Snow for Maya

There is a small gray hut on a green hill. Inside the hut is the weather machine for the town. Sven works there. It is his job to make the weather nice.

Ada sebuah pondok kecil berwarna abu-abu di atas bukit hijau. Di dalam pondok itu ada mesin cuaca untuk kota. Sven bekerja di sana. Tugasnya adalah membuat cuaca yang bagus.

The machine is big and old. It has many silver pipes and one red button. On Mondays it makes rain for the farmers. On Saturdays it makes sun for the market. Sven likes his work. He drinks tea and reads a book.

Mesin itu besar dan tua. Mesin itu punya banyak pipa perak dan satu tombol merah. Pada hari Senin mesin itu membuat hujan untuk para petani. Pada hari Sabtu mesin itu membuat matahari untuk pasar. Sven suka pekerjaannya. Dia minum teh dan membaca buku.

One hot afternoon, a girl knocks on the door. She is eight years old. She has a yellow hat and a very serious face.

Pada suatu sore yang panas, seorang anak perempuan mengetuk pintu. Umurnya delapan tahun. Dia memakai topi kuning dan wajahnya sangat serius.

"Hello," she says. "My name is Maya. Can you make snow?"

"Halo," katanya. "Namaku Maya. Bisakah Anda membuat salju?"

Sven laughs. "Snow? It is summer."

Sven tertawa. "Salju? Sekarang musim panas."

"I know," says Maya. "Tomorrow is my birthday. I never see snow. My town is always warm. My grandfather lives far away. He sends me photos of snow. I want to touch it."

"Aku tahu," kata Maya. "Besok ulang tahunku. Aku belum pernah melihat salju. Kotaku selalu hangat. Kakekku tinggal jauh sekali. Dia mengirimiku foto-foto salju. Aku ingin menyentuhnya."

Sven looks at her. He looks at the machine. He scratches his head.

Sven menatapnya. Dia menatap mesin itu. Dia menggaruk kepalanya.

"The machine makes only small clouds," he says. "And snow is hard. I do not know if it works."

"Mesin ini hanya membuat awan kecil," katanya. "Dan salju itu sulit. Saya tidak tahu apakah bisa."

"Please try," says Maya.

"Tolong dicoba," kata Maya.

Sven puts on his glasses. He turns a blue wheel to the left. He turns a green wheel to the right. He pushes the red button. The pipes make a long, loud sound.

Sven memakai kacamatanya. Dia memutar roda biru ke kiri. Dia memutar roda hijau ke kanan. Dia menekan tombol merah. Pipa-pipa itu mengeluarkan bunyi yang panjang dan keras.

They go outside and look at the sky. A small cloud comes. It is white and round. Then it starts to rain. The rain is warm. It falls on the grass.

Mereka keluar dan menatap langit. Sebuah awan kecil datang. Awan itu putih dan bulat. Lalu hujan mulai turun. Hujannya hangat. Hujan itu jatuh di atas rumput.

"That is rain," says Maya.

"Ini hujan," kata Maya.

"Yes," says Sven. "Wrong wheel. Let us try again."

"Ya," kata Sven. "Rodanya salah. Ayo kita coba lagi."

He goes back inside. He turns the blue wheel more. The machine makes a cold, soft sound. Outside, a thin white fog moves across the hill. It gets into Maya's hat. Her nose gets red.

Dia masuk lagi ke dalam. Dia memutar roda biru lebih jauh. Mesin itu mengeluarkan bunyi yang dingin dan lembut. Di luar, kabut putih tipis bergerak melintasi bukit. Kabut itu masuk ke topi Maya. Hidungnya jadi merah.

"That is fog," she says.

"Ini kabut," katanya.

"Yes," says Sven. "Better. But still not snow."

"Ya," kata Sven. "Lebih baik. Tapi belum salju."

He sits down and thinks. He opens a drawer and finds an old paper. It is a note from the maker. It says, "For snow, make it cold and slow."

Dia duduk dan berpikir. Dia membuka laci dan menemukan selembar kertas tua. Itu catatan dari pembuat mesin. Isinya, "Untuk salju, buat dingin dan pelan."

"Slow," Sven says. "Of course."

"Pelan," kata Sven. "Tentu saja."

He turns the blue wheel to the end. Then he waits. He waits one minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Maya sits next to him. She does not say a word. Her hands are cold, and her eyes are big.

Dia memutar roda biru sampai habis. Lalu dia menunggu. Dia menunggu satu menit. Dua menit. Tiga menit. Maya duduk di sebelahnya. Dia tidak berkata sepatah kata pun. Tangannya dingin, dan matanya besar.

Then the machine makes a tiny click.

Lalu mesin itu mengeluarkan bunyi klik yang kecil.

"Come," says Sven.

"Ayo," kata Sven.

They run outside. A small gray cloud sits over the school yard. The yard is at the bottom of the hill. The cloud is only as big as a bus. And from it, something white falls, slowly, slowly.

Mereka berlari keluar. Sebuah awan abu-abu kecil berada di atas halaman sekolah. Halaman itu ada di kaki bukit. Awan itu hanya sebesar bus. Dan dari awan itu, sesuatu yang putih jatuh, pelan sekali, pelan sekali.

"Snow!" says Maya.

"Salju!" kata Maya.

She runs down the hill. Sven walks behind her. Her yellow hat is the only bright thing there. The snow falls on her arms and her shoes. It does not stay for long. In five minutes, the cloud is thin. Then the snow stops.

Dia berlari menuruni bukit. Sven berjalan di belakangnya. Topi kuning Maya adalah satu-satunya benda terang di sana. Salju jatuh di lengan dan sepatunya. Salju itu tidak bertahan lama. Dalam lima menit, awan itu menipis. Lalu salju berhenti.

But for five minutes, it is winter in summer. Two children on the road stop and look. A woman comes out of the bakery. She has a white cake in her hands. Everyone is quiet.

Tetapi selama lima menit, di tengah musim panas ada musim dingin. Dua anak di jalan berhenti dan melihat. Seorang ibu keluar dari toko roti. Dia membawa kue putih di tangannya. Semua orang diam.

Maya stands in the school yard. She opens her mouth wide. She catches one flake on her tongue.

Maya berdiri di halaman sekolah. Dia membuka mulutnya lebar-lebar. Dia menangkap satu serpih salju dengan lidahnya.