The Crane That Knew the Way

The paper crane sat on the top step of the library van. Fatou saw it before she opened the door. It was small and white, and it did not move.

Bangau kertas itu bertengger di anak tangga teratas van perpustakaan. Fatou melihatnya sebelum ia membuka pintu. Bangau itu kecil dan putih, dan tidak bergerak.

She picked it up. The paper was warm, like a cup of milk. Then the crane lifted one wing, as if it said hello.

Ia memungutnya. Kertasnya hangat, seperti secangkir susu. Lalu bangau itu mengangkat satu sayap, seakan menyapa.

Fatou almost dropped it. Fatou drove the mobile library. In six years she saw wet books, flat tyres and a goat. But she never saw a paper bird wake up.

Fatou nyaris menjatuhkannya. Fatou mengemudikan perpustakaan keliling. Selama enam tahun ia pernah melihat buku basah, ban kempis, dan seekor kambing. Tetapi ia belum pernah melihat burung kertas terbangun.

"Well," she said. "Hello to you too."

"Nah," katanya. "Halo juga untukmu."

It was Thursday. The van stood at the old farm gate in Hillfoot. This was the third stop on her route. Every Thursday, the same readers came. A woman came for crime stories. Two small sisters came for books about horses. And Darius came for the adventure novels.

Hari itu Kamis. Van itu berhenti di gerbang pertanian tua di Hillfoot. Ini perhentian ketiga dalam rutenya. Setiap Kamis, para pembaca yang sama datang. Seorang perempuan datang untuk cerita kriminal. Dua kakak beradik kecil datang untuk buku tentang kuda. Dan Darius datang untuk novel petualangan.

Darius was fifteen. He was tall and quiet. He always wore the same green jacket. He came first, before everyone else. He knew the shelves better than Fatou did. He liked to say, "Something with a map in the front, please."

Darius berusia lima belas tahun. Ia tinggi dan pendiam. Ia selalu memakai jaket hijau yang sama. Ia datang paling awal, sebelum orang lain. Ia lebih hafal rak-rak itu daripada Fatou. Ia suka berkata, "Cari yang ada petanya di depan, ya."

Today it was ten past four. The woman came and left. The sisters came and left. Darius did not come.

Hari ini sudah pukul empat lewat sepuluh. Perempuan itu datang dan pergi. Kakak beradik itu datang dan pergi. Darius tidak datang.

Fatou looked at the crane in her hand. She had a strange feeling that it wanted something. She put it down on the counter. At once, it jumped up and flew across the van. It landed on a high shelf.

Fatou memandang bangau di tangannya. Ia punya firasat aneh bahwa bangau itu menginginkan sesuatu. Ia menaruhnya di atas meja. Seketika bangau itu melompat dan terbang melintasi van. Ia hinggap di rak yang tinggi.

"Hey!" said Fatou. "That is not a bird shelf."

"Hei!" kata Fatou. "Itu bukan rak untuk burung."

The crane tapped one book with its beak. The book was called "A Hundred Roads Home." Fatou took it down. It was a thick story about a boy. He walked across a whole country. It was Darius's favorite. He read it twice.

Bangau itu mematuk satu buku dengan paruhnya. Buku itu berjudul "A Hundred Roads Home." Fatou menurunkannya. Isinya cerita tebal tentang seorang anak laki-laki. Ia berjalan melintasi seluruh negeri. Itu buku favorit Darius. Ia sudah membacanya dua kali.

"I see," she said. "You belong to Darius."

"Aku mengerti," katanya. "Kamu milik Darius."

The crane flapped its wings, fast and proud.

Bangau itu mengepakkan sayapnya, cepat dan bangga.

Fatou frowned. Why did Darius leave a magic crane and no note? Why did he not come? She thought about last week. Darius stood at the counter with his big pile of books. She was in a hurry, and she said something quickly.

