The Canal Path Home

On Saturday, Abel played football for the town club. His team lost three to two. His younger sister Freya watched from the side. She wore a big green scarf. She shouted all game.

Pada hari Sabtu, Abel bermain sepak bola untuk klub kota. Timnya kalah tiga lawan dua. Adik perempuannya, Freya, menonton dari pinggir lapangan. Dia memakai syal hijau besar. Dia berteriak sepanjang pertandingan.

After the match, the sky was already dark. The coach said, "The bus is full. Can you get home by yourselves?"

Setelah pertandingan, langit sudah gelap. Pelatih berkata, "Busnya penuh. Kalian bisa pulang sendiri?"

"Yes," Abel said.

"Bisa," kata Abel.

"We know a way."

"Kami tahu jalannya."

The way was the canal path. It was a long, quiet road beside the water. In the day, many people walked there. At night, it was empty. Freya did not love the idea. "Is it safe?" she asked.

Jalan itu adalah jalan setapak di tepi kanal. Jalannya panjang dan sepi di samping air. Pada siang hari, banyak orang berjalan di sana. Pada malam hari, jalan itu kosong. Freya tidak suka dengan ide itu. "Aman, tidak?" tanyanya.

"It is just a path," Abel said.

"Itu cuma jalan setapak," kata Abel.

"And I have a torch."

"Dan aku bawa senter."

He took the small torch from his bag. The light was weak and yellow. They started to walk. The water was black and still. The trees stood tall on both sides. Freya held her brother's sleeve.

Dia mengambil senter kecil dari tasnya. Cahayanya lemah dan kekuningan. Mereka mulai berjalan. Air kanal hitam dan tenang. Pohon-pohon berdiri tinggi di kedua sisi. Freya memegang lengan baju kakaknya.

"You played well today," she said.

"Kamu main bagus hari ini," katanya.

"We lost," Abel said.

"Kita kalah," kata Abel.

"You scored two goals. I counted." Abel smiled in the dark.

"Kamu mencetak dua gol. Aku menghitungnya." Abel tersenyum dalam gelap.

"Thank you."

"Terima kasih."

After a while, they heard a strange sound. It was a thin, sharp noise. Peep, peep, peep. It came from the left side of the path. "What is that?" Freya whispered.

Setelah beberapa lama, mereka mendengar suara aneh. Suara tipis dan tajam. Cip, cip, cip. Suara itu datang dari sisi kiri jalan. "Itu apa?" bisik Freya.

Abel pointed the torch at the grass. Near the edge, a mother duck stood very still. She looked at them and made a low noise. Behind her, there was a deep ditch. It was about as deep as a chair. Six tiny ducklings stood at the bottom. They were small and wet. They tried to climb out. The earth was too steep.

Abel mengarahkan senter ke rumput. Di dekat tepi, seekor induk bebek berdiri diam sekali. Dia menatap mereka dan mengeluarkan suara rendah. Di belakangnya ada parit yang dalam. Dalamnya kira-kira setinggi kursi. Enam anak bebek kecil berdiri di dasarnya. Mereka kecil dan basah. Mereka mencoba memanjat keluar. Tanahnya terlalu curam.

"They fell in," Freya said. Her voice shook.

"Mereka jatuh ke dalam," kata Freya. Suaranya bergetar.

"Yes," Abel said.

"Iya," kata Abel.

"And the mother cannot reach them." Abel put his bag on the ground. He lay down and stretched his arm into the ditch. It was too short. He could not touch the ducklings.

"Dan induknya tidak bisa menjangkau mereka." Abel menaruh tasnya di tanah. Dia berbaring dan mengulurkan lengannya ke dalam parit. Lengannya terlalu pendek. Dia tidak bisa menyentuh anak-anak bebek itu.

"I need something long," he said. Freya looked around. Near a tree, there was an old board. It was dirty and thin, but strong. She pulled it out and dragged it over.

"Aku butuh sesuatu yang panjang," katanya. Freya melihat sekeliling. Dekat sebuah pohon, ada papan tua. Papan itu kotor dan tipis, tapi kuat. Dia menariknya keluar dan menyeretnya ke sana.

"Good," Abel said.

"Bagus," kata Abel.

"Put one end here."

"Taruh satu ujungnya di sini."

They put one end on the path. They put the other end in the ditch. Now the board was like a small hill. Abel put dry leaves on it. The ducklings could grip better.

Mereka menaruh satu ujung di jalan. Ujung yang lain mereka taruh di parit. Sekarang papan itu seperti bukit kecil. Abel menaruh daun-daun kering di atasnya. Anak-anak bebek jadi bisa berpegangan lebih baik.

Then they waited. The ducklings did not move. The mother duck made a soft noise. One duckling looked up. Then it walked onto the board. It slipped and fell down. It tried again. This time, it climbed three steps. "Come on," Freya whispered. "Come on, little one."

Lalu mereka menunggu. Anak-anak bebek itu tidak bergerak. Induknya mengeluarkan suara lembut. Seekor anak bebek mendongak. Lalu dia berjalan naik ke papan. Dia terpeleset dan jatuh. Dia mencoba lagi. Kali ini dia memanjat tiga langkah. "Ayo," bisik Freya. "Ayo, Kecil."

At last the first duckling jumped onto the path. It ran to its mother. Then came the second, and the third. Abel and Freya held their breath. The fourth duckling fell twice, but it did not stop. The fifth was fast. The sixth stood at the bottom for a long time.

Akhirnya anak bebek pertama melompat ke jalan. Dia berlari ke induknya. Lalu yang kedua, dan yang ketiga. Abel dan Freya menahan napas. Anak bebek keempat jatuh dua kali, tapi dia tidak berhenti. Yang kelima cepat. Yang keenam berdiri di dasar parit lama sekali.

"Come," Abel said. He put out one finger, very slowly. The duckling looked at it. Then it ran up the board. The family was together again.

"Ayo," kata Abel. Dia mengulurkan satu jari, sangat pelan. Anak bebek itu menatapnya. Lalu dia berlari naik di papan. Keluarga itu berkumpul lagi.

The mother duck looked at the two children. Then she walked away down the path. All six ducklings followed her in a straight line. Abel stood up. His knees were wet, and his hands were dirty. His torch was weak, but he smiled.

Induk bebek menatap kedua anak itu. Lalu dia berjalan pergi menyusuri jalan. Keenam anak bebek mengikutinya dalam satu barisan lurus. Abel berdiri. Lututnya basah dan tangannya kotor. Senternya lemah, tapi dia tersenyum.

"You are the best player on the team," Freya said.

"Kamu pemain terbaik di tim," kata Freya.

"It is only a duck rescue."

"Ini cuma penyelamatan bebek."

"Two goals and six ducklings," Freya said.

"Dua gol dan enam anak bebek," kata Freya.

"I will tell Mum tonight." They walked home together. They did not need the torch any more. A round yellow moon came up over the water.

"Nanti malam aku akan cerita ke Mama." Mereka berjalan pulang bersama. Mereka tidak lagi membutuhkan senter. Bulan kuning yang bulat terbit di atas air.