Cerekaan

Md. Fariq Khir

Artwork by Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee

1.

Saya tahan teksi. Sudah duduk, saya tanya di mana dia mahu pergi? Selesai menghantarnya, dia membayar tambang dan saya memberi baki.


2.

Sebuah novel menangis membaca dirinya sendiri.


3.

Seekor ikan mati kerana kekeringan idea.


4.

Dua pasangan bercinta tidak jadi berkahwin kerana tiada cincin yang muat pada jari manis mereka.


5.

Sepuluh komando buta dikerah mencari serigala yang telah menelan matahari.


6.

Melihat wajah bapanya, sebayi memasuki semula rahim ibunya.


7.

Sekanibal saintis mengeklon dirinya lalu dimakan klonnya lalu klonnya mengeklon dirinya lalu dimakan klonnya lalu klonnya mengeklon dirinya. . .


8.

Feri dinaiki saya karam. Tiada penumpang yang mampus kerana kapal-kapal kertas yang kami buat ketika kecil datang menyelamatkan kami.


9.

Saya beritahu ibu bapa saya yang mereka ialah ibu bapa angkat. Mereka menangis kenapa tak beritahu awal-awal.


10.

Dalam sesi perkuliahan saya duduk di sebelah selawa gadis. Saya berinya cebisan kertas meminta nombornya. Dia tulis 8173. Kerana kecewa saya gunakan nombor itu di Sports Toto dan menang jackpot.

Read the English translation

Listen to the original read by the author:

This series of absurd-surreal flash fiction was selected from Fariq's Twitter account, where he posts similar bite-sized writings. Some of the writings have been featured in a number of local literature zines over the years. A selection of tweets was even included in an annual best short story anthology, Cerpen Terbaik 2016, published by Buku Fixi. This is the first time they are translated from Malay into another language.

His tweets tend to sound like they came out of nowhere—like they are churned out from a random sentence generator—but a number of them actually serve as subtle commentary on current topics and news in Malaysia’s general consciousness. This ranges from gossip in the literature circle and notes on political issues to brief comments on random news in the paper. When Fariq is not commenting on any particular events, his tweets may be a play of words that is rich in Malaysian context—you have to be Malaysian to understand “the joke.” But most of the time, you do not have to be Malaysian to appreciate their general weirdness.

Another element present in his writings is black comedy. Hence, one may not “get it” either because of its Malaysian context, or simply because they do not find the subject matter funny or are open to Fariq’s mockery. This also poses a unique challenge when translating his writings. As some of us may agree, two forms of writing are the hardest to translate: comedy and poetry. And both components are present in Fariq’s flash fictions, in one way or another.

Md. Fariq Khir grew up in Selangor, Malaysia and is currently studying Data Communication and Networking in a local university. He likes drinking tea and taking walks around the neighbourhood. He posts his absurd-surreal flash fictions on Twitter here and some of them have been published in a number of literature zines. A selection of his flash fictions was also featured in Cerpen Terbaik 2016, an annual anthology of the best short stories, which was published by Buku Fixi, a publisher of urban contemporary fiction in Malaysia. Labelling himself as ‘kutukus sastra’ (Malay for ‘the literary condemner’), he also writes about random and personal matters on his blog.

Ali Aiman Mazwin is a copywriter, editor, and translator based in Kuala Lumpur. He has translated two novels into Malay (Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (as a co-translator)), a series of graphic novels, and other shorter works. He also handles an Instagram account here, translating international works of poetry into Malay for fun. His other passion is street photography.