Snowshoes to the Hut

Gita stands in the snow with her guide, Mr. Fabian. It is her first day on snowshoes. The shoes are big and flat. They look like two tennis rackets under her boots.

Gita berdiri di salju bersama pemandunya, Pak Fabian. Ini hari pertamanya memakai sepatu salju. Sepatu itu besar dan pipih. Kelihatannya seperti dua raket tenis di bawah sepatu botnya.

"Walk with your legs wide," says Mr. Fabian. "Like a duck."

"Berjalanlah dengan kaki terbuka lebar," kata Pak Fabian. "Seperti bebek."

Gita walks like a duck. She falls on her first step. Snow goes into her sleeve. She laughs and gets up.

Gita berjalan seperti bebek. Dia jatuh pada langkah pertamanya. Salju masuk ke lengan bajunya. Dia tertawa dan bangun lagi.

"Good," says Mr. Fabian. "Now you know the worst part."

"Bagus," kata Pak Fabian. "Sekarang kamu tahu bagian yang paling buruk."

The hut is two hours away. It is a small wooden house on a hill. There is a stove inside. The cook makes hot soup for walkers. Gita wants that soup very much.

Pondoknya berjarak dua jam dari sini. Itu rumah kayu kecil di atas bukit. Di dalamnya ada tungku. Juru masaknya membuat sup panas untuk para pejalan. Gita sangat menginginkan sup itu.

The path goes up through tall trees. The snow is deep and white. Everything is quiet. Gita hears only her breath and her shoes. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Jalan setapak itu naik melewati pohon-pohon tinggi. Salju di sana dalam dan putih. Semuanya sunyi. Gita hanya mendengar napasnya dan sepatunya. Kres, kres, kres.

"Look for the orange marks," says Mr. Fabian. "They are on the trees. We follow them all day."

"Carilah tanda-tanda oranye," kata Pak Fabian. "Tanda itu ada di pohon-pohon. Kita mengikutinya sepanjang hari."

Gita sees the first one. It is a bright orange square on a tree. Then she sees another one, and another. She feels like she plays a game.

Gita melihat tanda yang pertama. Itu persegi oranye yang terang di sebuah pohon. Lalu dia melihat satu lagi, dan satu lagi. Dia merasa seperti sedang bermain game.

After an hour, Gita is warm. She takes off her hat. She puts it in her bag. Her face is red. Her legs are tired, but she feels strong.

Setelah satu jam, Gita merasa hangat. Dia melepas topinya. Dia memasukkannya ke tas. Wajahnya merah. Kakinya lelah, tetapi dia merasa kuat.

They stop to drink hot tea from a bottle. A small bird sits on a branch near them. Its chest is orange, and it looks at Gita's bread.

Mereka berhenti untuk minum teh panas dari botol. Seekor burung kecil hinggap di dahan dekat mereka. Dadanya oranye, dan dia memandangi roti Gita.

"Give it a little," says Mr. Fabian. Gita puts a crumb on the snow. The bird jumps down, takes it, and flies away.

"Beri sedikit saja," kata Pak Fabian. Gita meletakkan remah roti di atas salju. Burung itu melompat turun, mengambilnya, lalu terbang pergi.

Then the snow begins to fall. It is soft at first. Big flakes come down slowly. Gita puts out her hand and catches one.

Lalu salju mulai turun. Awalnya lembut. Serpih-serpih besar turun dengan pelan. Gita mengulurkan tangan dan menangkap satu.

"Pretty," she says.

"Cantik," katanya.

Mr. Fabian looks up at the sky. His face is serious. "The snow gets heavy," he says. "We must walk faster."

Pak Fabian menatap langit. Wajahnya serius. "Saljunya makin berat," katanya. "Kita harus berjalan lebih cepat."

The snow falls thicker now. The trees look grey and far away. Gita cannot see the top of the hill. She looks for an orange mark. There is no mark.

Salju jatuh makin tebal sekarang. Pohon-pohon tampak kelabu dan jauh. Gita tidak bisa melihat puncak bukit. Dia mencari tanda oranye. Tidak ada tanda.

"Mr. Fabian?" she says. "I do not see the next one."

"Pak Fabian?" katanya. "Saya tidak melihat tanda yang berikutnya."

"Stop here," he says. "Do not go on. Look slowly."

"Berhenti di sini," katanya. "Jangan lanjut. Lihat pelan-pelan."

They stand still. Gita looks left, then right. Snow sticks to her eyelashes. She wipes it away and looks again. Then she sees a small orange spot. It is low on a tree, under the snow.

Mereka berdiri diam. Gita melihat ke kiri, lalu ke kanan. Salju menempel di bulu matanya. Dia menyekanya dan melihat lagi. Lalu dia melihat bintik oranye kecil. Letaknya rendah di sebuah pohon, di bawah salju.

"There!" she shouts.

"Itu dia!" teriaknya.

"Good eyes," says Mr. Fabian. "Snow covers the marks. Look low and high."

"Matamu bagus," kata Pak Fabian. "Salju menutupi tanda-tandanya. Lihatlah ke bawah dan ke atas."

From now on, Gita is the leader. She looks for every mark. Sometimes she finds it fast. Sometimes she looks a long time. Mr. Fabian says nothing. He only follows her.

Mulai sekarang, Gita yang jadi pemimpin. Dia mencari setiap tanda. Kadang dia menemukannya dengan cepat. Kadang dia mencari lama sekali. Pak Fabian tidak berkata apa-apa. Dia hanya mengikutinya.

Finally, she smells smoke. A yellow light shines through the snow. It is the window of the hut.

Akhirnya, dia mencium bau asap. Cahaya kuning bersinar menembus salju. Itu jendela pondok.

The door opens. A woman in a red sweater looks out. "Two walkers!" she says. "Come in, come in. The soup is ready."

Pintu terbuka. Seorang wanita bersweter merah melongok keluar. "Dua pejalan!" katanya. "Masuklah, masuklah. Supnya sudah siap."

Inside, the room is warm and smells of onions. Gita takes off her wet boots. She puts her feet near the stove. A big bowl of soup comes with bread.

Di dalam, ruangan itu hangat dan berbau bawang. Gita melepas sepatu botnya yang basah. Dia menaruh kakinya dekat tungku. Semangkuk besar sup datang bersama roti.

She eats the first spoon. It is the best soup in the world.

Dia makan sendok pertama. Itu sup terenak di dunia.

"Tomorrow," says Mr. Fabian, "you lead the whole way down."

"Besok," kata Pak Fabian, "kamu yang memimpin sepanjang jalan turun."

Gita smiles with her mouth full. "Then I need a second bowl," she says.

Gita tersenyum dengan mulut penuh. "Kalau begitu, saya perlu mangkuk kedua," katanya.