Wild Darkness by Paula Cappa: A Short Story Review

Agatha Ashfield is in her old years, spending her remaining time reminiscing about past memories, especially about Falling Water, the Native American woman ghost who has been with her since childhood. Also, about the destiny she will encounter after death. Will it be nothingness, heaven, or something else?

The short story "Wild Darkness" was written by Paula Cappa in 2018 and featured in ParABnormal Magazine (2020), with a supernatural genre themed around ghosts. However, the atmosphere here is not the chilling or terrifying kind of horror, but rather melancholic and dramatic through flashbacks, descriptive scenery, and precise diction, which immerse the heart and evoke a desire to be there.

As a result, I didn't pay much attention to the characters' traits, and simply put, there are no significant issues. This dozen-page short story becomes the most emotional and extraordinary tale for me personally, and it's quite intriguing because it incorporates the element of reincarnation, which I haven't encountered in Western literature before.

Therefore, this short yet dramatic story is suitable for readers of all ages to escape momentarily while also reminding us that everything is ephemeral.

This short story is available on Amazon.

Score: 9/10

[See the review in Indonesian version]

Agatha Ashfield berada di usia senja dan menjalani sisa waktu sembari mengingat memori-memori masa lalu, terutama tentang Falling Water, hantu wanita Suku Indian yang menemaninya sedari kecil. Juga tentang takdir apa yang akan ditemuinya setelah mati. Menjadi ketiadaan atau ke surga atau yang lainnya?

Cerpen "Wild Darkness" ditulis oleh Paula Cappa pada tahun 2018 dan termuat dalam ParABnormal Magazine (2020) dengan genre supernatural bertema hantu. Hanya saja, atmosfer di sini bukan menegangkan/seram ala horor, tapi melankolis lagi dramatis lewat flashback, deskripsi latar tempat dan diksi yang tepat, nan membuat hati terbawa suasana serta juga ingin berada di sana. 

Dengan begitu, sifat para tokoh tidak begitu saya perhatikan dan simpelnya, tidak ada yang jadi permasalahan berarti. Cerpen belasan halaman ini menjadi cerita paling emosional dan luar biasa bagi saya pribadi serta cukup menarik karena memasukkan unsur reinkarnasi yang belum pernah saya dengar di dunia sastra barat.

Maka, cerpen singkat nan dramatis ini sangat cocok dibaca untuk segala umur guna melipur diri sekaligus mengingatkan kita bahwa segalanya itu fana.