon.
Duri moved on to inspect the other plants, while Solar remained focused on the climbing roses in front of him. A flower that was said to represent him. The rose leaves swayed gently in the breeze, and a small smile appeared on Solar’s face as he felt the soft gust of wind.
"Now I understand," he whispered.