Fatou mengernyit. Kenapa Darius meninggalkan bangau ajaib tanpa catatan? Kenapa ia tidak datang? Ia memikirkan minggu lalu. Darius berdiri di meja dengan tumpukan bukunya yang besar. Fatou sedang terburu-buru, dan ia mengatakan sesuatu dengan cepat.

"Next Thursday is the last time here," she said. "I will explain after that—"

"Kamis depan terakhir kalinya di sini," katanya. "Nanti aku jelaskan setelah itu—"

Then her phone rang. She answered it, and Darius left without a word.

Lalu teleponnya berdering. Ia menjawabnya, dan Darius pergi tanpa sepatah kata.

Fatou put a hand over her mouth. "Oh no," she said. "I know what he thought."

Fatou menutup mulutnya dengan satu tangan. "Astaga," katanya. "Aku tahu apa yang dia kira."

The crane flew to the door and waited. Its little head turned back to her. It seemed to ask, "Are you coming?"

Bangau itu terbang ke pintu dan menunggu. Kepala kecilnya menoleh kembali kepadanya. Ia seakan bertanya, "Kamu ikut?"

"I cannot just leave the van," said Fatou.

"Aku tidak bisa begitu saja meninggalkan van," kata Fatou.

The crane did not move. It looked at the door. It looked at her again.

Bangau itu tidak bergerak. Ia memandang pintu. Ia memandang Fatou lagi.

Fatou sighed. She turned the sign to "Back Soon." She locked the back doors and took the book. Then she followed the crane out into the field.

Fatou menghela napas. Ia membalik papan tanda menjadi "Segera Kembali." Ia mengunci pintu belakang dan membawa buku itu. Lalu ia mengikuti bangau itu keluar ke ladang.

The crane flew low over the grass. It never went too fast. Each time Fatou stopped to breathe, it stopped too. It waited on a fence post. They crossed the field and went through a gap in the hedge. They went down a path past three sheep. The sheep looked at them with deep interest.

Bangau itu terbang rendah di atas rumput. Ia tidak pernah terbang terlalu cepat. Setiap kali Fatou berhenti untuk mengatur napas, bangau itu ikut berhenti. Ia menunggu di tiang pagar. Mereka menyeberangi ladang dan melewati celah di pagar tanaman. Mereka menyusuri jalan setapak melewati tiga ekor domba. Domba-domba itu menatap mereka dengan minat yang dalam.

At last, they came to an old wooden gate on a hill. A boy in a green jacket sat on the top bar. A big bag lay at his feet. He planned to leave it at the van. He did not have the courage. He looked at the valley below. He did not see her.

Akhirnya, mereka sampai di sebuah gerbang kayu tua di atas bukit. Seorang anak laki-laki berjaket hijau duduk di palang atasnya. Sebuah tas besar tergeletak di dekat kakinya. Ia berencana meninggalkannya di van. Ia tidak punya keberanian. Ia memandang lembah di bawah. Ia tidak melihat Fatou.

"Darius?" said Fatou.

"Darius?" kata Fatou.

He jumped. Then he saw the crane on her shoulder. His face went pale. "It found you," he said.

Ia terlonjak. Lalu ia melihat bangau di bahu Fatou. Wajahnya memucat. "Dia menemukan Ibu," katanya.

"It did. It is a very good crane."

"Betul. Bangau ini sangat pintar."

Darius looked at his shoes. "I folded it on Sunday. I found an old book of paper art in my mother's room. I wanted to make something lucky."

Darius menatap sepatunya. "Aku melipatnya hari Minggu. Aku menemukan buku seni kertas tua di kamar ibuku. Aku ingin membuat sesuatu yang membawa keberuntungan."

"Lucky for what?"

"Keberuntungan untuk apa?"

"For you," he said. "You said it was the last time here. So I thought, maybe the van will stop coming here. Maybe it will not come to Hillfoot again."

"Untuk Ibu," katanya. "Ibu bilang itu terakhir kalinya di sini. Jadi aku berpikir, mungkin van itu akan berhenti datang ke sini. Mungkin tidak akan datang lagi ke Hillfoot."

