The Silent Hour
Silence dominates this room, with only the sound of raindrops trickling slowly down the window, like the ticking of time, slow and heavy with anxiety. The little one, with her frail body, lies helplessly, like a fragile leaf blown by the wind. Her small hand, which used to move cheerfully, now hangs limp, connected to an IV drip that holds the last bit of hope.
A closed Qur'an rests near her head, as if it holds unspoken prayers. Prayers from a mother hidden in every breath she takes, filled with worries only she can feel. Gazing out the window with an empty stare, as if the world outside no longer speaks to the mother. The rain, as though bringing a heavier burden, soaks her heart and wraps her mind with shadows of fear.
Out there, the wind reminds us of the constant threat—Dengue. A disease that comes silently, mercilessly, taking without regard for age. The little one is one of the many trapped in its grip, a reality that cannot be denied.
In 2023, Indonesia recorded more than 114,000 cases of Dengue, with over 800 deaths, a worrying number. In the first quarter of 2024, the number of Dengue cases in Indonesia tripled compared to the previous year, with a total of 43,271 cases and 343 deaths in the period from January to March (Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, 2024). Among those numbers, the little one stands as a witness to the unseen threat. Each drop of blood taken feels like an unspoken question, still unanswered.
In the exhaustion that nearly overwhelms her, the mother can do nothing but look at her child with eyes full of hope, even as her chest tightens with worry. In that silence, one prayer continues to be whispered—may tomorrow bring light, may the little one smile again, play, and fill the world with her irreplaceable joy.
These photos are a personal experience that might be shared by many families in Indonesia facing the same illness. Those who feel the direct impact of Dengue, or similar diseases, understand that every second becomes incredibly precious. All photos were taken with a Samsung A51 smartphone.
