The Big Dune

Cleo stands at the bottom of a huge sand dune. It is a hill of yellow sand. It is as high as a tall building. The sky above it is very blue.

Cleo berdiri di kaki sebuah bukit pasir yang sangat besar. Bukit itu berupa gundukan pasir kuning. Tingginya seperti gedung tinggi. Langit di atasnya sangat biru.

"Are we really going up that?" she asks.

"Kita benar-benar mau naik ke sana?" tanyanya.

"Yes," says her mother. "The view is wonderful at the top."

"Ya," kata ibunya. "Pemandangan di puncaknya indah sekali."

"The view is fine at the bottom too," says Cleo.

"Pemandangan di bawah juga bagus," kata Cleo.

Her mother laughs and gives her a bottle of water. They take off their shoes. They leave them in the car. The sand is hot in the sun. It is cool in the shade.

Ibunya tertawa dan memberinya sebotol air. Mereka melepas sepatu dan meninggalkannya di mobil. Pasirnya panas di bawah matahari. Di tempat teduh pasirnya sejuk.

They start to climb. Cleo takes a step. Her foot goes deep into the sand. She takes another step. She slides back half a step. It is like walking up a down escalator.

Mereka mulai mendaki. Cleo melangkah. Kakinya terbenam dalam di pasir. Dia melangkah lagi. Dia merosot mundur setengah langkah. Rasanya seperti berjalan naik di eskalator yang turun.

"This is not fair," she says.

"Ini tidak adil," katanya.

"Walk in my steps," says her mother. "The sand is harder there."

"Ikuti langkahku," kata ibunya. "Pasir di situ lebih padat."

Cleo looks at her mother's feet. Each footprint is a small hole in the sand. She puts her feet in them, one after the other. It is easier. Not easy, but easier.

Cleo memandangi kaki ibunya. Setiap jejak kaki adalah lubang kecil di pasir. Dia menaruh kakinya di lubang-lubang itu, satu demi satu. Jadi lebih mudah. Memang tidak mudah, tetapi lebih mudah.

After ten minutes, they stop. Cleo looks down. The car is small now. The parking lot looks like a toy. She turns around and looks up. The top is still far away.

Setelah sepuluh menit, mereka berhenti. Cleo melihat ke bawah. Mobil kelihatan kecil sekarang. Tempat parkir tampak seperti mainan. Dia berbalik dan melihat ke atas. Puncaknya masih jauh.

"My legs are on fire," she says.

"Kakiku rasanya terbakar," katanya.

"Mine too," says her mother. "Let's count to fifty and walk again."

"Kakiku juga," kata ibunya. "Ayo kita hitung sampai lima puluh, lalu jalan lagi."

They count out loud. At thirty, a small lizard runs across the sand. At forty, a brown bird flies over their heads. At fifty, they stand up and start again.

Mereka berhitung dengan suara keras. Pada hitungan ketiga puluh, seekor kadal kecil berlari melintasi pasir. Pada hitungan keempat puluh, seekor burung cokelat terbang di atas kepala mereka. Pada hitungan kelima puluh, mereka berdiri dan mulai lagi.

The wind begins to blow. It carries tiny bits of sand. They hit Cleo's legs like rain. She puts her scarf over her nose and mouth.

Angin mulai bertiup. Angin itu membawa butiran pasir yang sangat halus. Butiran itu menerpa kaki Cleo seperti hujan. Dia menutupi hidung dan mulutnya dengan syal.

"Do not stop!" her mother shouts. "We are near!"

"Jangan berhenti!" teriak ibunya. "Kita hampir sampai!"

Cleo wants to sit down. Her legs shake, and her mouth is dry. But her mother is five steps ahead. She does not stop. Cleo thinks, "She can do it. So can I."

Cleo ingin duduk. Kakinya gemetar, dan mulutnya kering. Tetapi ibunya lima langkah di depan. Ibunya tidak berhenti. Cleo berpikir, "Ibu bisa. Aku juga bisa."

Cleo puts her head down and climbs. She does not look up. She watches only her feet. One step, one slide, one step, one slide. Her breath is loud in her ears.

Cleo menunduk dan terus mendaki. Dia tidak melihat ke atas. Dia hanya memperhatikan kakinya. Satu langkah, satu merosot, satu langkah, satu merosot. Napasnya terdengar keras di telinganya.

Then her hands touch something hard. It is not sand. It is a flat grey stone at the top.

Lalu tangannya menyentuh sesuatu yang keras. Itu bukan pasir. Itu batu abu-abu yang datar di puncak.

She pulls herself up and sits on the stone. Her mother sits next to her. For a minute, neither of them speaks.

Dia menarik tubuhnya ke atas dan duduk di batu itu. Ibunya duduk di sampingnya. Selama semenit, tidak ada dari mereka yang berbicara.

Then Cleo looks up.

Lalu Cleo menengadah.

The sea is below them, wide and silver. Waves roll in slowly in long white lines. Beyond them, the dunes look like a yellow sea. A white bird floats in the wind. It does not move its wings.

Laut terbentang di bawah mereka, luas dan keperakan. Ombak bergulung pelan membentuk garis-garis putih yang panjang. Di balik ombak itu, bukit-bukit pasir tampak seperti lautan kuning. Seekor burung putih melayang di udara. Burung itu tidak menggerakkan sayapnya.

"Oh," says Cleo. "Oh, wow."

"Oh," kata Cleo. "Oh, wow."

"Told you," says her mother.

"Ibu bilang juga apa," kata ibunya.

They drink all the water and eat two oranges. The sweet juice runs down their hands. The wind is warm now, and the sun is soft.

Mereka menghabiskan semua air dan memakan dua buah jeruk. Air jeruk yang manis mengalir di tangan mereka. Anginnya hangat sekarang, dan mataharinya lembut.

"How do we go down?" asks Cleo.

"Turunnya bagaimana?" tanya Cleo.

Her mother smiles. She takes off her hat. She puts it in the bag. "Fast," she says.

Ibunya tersenyum. Dia melepas topinya dan memasukkannya ke dalam tas. "Cepat," katanya.

Cleo stands up. She counts to three, and then she runs. Her feet go deep, and the sand flies around her. She shouts the whole way down.

Cleo berdiri. Dia menghitung sampai tiga, lalu berlari. Kakinya terbenam dalam, dan pasir beterbangan di sekelilingnya. Dia berteriak sepanjang jalan turun.