The Journey

Dawn came..

The area around the beach starting coming alive. Stalls were set up and fishermen bustled to go to sea.

I waited patiently. Around mid morning, a family came and started setting up their picnic items near where I was half-buried. The little boy started building a little sandcastle. What a happy family, I thought.

Then he found me. He excitedly picked me up, and ran over to his parents. My patience paid off, after all.

"Daddy! Look what i found! A coin! In the sand!"

"Oh wow, you're so lucky son, what are you going to do with it?"

The boy pondered for a little while. Then he said, "I think i'll bring it home and save it. Or, should i buy an ice cream? What do you think, daddy?"

"Save it, son."

"OK, daddy."

So I sat on the beach towel while the family enjoyed themselves. Then it was time to go. Mummy started packing, and called out to the son to get out of the water. When the son ignored her, she started shouting.

"Son! Get out of the water! We have a long journey home! Don't be stubborn!"

The little boy started whining, telling his mom that he loves it at the beach and that he doesn't want to go home.

"Come on, daddy has to work tomorrow. If he doesn't work, then he'll have no money to pay for your vacations. And we'll never be able to go to the beach again."

The son sulked, but got out of the water and got dressed. He picked me up and put me in his pocket.

We got in the car, and started the journey. Many hours later, we reached the place they call "home."

Will it be my home from now on? Only if he decides to save me in his piggy bank.

The Beach

I sat on the side table for days, completely unnoticed. Many people came and went, because apparently it was a festive season called Hari Raya. Everybody wore beautiful and colorful clothes, and they all looked happy. There was a constant flow of food and drinks, and they looked pretty appetizing too. I was beginning to doubt the reason of my existence. I came into the world naively believing that I am the most useful item one could have, and here I sit in this house, uncirculated. Suffice to say, I was demoralized.

Soon after, less visitors came to the house. Finally, it was just the old man, his elderly wife and me. The wife was dusting the house one day when she found me. She picked me up and shaked her head. She let out a heavy sigh and said, "Children these days never understand the value of money." Then she gave me smile and put me in her pocket.

I must have dozed off for the next few hours, but when I woke up, it felt very warm. I was outside, in the sunshine. It felt very nice. The sun was shining bright, the sky blue. What a nice day, I thought. I felt a breeze. I heard waves splashing. I must be at the beach! How exciting! The old woman walked up and down the white sandy beach, and she seemed very pleased with herself. Such energy for an old woman. "You go girl!" I thought.

As I was admiring the old woman's energy, I suddenly felt the world shaking around me. Thud! The old woman fell to the ground. I fell out of her pocket and saw that her toe was bleeding. She must have hit a stone or something. Immediately, a crowd gathered around us, and people started to help her up. I realized I was still half-buried in the sand. I panicked.

"Hello? What about me?"

Naturally, nobody heard.

"Hello!!! I'm with her!"

What was I thinking? They'll never hear me, so I gave up.

After a while, the crowd dispersed, and there I was, all alone in the sand. I sulked. The day became hotter, and I was quite grateful that at least half my body is covered with sand. Many people walked by, but no one saw me. At one point, I thought I caught the eyes of a little boy, and my hopes went up for a few seconds. But he gazed across and ran over to his mother.

It's alright, I told myself. This beach bustles with activity. People swimming, having picnics and barbeques, coming back from fishing in the ocean and all sort of other things. Soon enough someone will find me. I just have to be patient. Just wait. Just wait. I waited determinedly and watched the sun set. It was brilliant.

But it wasn't soon enough. Night fell and it grew cold. The wind blew hard. I could hear some music in the near distance, but the beach is empty. It was just me.

It was one of the scariest nights of my life. I have never felt so lonely. I prayed to my Creator for a better fate tomorrow.

The Beginning

Hello.

I am a 50 sen Malaysian coin. I was born in October 2004. I'm silver, about 1.5 inches in diameter. There's an engraving of a hibiscus on my face, and a wau-bulan (malay traditional kite) on my back. I would like to tell you the story of my life, my adventures and misadventures.

From the mint, I was sent to a bank with a bunch of other 50 sen coins who look exactly like me. The early days seem to be a haze of events, but I could tell that I was being carried from one place to another, until I finally reached a bank. I can't remember what bank it was, but the general color scheme was yellow.

I stayed at the bank for a few days, and it was cold! To my luck, one fine October day, a man came in and took me out. He was older, not like the men I usually see working at the bank. He carefully wrapped us into a piece of cloth which he tucked under his belt. He brought me to his home, and kept me in his drawer, along with about 100 other 50 sen coins. It was mainly dark in his drawer, so I didn't know what happened for quite a while.

One day the old man took me and my mates out of the drawer. He separated us into different little sachets, one each. I was nervous. It was the first time that I got separated from my mates.

"Oy! What's going on here?" I shouted from inside my sachet.

"I don't know, dude, why are we being put into different little envelopes?" said one friend.

"Where are you?" I asked, feeling very claustrophobic.

But that was the last time I heard from my friend.

A few minutes later I heard laughter. Children, i think. They were shouting "Selamat Hari Raya!! Selamat Hari Raya Tok!!" They sounded very happy.

I felt myself being put into the hands of a small child. She greedily ripped the flap over my sachet, and peeked inside. She looked at me for a few seconds, and started to cry. I was confused. What's happening? Aren't people supposed to be happy to see me?

Then I heard her say, "I want more! This is too little!" in between her heavy sobs. Her mother tried to pacify her, "Don't cry darling, you'll upset grandpa." In the end the mother took me from the girl's hand, and gave her another sachet. She took a peek, gave a jump of joy and ran away. The mother sighed and placed me on the side table.

If the hibiscus on my face could wilt, it would wilt the moment I heard her say those words. It was the day I found that, by myself, I am just an almost worthless piece of coin. Even a little girl could tell.

And so began my adventure.