He opened the bag. It was full of library books. "I brought them all back. I did not want to keep them if the van stops. I only wanted to say good-bye."

Ia membuka tas itu. Isinya penuh buku perpustakaan. "Aku membawa semuanya kembali. Aku tidak mau menyimpannya kalau van itu berhenti. Aku hanya ingin mengucapkan selamat tinggal."

Fatou did not know whether to laugh or to hug him. She did a little of both.

Fatou tidak tahu harus tertawa atau memeluknya. Ia melakukan sedikit keduanya.

"Darius," she said. "I said the last time here. I meant the farm gate. I did not mean Hillfoot."

"Darius," katanya. "Aku bilang terakhir kalinya di sini. Maksudku gerbang pertanian ini. Bukan Hillfoot."

He stared at her. "What?"

Ia menatapnya. "Apa?"

"The farm gate is too far from the village. The road is bad, and many readers cannot walk to it." Fatou smiled. "So from next week, the van parks at the school gate. It is in the middle of the village. It is only three minutes from your house."

"Gerbang pertanian ini terlalu jauh dari desa. Jalannya buruk, dan banyak pembaca tidak bisa berjalan kaki ke sini." Fatou tersenyum. "Jadi mulai minggu depan, van ini parkir di gerbang sekolah. Letaknya di tengah desa. Hanya tiga menit dari rumahmu."

Darius's mouth opened. Then it closed. Then, slowly, he began to laugh. It was a big, surprised laugh. It made the crane flap its wings.

Mulut Darius terbuka. Lalu menutup. Lalu, perlahan, ia mulai tertawa. Tawanya besar dan terkejut. Tawa itu membuat bangau mengepakkan sayapnya.

"I thought the van stopped coming to us for ever," he said.

"Aku kira van itu berhenti datang kepada kami selamanya," katanya.

"I only move the stop. I am sorry. I was in a hurry, and I did not explain."

"Aku hanya memindahkan perhentiannya. Maaf. Aku sedang terburu-buru, dan aku tidak menjelaskannya."

"I am sorry too. I will ask next time."

"Aku juga minta maaf. Lain kali aku akan bertanya."

"You did a very good thing," said Fatou. She held out "A Hundred Roads Home." "I think the crane wants you to read this one again."

"Kamu melakukan hal yang sangat baik," kata Fatou. Ia mengulurkan "A Hundred Roads Home." "Kurasa bangau ini ingin kamu membaca yang satu ini lagi."

Darius took the book. The little crane left her shoulder and landed on his hand. It sat there for a moment, small and calm. Then it folded its wings flat. It was only paper again.

Darius menerima buku itu. Bangau kecil itu meninggalkan bahu Fatou dan hinggap di tangannya. Ia duduk di sana sesaat, kecil dan tenang. Lalu ia melipat sayapnya rata. Ia hanya kertas lagi.

They walked back across the field together. The sun was low behind the hills. Darius carried the heavy bag, and Fatou carried the crane.

Mereka berjalan kembali melintasi ladang bersama-sama. Matahari rendah di balik perbukitan. Darius membawa tas yang berat, dan Fatou membawa bangau itu.

At the van, she opened the door. She did not put the crane in a drawer. She put it on the dashboard, in front of the big window. It sat there while she checked the books, one by one. Darius chose a new pile.

Di van, ia membuka pintu. Ia tidak menaruh bangau itu di laci. Ia menaruhnya di dasbor, di depan jendela besar. Bangau itu duduk di sana sementara ia memeriksa buku-buku, satu per satu. Darius memilih tumpukan yang baru.

When she drove away, the light was gold on the glass. The little paper crane stayed on the dashboard. Its shadow moved slowly over the road ahead.

Ketika ia melaju pergi, cahaya berwarna emas di kaca. Bangau kertas kecil itu tetap di dasbor. Bayangannya bergerak perlahan di atas jalan di depan.