The Cat Who Talked in Dreams

Niall has a grey cat. The cat sleeps on his bed every night. She is old and calm. She does not like loud noises. She likes tuna, warm socks, and long naps.

Niall punya seekor kucing abu-abu. Kucing itu tidur di tempat tidurnya setiap malam. Dia sudah tua dan tenang. Dia tidak suka suara keras. Dia suka tuna, kaus kaki hangat, dan tidur siang yang lama.

One night Niall has a strange dream. He is in his bedroom. The cat sits on the blanket and looks at him. Then she opens her mouth and speaks.

Suatu malam Niall bermimpi aneh. Dia berada di kamar tidurnya. Si kucing duduk di atas selimut dan menatapnya. Lalu dia membuka mulut dan berbicara.

"Take your umbrella tomorrow," she says. Her voice is deep and slow, like an old teacher.

"Bawa payungmu besok," katanya. Suaranya dalam dan pelan, seperti seorang guru tua.

Niall wakes up. The room is dark. The cat is asleep at his feet. "What a silly dream," he says.

Niall terbangun. Kamarnya gelap. Si kucing tertidur di dekat kakinya. "Mimpi yang konyol," katanya.

In the morning the sky is blue. There is not one cloud. But Niall remembers the dream. He laughs at himself. Then he puts his umbrella in his bag anyway.

Pagi harinya langit biru. Tidak ada satu pun awan. Tapi Niall ingat mimpinya. Dia menertawakan dirinya sendiri. Lalu dia tetap memasukkan payungnya ke dalam tas.

At four o'clock the sky turns black. Rain falls hard. The people at the bus stop have no umbrellas. They stand close to the wall. Niall opens his umbrella. A young woman looks at him with big eyes.

Pukul empat langit berubah hitam. Hujan turun deras. Orang-orang di halte tidak membawa payung. Mereka berdiri dekat dinding. Niall membuka payungnya. Seorang wanita muda menatapnya dengan mata lebar.

"Come under," he says. "There is room for two."

"Ayo, berteduh," katanya. "Cukup untuk berdua."

"Thank you!" she says. "You are very smart."

"Terima kasih!" katanya. "Anda pintar sekali."

"No," says Niall. "My cat is smart."

"Bukan," kata Niall. "Kucing saya yang pintar."

The next night he has the same dream. The grey cat sits on the blanket again. "Call your mother," she says.

Malam berikutnya dia mendapat mimpi yang sama. Si kucing abu-abu duduk di atas selimut lagi. "Telepon ibumu," katanya.

In the morning Niall is busy. He has a long list of jobs. But he remembers the cat's words. At lunch he calls his mother.

Paginya Niall sibuk. Dia punya daftar pekerjaan yang panjang. Tapi dia ingat kata-kata si kucing. Saat makan siang dia menelepon ibunya.

"Oh, Niall!" she says. "I was just about to call you. My big shelf fell down. All my books are on the floor. I cannot lift it."

"Oh, Niall!" kata ibunya. "Ibu baru mau menelepon kamu. Rak besar Ibu roboh. Semua buku Ibu ada di lantai. Ibu tidak bisa mengangkatnya."

After work he goes to his mother's house. He lifts the shelf and fixes the wall. They put the books back, one by one. Then they eat soup together.

Sepulang kerja dia pergi ke rumah ibunya. Dia mengangkat rak itu dan memperbaiki dindingnya. Mereka menaruh kembali buku-buku itu satu per satu. Lalu mereka makan sup bersama.

"How did you know?" his mother asks.

"Bagaimana kamu bisa tahu?" tanya ibunya.

"A cat told me," says Niall. His mother laughs and does not believe him.

"Seekor kucing yang memberi tahu aku," kata Niall. Ibunya tertawa dan tidak percaya.

On the third night the cat speaks again. "Look in the pocket of your blue coat," she says.

Pada malam ketiga si kucing berbicara lagi. "Lihat di saku mantel birumu," katanya.

Niall has not worn the blue coat for months. In the morning he finds it in the closet. In the pocket there is a train card. He lost it in the spring. Under the card there is a twenty-dollar note.

Niall sudah berbulan-bulan tidak memakai mantel biru itu. Paginya dia menemukannya di lemari. Di dalam saku ada kartu kereta. Dia kehilangannya pada musim semi. Di bawah kartu itu ada uang dua puluh dolar.

"This is too strange," says Niall. He looks at the cat. She sits on the window seat. Her eyes are half closed. She looks very pleased.

"Ini terlalu aneh," kata Niall. Dia menatap si kucing. Kucing itu duduk di bangku dekat jendela. Matanya setengah terpejam. Dia tampak sangat puas.

On the fourth night Niall decides to ask a question. The cat comes to the end of the bed. She sits very straight.

Pada malam keempat Niall memutuskan untuk bertanya. Si kucing datang ke ujung tempat tidur. Dia duduk dengan sangat tegak.

"How do you know these things?" he asks.

"Bagaimana kamu tahu hal-hal ini?" tanyanya.

The cat cleans one paw. She takes her time. "I do not know them," she says. "You know them. I only say them."

Si kucing menjilat satu cakarnya. Dia mengambil waktu. "Aku tidak tahu," katanya. "Kamu yang tahu. Aku hanya mengatakannya."

"What do you mean?" asks Niall.

"Maksudmu apa?" tanya Niall.

"In the day you are too busy," she says. "You do not hear yourself. At night you are quiet. You can listen."

"Di siang hari kamu terlalu sibuk," katanya. "Kamu tidak mendengar dirimu sendiri. Di malam hari kamu tenang. Kamu bisa mendengarkan."

Niall thinks about this for a long time. It sounds true.

Niall memikirkan hal ini lama sekali. Rasanya benar.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" he says. "What do you want?"

"Boleh aku bertanya satu hal lagi?" katanya. "Kamu mau apa?"

The cat looks at him. Her eyes are green and bright. "The tuna with the blue lid," she says. "The good one. You always give me the grey tin. It is boring."

Si kucing menatapnya. Matanya hijau dan terang. "Tuna yang tutupnya biru," katanya. "Yang enak. Kamu selalu memberiku kaleng abu-abu. Membosankan."

Niall wakes up and smiles. He goes to the kitchen in his socks. At the back of the cupboard is a tin. It has a blue lid. He forgot about it for weeks.

Niall terbangun dan tersenyum. Dia pergi ke dapur dengan kaus kaki. Di bagian belakang lemari ada sebuah kaleng. Tutupnya biru. Sudah berminggu-minggu dia melupakannya.

He opens it and puts it in the cat's bowl. The real cat walks in slowly. She smells the tuna. She begins to purr, loud and happy.

Dia membukanya dan menaruhnya di mangkuk kucing. Kucing yang asli berjalan masuk dengan pelan. Dia mengendus tuna itu. Dia mulai mendengkur, keras dan bahagia.

"Is there anything else?" Niall asks her.

"Ada hal lain?" tanya Niall kepadanya.

The cat looks up. She says nothing. Then she says, "Meow."

Si kucing mendongak. Dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Lalu dia berkata, "Meong."

"Yes," says Niall. "I understand you very well."

"Iya," kata Niall. "Aku mengerti kamu dengan sangat baik."