The Blurry Board

Pim could not read the board at school. The words were soft and gray. He did not tell anyone.

Pim tidak bisa membaca papan tulis di sekolah. Tulisannya kabur dan keabu-abuan. Ia tidak memberi tahu siapa pun.

Every day, he took a seat in the front. Other students wanted the back seats. Pim wanted the front.

Setiap hari, ia memilih tempat duduk di depan. Murid-murid lain ingin duduk di belakang. Pim ingin di depan.

He leaned forward and looked very hard. Still, the numbers looked like small clouds. His head hurt after class.

Ia mencondongkan badan dan memandang dengan sangat keras. Tetap saja, angka-angka itu tampak seperti awan kecil. Kepalanya sakit setelah pelajaran.

One day, the teacher wrote a word on the board. "Pim, read this word," she said. Pim looked and said nothing.

Suatu hari, guru menulis sebuah kata di papan tulis. "Pim, bacalah kata ini," kata beliau. Pim menatap dan tidak berkata apa-apa.

After class, she asked him a question. "Can you see the board?" Pim looked at his shoes. "Not very well," he said.

Setelah pelajaran, guru bertanya kepadanya. "Apakah kamu bisa melihat papan tulis?" Pim menunduk menatap sepatunya. "Tidak terlalu jelas, Bu," katanya.

She called his mother. On Saturday, they went to an eye doctor. The doctor put a big machine near Pim's face. "Which is better, one or two?" she asked.

Guru menelepon ibunya. Pada hari Sabtu, mereka pergi ke dokter mata. Dokter itu meletakkan sebuah mesin besar di dekat wajah Pim. "Mana yang lebih jelas, satu atau dua?" tanyanya.

At the end, the doctor said, "You need glasses." Pim chose a pair of blue glasses.

Di akhir pemeriksaan, dokter berkata, "Kamu perlu kacamata." Pim memilih kacamata berwarna biru.

Three days later, he got his glasses. He put them on in the shop. The sign on the wall was sharp and clear. He read every word.

Tiga hari kemudian, ia menerima kacamatanya. Ia langsung memakainya di toko. Papan nama di dinding tampak tajam dan jelas. Ia membaca setiap kata.

He walked home with his mother. At the corner, he stopped. He looked up at a tree.

Ia berjalan pulang bersama ibunya. Di tikungan, ia berhenti. Ia menengadah menatap sebatang pohon.

He could see every leaf. Each one had thin white lines. Pim stood there for a long time and counted them.

Ia bisa melihat setiap daun. Masing-masing punya garis-garis putih yang tipis. Pim berdiri di sana lama sekali dan menghitungnya.