The Cable Car That Stopped

Kasia stands in line for the cable car. It goes up the mountain. At the top, there is a famous view. She waits for ten minutes.

Kasia antre untuk naik kereta gantung. Kereta itu naik ke gunung. Di puncaknya ada pemandangan yang terkenal. Dia menunggu sepuluh menit.

The red car is small. Kasia gets in. An old man gets in too. A little girl and her father come in last. The door closes.

Gondola merah itu kecil. Kasia masuk. Seorang kakek juga masuk. Seorang gadis kecil dan ayahnya masuk paling akhir. Pintu menutup.

"Hello," says the old man. "My name is Hiro."

"Halo," kata kakek itu. "Nama saya Hiro."

"I am Kasia," she says. "Nice to meet you."

"Saya Kasia," katanya. "Senang bertemu dengan Anda."

The car leaves the station. It goes up slowly. The town gets small. The river looks like a blue string. The little girl puts her hands on the glass.

Gondola meninggalkan stasiun. Ia naik dengan pelan. Kota tampak makin kecil. Sungai tampak seperti tali biru. Gadis kecil itu menempelkan tangannya di kaca.

"Look, Papa!" she says. "The cars are like toys!"

"Lihat, Papa!" katanya. "Mobil-mobilnya seperti mainan!"

Her father laughs. "Yes, they are."

Ayahnya tertawa. "Iya, benar."

Halfway up, the car shakes a little. Then it stops. Nobody speaks. The wind moves the car from side to side.

Di tengah perjalanan naik, gondola bergoyang sedikit. Lalu berhenti. Tidak ada yang bicara. Angin mengayunkan gondola ke kiri dan ke kanan.

"Why are we not moving?" the girl asks.

"Kenapa kita tidak bergerak?" tanya gadis itu.

Her father looks at his phone. "There is no signal," he says. He looks nervous.

Ayahnya melihat ponselnya. "Tidak ada sinyal," katanya. Dia tampak gugup.

Hiro points to a small speaker on the wall. "Listen," he says.

Hiro menunjuk speaker kecil di dinding. "Dengar," katanya.

A kind voice speaks. "Hello, everyone. The cable car stops for a short time. It is a check. Please wait. Everything is fine. We go again in twenty minutes."

Sebuah suara yang ramah terdengar. "Halo, semuanya. Kereta gantung berhenti sebentar. Ini hanya pemeriksaan. Mohon tunggu. Semuanya baik-baik saja. Kita berjalan lagi dalam dua puluh menit."

The father sits down. The little girl looks at her shoes.

Sang ayah duduk. Gadis kecil itu menatap sepatunya.

"I do not like this," she says quietly.

"Aku tidak suka ini," katanya pelan.

Kasia thinks for a moment. She opens her bag. She has a bag of nuts and a map. "Do you like games?" she asks the girl.

Kasia berpikir sebentar. Dia membuka tasnya. Dia punya sebungkus kacang dan sebuah peta. "Kamu suka permainan?" tanyanya kepada gadis itu.

"Yes."

"Suka."

"Good. This is the Colour Game. I say a colour. You look outside and find it. Then you tell me."

"Bagus. Ini Permainan Warna. Aku menyebut sebuah warna. Kamu lihat ke luar dan cari warna itu. Lalu kamu beri tahu aku."

"Green!" says the girl. She points. "The trees are green!"

"Hijau!" kata gadis itu. Dia menunjuk. "Pohon-pohonnya hijau!"

"Yes! Now blue."

"Betul! Sekarang biru."

"The river! And the sky!"

"Sungainya! Dan langitnya!"

Hiro joins the game. "Yellow," he says. They all look. Far below, a small farm has yellow flowers around it.

Hiro ikut bermain. "Kuning," katanya. Mereka semua melihat. Jauh di bawah, ada sebuah pertanian kecil dengan bunga kuning di sekelilingnya.

"I see it!" the girl shouts. Her voice is not small now.

"Aku lihat!" teriak gadis itu. Suaranya tidak lagi kecil.

They play for ten minutes. They find pink, white, orange, and black. The father laughs and finds grey for the last colour. Kasia shares her nuts. The girl eats them one by one.

Mereka bermain selama sepuluh menit. Mereka menemukan merah muda, putih, oranye, dan hitam. Sang ayah tertawa dan menemukan abu-abu untuk warna terakhir. Kasia membagikan kacangnya. Gadis itu memakannya satu per satu.

Then Hiro says, "Now look up."

Lalu Hiro berkata, "Sekarang lihat ke atas."

A big bird flies near the car. It has long, wide wings. It moves slowly in the wind. Nobody speaks. The bird turns once and goes down to the valley.

Seekor burung besar terbang dekat gondola. Sayapnya panjang dan lebar. Ia bergerak pelan di tengah angin. Tidak ada yang bicara. Burung itu berbelok sekali lalu turun ke lembah.

"What is that?" the girl whispers.

"Itu apa?" bisik gadis itu.

"An eagle," says Hiro. "I come here every year. Today I see one from the car. It is my first time."

"Seekor elang," kata Hiro. "Saya datang ke sini setiap tahun. Hari ini saya melihat satu dari dalam gondola. Ini yang pertama kali."

"We are lucky, then," says the father.

"Kalau begitu kita beruntung," kata sang ayah.

"Yes," says Hiro. "Maybe the cable car stops for us."

"Ya," kata Hiro. "Mungkin kereta gantungnya berhenti untuk kita."

The car shakes again. Then it moves. Everyone cheers. The girl claps her hands. The car climbs higher, and the top station comes closer.

Gondola bergoyang lagi. Lalu bergerak. Semua orang bersorak. Gadis itu bertepuk tangan. Gondola naik makin tinggi, dan stasiun puncak makin dekat.

At the top, the door opens. Cold, clean air comes in. The girl runs out first. Her father follows her.

Di puncak, pintu terbuka. Udara dingin yang bersih masuk. Gadis itu berlari keluar lebih dulu. Ayahnya mengikutinya.

Kasia and Hiro walk slowly to the view. The valley lies below them, green and blue and gold.

Kasia dan Hiro berjalan pelan ke tempat pemandangan. Lembah terbentang di bawah mereka, hijau, biru, dan keemasan.

"Do you go down by cable car too?" Hiro asks.

"Anda juga turun dengan kereta gantung?" tanya Hiro.

"Yes," says Kasia.

"Ya," kata Kasia.

"Then I buy you tea first. And after that, we play the Colour Game again."

"Kalau begitu saya traktir teh dulu. Lalu setelah itu, kita main Permainan Warna lagi."