Following the Dolphins

Ugo is fifteen. It is summer. He works on his uncle's fishing boat. The boat is called the Blue Gull. It is old and small. The crew has four people. Ugo is the youngest.

Ugo berusia lima belas tahun. Sekarang musim panas. Ia bekerja di kapal nelayan milik pamannya. Kapal itu bernama Blue Gull. Kapalnya tua dan kecil. Awaknya ada empat orang. Ugo yang paling muda.

His job is easy. He cleans the deck. He coils the ropes. He makes the tea. He does not touch the nets. Only the older men do that.

Pekerjaannya mudah. Ia membersihkan dek. Ia menggulung tali. Ia membuat teh. Ia tidak boleh menyentuh jaring. Hanya para pria yang lebih tua yang boleh melakukannya.

This week the sea gives nothing. For three days the nets come up almost empty. The men are tired and quiet. The captain looks at the sky each hour. She says little.

Minggu ini laut tidak memberi apa-apa. Selama tiga hari jaring naik hampir kosong. Para pria lelah dan diam. Sang kapten menatap langit setiap jam. Ia hanya sedikit bicara.

On the fourth morning the boat leaves the harbor early. The water is flat and grey. Ugo sits on a box near the front. He drinks tea and watches the waves.

Pada pagi keempat, kapal meninggalkan pelabuhan lebih awal. Air laut tenang dan berwarna abu-abu. Ugo duduk di atas sebuah kotak di dekat haluan. Ia minum teh dan memandangi ombak.

After two hours the captain stops the engine. The men drop the nets. They wait. The net comes up. It holds a few small fish and some seaweed.

Setelah dua jam, sang kapten mematikan mesin. Para pria menurunkan jaring. Mereka menunggu. Jaring ditarik naik. Isinya hanya beberapa ikan kecil dan sedikit rumput laut.

"Again nothing," says one man. He throws the seaweed back.

"Nihil lagi," kata seorang pria. Ia melempar rumput laut itu kembali ke laut.

Ugo looks away. He does not want to see their faces. Far out on the water something moves. A bird dives. Then another. Then ten birds dive at once.

Ugo memalingkan wajah. Ia tidak mau melihat wajah-wajah mereka. Jauh di tengah laut, ada sesuatu yang bergerak. Seekor burung menyelam. Lalu seekor lagi. Lalu sepuluh burung menyelam sekaligus.

"Look," he says.

"Lihat," katanya.

Nobody hears him. The men are busy with the net.

Tidak ada yang mendengarnya. Para pria sibuk dengan jaring.

"Look!" he says again, louder.

"Lihat!" katanya lagi, lebih keras.

The captain turns her head. "What is it?"

Sang kapten menoleh. "Ada apa?"

"Birds," says Ugo. He points. "Many birds. They go down, and they come up with fish."

"Burung," kata Ugo. Ia menunjuk. "Banyak burung. Mereka menyelam, lalu naik membawa ikan."

The captain shades her eyes. A dark line moves on the water beside the birds. Grey backs rise and fall. Dolphins.

Sang kapten menaungi matanya dengan tangan. Sebuah garis gelap bergerak di permukaan air di samping burung-burung itu. Punggung-punggung abu-abu muncul dan tenggelam. Lumba-lumba.

"Dolphins eat fish," says Ugo. "So the fish must be there."

"Lumba-lumba makan ikan," kata Ugo. "Jadi ikannya pasti ada di sana."

The older men look at each other. One of them shrugs. "A boy's idea."

Para pria yang lebih tua saling berpandangan. Salah satunya mengangkat bahu. "Ide anak kecil."

"A good idea," says the captain. She starts the engine. "Everyone, hold on."

"Ide yang bagus," kata sang kapten. Ia menyalakan mesin. "Semuanya, berpegangan."

The Blue Gull turns and moves toward the birds. The wind is cold on Ugo's face. The boat jumps on small waves. Water sprays over the front. Ugo laughs.

Blue Gull berbelok dan melaju ke arah burung-burung itu. Angin terasa dingin di wajah Ugo. Kapal melonjak di atas ombak kecil. Air memercik ke haluan. Ugo tertawa.

They stop near the dolphins. The sea is alive. Silver flashes shine under the surface. The captain looks at the men. "Nets. Now."

Mereka berhenti di dekat lumba-lumba. Laut terasa hidup. Kilatan perak berkilau di bawah permukaan. Sang kapten menatap para pria. "Jaring. Sekarang."

The men work fast. The nets go down. Ugo hands them rope and holds the boxes. Ugo stands at the side. A dolphin jumps right next to the boat. It looks at him with a bright black eye. Then it dives.

Para pria bekerja dengan cepat. Jaring diturunkan. Ugo menyodorkan tali kepada mereka dan memegangi kotak-kotak. Lalu ia berdiri di sisi kapal. Seekor lumba-lumba melompat tepat di samping kapal. Ia menatap Ugo dengan mata hitamnya yang cerah. Lalu ia menyelam lagi.

The nets come up. They are heavy and full. The fish are silver and fat. They jump on the deck like coins.

Jaring ditarik naik. Berat dan penuh. Ikan-ikannya berwarna perak dan gemuk. Mereka melompat-lompat di dek seperti koin.

"Pull!" shouts the captain.

"Tarik!" teriak sang kapten.

Ugo does not wait for permission. He runs to the rope. He grabs it with both hands. The man next to him moves over.

Ugo tidak menunggu izin. Ia berlari ke tali. Ia memegangnya dengan kedua tangan. Pria di sebelahnya bergeser memberi tempat.

They pull together. The net lifts higher. Fish pour into the boxes. In an hour the deck is full.

Mereka menarik bersama-sama. Jaring terangkat makin tinggi. Ikan tumpah ke dalam kotak-kotak. Dalam satu jam, dek sudah penuh.

On the way home the men are loud and happy. They sing. One of them gives Ugo a big piece of bread.

Dalam perjalanan pulang, para pria riuh dan gembira. Mereka bernyanyi. Salah satunya memberi Ugo sepotong besar roti.

"Tomorrow," the captain says, "you do not make the tea. Tomorrow you stand at the net."

"Besok," kata sang kapten, "kamu tidak usah membuat teh. Besok kamu berdiri di jaring."

Ugo picks up the rope again. He ties a knot, and it is a good one.

Ugo mengambil tali itu lagi. Ia membuat simpul, dan simpulnya bagus.