Lotus In The Mud

By: Nabila Putri Salma

Lotus In The Mud is a work by Annelie that was originally written on her Twitter account.

This story was published as a novel on November 9, 2022, by Akad Publishing.

The novel Lotus In The Mud tells the story of two fragile characters, Ocean Abelvan and Audine Prameswari, two people who are both trapped in problems and insecurity. They are brought together to heal each other’s wounds.

Ocean Abelvan is a handsome model known for his kind, humble, and hardworking nature. Ocean is always calm yet unique, polite, and always gives his best effort. However, behind all that, Ocean, the man named after the ocean, harbors a trauma that causes him to drown in his own sea. 

In 2011, when Ocean was 12 years old, he experienced a serious incident at sea while snorkeling for the first time. Suddenly, a baby shark bit him and did not let go for almost 15 minutes. The attack caused Ocean to lose a lot of blood and suffer severe injuries. The bite left a scar on his stomach that is still visible today and continues to remind him of the incident, the sudden impact on his body, the darkness, the silence, the water, and the pain he felt in his stomach.

 Even so, Ocean still keeps his deep love for the sea. He remembers it as a beautiful place, full of memories.

The trauma never really went away, he just keeps it hidden inside him. Ocean grew up to be someone who looks calm like the sea and strong on the outside, but there is always fear and past wounds that make him “drown in his own sea”. 

Ocean lives his life with determination not to get stuck in his past fears again. He wants a life full of peace, without shadows from the past haunting him. He works hard not just for his career, but to build a future that is no longer colored by fear. A life without having to hide from the past, and finding someone who makes him feel safe and comfortable to be himself.

Audine Premeswari is a beautiful flower shop owner, kind hearted like an angel. She works hard for her family and herself.

Audine is the backbone of her family. She runs her flower shop not just because she likes flower, but to pay off debts. Her retired father works as much as he can, but his health is getting worse due to age. 

Audine has a sister named Arunala. Her relationship with her sister is strained. Arunala feels jealous and hateful toward Audine because she thinks Audine life is more successful and happier than Arunala, who struggles as a single parent with a failed business.

Audine had a motorcycle accident when she was about thirteen years old. She sat in the front seat of motorcycle with her father driving. An old man suddenly crossed the road, making her father brake hard. Their motorcycle fell. Audine got burn scars that left two keloid marks on the back of her hand. That event became a lasting mark in her life.

Audine always tries her best in everything. Family finances, and her insecurity. She has gone through many ups and downs, but Audine keeps living. “Because, every good things take time”. She believes in the magic of time, sure that the world is not as bad as it seems, and does not let her life be filled with fear.

 The first novel I read and became my favourite. A novel that tells about love, friendship, and struggle. I got many new things and motivations. Every fear and trauma will go away with time, slowly but surely. Imperfection will become perfect if we accept, complete, and fix each other. And everything will change in the end. “Because every good things take time”.