The Climbing Wall

Manon had never liked heights. She didn't even feel comfortable on a tall stepladder. So when her friend Sanna invited her to a party at a climbing gym, Manon almost said no.

Manon tidak pernah menyukai ketinggian. Berdiri di tangga lipat yang tinggi pun ia tidak nyaman. Jadi ketika temannya, Sanna, mengundangnya ke pesta di tempat panjat tebing dalam ruangan, Manon hampir menolak.

"You can just watch," Sanna said. "But I would really like you to try."

"Kamu boleh menonton saja," kata Sanna. "Tapi aku benar-benar ingin kamu mencoba."

Manon thought about it all week. She didn't want to ruin her friend's day. She didn't want to be the only one sitting on a bench. On Saturday, she put on rented shoes and a harness that felt too tight around her legs.

Manon memikirkannya sepanjang minggu. Ia tidak ingin merusak hari temannya. Ia tidak ingin menjadi satu-satunya yang duduk di bangku. Pada hari Sabtu, ia mengenakan sepatu sewaan dan harness yang terasa terlalu ketat di kakinya.

The wall was twelve meters tall. The other guests climbed it as if it were a staircase. Manon went up slowly, one hand and one foot at a time. For the first few minutes, it was easier than she had expected.

Dinding itu setinggi dua belas meter. Tamu-tamu lain memanjatnya seolah itu tangga biasa. Manon naik pelan-pelan, satu tangan dan satu kaki sekali gerak. Beberapa menit pertama, rasanya lebih mudah daripada yang ia bayangkan.

Then she looked down. The floor seemed very far away, and her friends looked tiny. Her fingers began to shake, and her legs stopped working. She was halfway up the wall, and she couldn't move.

Lalu ia melihat ke bawah. Lantai tampak sangat jauh, dan teman-temannya terlihat mungil. Jari-jarinya mulai gemetar, dan kakinya berhenti bekerja. Ia sudah setengah jalan di dinding itu, dan ia tidak bisa bergerak.

"I want to come down," she called. Her voice sounded thin and strange.

"Aku mau turun," serunya. Suaranya terdengar tipis dan aneh.

"That's fine," the instructor called back from below. "You can come down whenever you like. But first, tell me something. Can you see the yellow hold above your right hand?"

"Tidak apa-apa," instruktur menyahut dari bawah. "Kamu boleh turun kapan saja. Tapi sebelum itu, katakan sesuatu padaku. Bisakah kamu melihat pegangan kuning di atas tangan kananmu?"

"Yes."

"Bisa."

"Good. Forget the rest of the wall. Don't look at the top, and don't look at the floor. Just put your hand on the yellow one."

"Bagus. Lupakan sisa dindingnya. Jangan lihat ke puncak, dan jangan lihat ke lantai. Cukup letakkan tanganmu di pegangan kuning itu."

It sounded too small to matter, but Manon did it. Her hand closed around the plastic, and it felt solid.

Kedengarannya terlalu kecil untuk berarti, tetapi Manon melakukannya. Tangannya menggenggam plastik itu, dan rasanya kokoh.

"Great. Now find the next hold. Only the next one."

"Hebat. Sekarang cari pegangan berikutnya. Hanya yang berikutnya."

She did it again, and then again. Each time, the instructor gave her only one job. She stopped counting how high she was. After a while, she realized that she was breathing normally.

Ia melakukannya lagi, lalu lagi. Setiap kali, sang instruktur hanya memberinya satu tugas. Ia berhenti menghitung setinggi apa dirinya. Beberapa saat kemudian, ia sadar bahwa napasnya sudah normal.

Then her hand touched a big red hold, and there was nowhere left to go. She had reached the top.

Lalu tangannya menyentuh sebuah pegangan merah yang besar, dan tidak ada lagi tempat untuk dituju. Ia telah sampai di puncak.

She hung there for a moment and kept her eyes on the wall in front of her nose. She didn't look down. The rope lowered her slowly, and she kept looking straight ahead until her shoes touched the floor.

Ia bergantung di sana sejenak dan menjaga matanya tetap pada dinding di depan hidungnya. Ia tidak menunduk. Tali itu menurunkannya perlahan, dan ia terus menatap lurus ke depan sampai sepatunya menyentuh lantai.

Only then did she turn around and look up. The wall was enormous.

Barulah setelah itu ia berbalik dan mendongak. Dinding itu sungguh besar.

"Did I really climb that?" she asked.

"Aku benar-benar memanjat itu?" tanyanya.

"Every single hold," Sanna said, and handed her a slice of cake.

"Setiap pegangan," kata Sanna, lalu menyodorkan sepotong kue kepadanya.