No Flowers on the Ward

Camille walks into the hospital with a bunch of yellow flowers. Her friend Noemi is in bed upstairs after an operation.

Camille masuk ke rumah sakit dengan seikat bunga kuning. Temannya, Noemi, berbaring di tempat tidur di lantai atas setelah menjalani operasi.

At the door of the ward, a nurse stops her. "I am sorry," she says. "We do not allow flowers here. Some patients feel sick from the smell."

Di pintu bangsal, seorang perawat menghentikannya. "Maaf," katanya. "Kami tidak mengizinkan bunga di sini. Beberapa pasien merasa mual karena baunya."

Camille looks at the flowers. She bought them this morning, and they are so bright. She feels sad.

Camille memandangi bunga-bunga itu. Ia membelinya pagi tadi, dan warnanya begitu cerah. Ia merasa sedih.

"Wait," the nurse says. "I have an idea. Many people do this. Take a photo of the flowers and print it. There is a photo shop downstairs."

"Tunggu," kata perawat itu. "Saya punya ide. Banyak orang melakukan ini. Foto saja bunganya lalu cetak. Ada toko cetak foto di bawah."

Camille goes to the lobby. She puts the flowers on a bench by the window. The light is good there. She takes three photos with her phone and chooses the best one.

Camille pergi ke lobi. Ia menaruh bunga-bunga itu di bangku dekat jendela. Cahayanya bagus di sana. Ia mengambil tiga foto dengan ponselnya dan memilih yang terbaik.

At the shop downstairs, a young man prints a big photo. The colors are very clear. He puts it in a plastic frame. "It looks like a real bunch," he says.

Di toko di lantai bawah, seorang pemuda mencetak foto besar. Warnanya sangat jelas. Ia memasukkannya ke dalam bingkai plastik. "Kelihatannya seperti seikat bunga sungguhan," katanya.

Camille goes back up. This time, the nurse smiles and lets her in.

Camille naik lagi. Kali ini, perawat itu tersenyum dan membiarkannya masuk.

Noemi sits up in bed. She sees the frame and laughs. "Flowers that never die," she says. "And no smell!"

Noemi duduk di tempat tidurnya. Ia melihat bingkai itu dan tertawa. "Bunga yang tidak pernah layu," katanya. "Dan tanpa bau!"

They put the photo on the small table by her bed. It stands next to a glass of water. Noemi looks at it for a long time.

Mereka menaruh foto itu di meja kecil di samping tempat tidurnya. Foto itu berdiri di sebelah segelas air. Noemi memandanginya lama sekali.

On her way out, Camille leaves the flowers at the desk. Now the people in the lobby can enjoy them too.

Dalam perjalanan keluar, Camille meninggalkan bunga-bunga itu di meja resepsionis. Sekarang orang-orang di lobi juga bisa menikmatinya.