The Crayon Coast

The ferry leaves the harbor with a low horn. Elan stands at the rail on the top deck. Behind him, the town gets smaller.

Feri meninggalkan pelabuhan dengan bunyi klakson rendah. Elan berdiri di pagar di dek atas. Di belakangnya, kota semakin mengecil.

The crossing takes twenty-five minutes. Elan wants to enjoy every minute. He is fifteen. It is his first trip to the island.

Penyeberangan memakan waktu dua puluh lima menit. Elan ingin menikmati setiap menitnya. Usianya lima belas tahun. Ini perjalanan pertamanya ke pulau itu.

Samir comes up the stairs with two paper cups of juice. He is also fifteen, and he is the reason for the trip.

Samir naik tangga membawa dua gelas kertas berisi jus. Ia juga berusia lima belas tahun, dan dialah alasan perjalanan ini.

"Here," Samir says. He gives Elan a cup. "Did you bring the map?"

"Nih," kata Samir. Ia memberikan satu gelas kepada Elan. "Kamu bawa petanya?"

"Of course." Elan opens his jacket and takes out a folded sheet of paper. "It is not wet."

"Tentu saja." Elan membuka jaketnya dan mengeluarkan selembar kertas terlipat. "Tidak basah."

The map is not a normal one. Samir's little cousin drew it with crayons. She lives on the island. She wants the boys to visit her favorite place. Her drawing shows a blue sea and a green hill. It shows a yellow house too. A very tall tree stands by it, with a bird on top.

Peta itu bukan peta biasa. Sepupu kecil Samir menggambarnya dengan krayon. Ia tinggal di pulau itu. Ia ingin kedua anak laki-laki itu mengunjungi tempat favoritnya. Gambarnya menunjukkan laut biru dan bukit hijau. Ada juga rumah kuning. Sebatang pohon yang sangat tinggi berdiri di dekatnya, dengan seekor burung di puncaknya.

At the bottom, there is a thick black line. Next to it she wrote, in large letters, COME HERE.

Di bagian bawah, ada garis hitam tebal. Di sebelahnya ia menulis, dengan huruf besar, COME HERE.

"It is a great map," Samir says. "But I have a question. Where is the black line?"

"Peta yang hebat," kata Samir. "Tapi aku punya pertanyaan. Garis hitam ini apa?"

"A road?"

"Jalan?"

"Maybe a dock."

"Mungkin dermaga."

Elan looks closer. The line could be a road, a dock, or a snake. The little girl is a better artist than a mapmaker.

Elan memperhatikan lebih dekat. Garis itu bisa jadi jalan, dermaga, atau ular. Gadis kecil itu lebih pandai menggambar daripada membuat peta.

"The ferry stops at two docks," Elan says. He reads the sign on the wall. "North Landing and South Landing. We must choose the right one."

"Feri berhenti di dua dermaga," kata Elan. Ia membaca papan di dinding. "North Landing dan South Landing. Kita harus memilih yang benar."

"What does the ticket say?"

"Tiketnya bilang apa?"

"It says both. We choose when we get off." Elan checks his watch. "We have about fifteen minutes before the first stop."

"Dua-duanya. Kita pilih saat turun." Elan melihat jam tangannya. "Kita punya sekitar lima belas menit sebelum perhentian pertama."

They sit on a bench and spread the map on their knees. Samir turns it one way, then the other. A seagull lands on the rail and watches them.

Mereka duduk di bangku dan membentangkan peta di lutut mereka. Samir memutarnya ke satu arah, lalu ke arah lain. Seekor camar hinggap di pagar dan mengamati mereka.

"Look," Samir says. "The sea is on the left. The hill is on the right. So we must come from the bottom of the paper."

"Lihat," kata Samir. "Laut ada di sebelah kiri. Bukit di sebelah kanan. Jadi kita harus datang dari bagian bawah kertas."

"Then the black line is where we start. That means it is a dock. But which one?"

"Berarti garis hitam itu tempat kita mulai. Artinya itu dermaga. Tapi yang mana?"

"I don't know." Samir rubs his neck. "Her letter says she can see the ferry from her house. She has no phone, so we cannot ask her."

"Aku tidak tahu." Samir mengusap lehernya. "Di suratnya, dia bilang bisa melihat feri dari rumahnya. Dia tidak punya ponsel, jadi kita tidak bisa bertanya."

Elan thinks. Some things in a child's drawing are easy to find. He taps the picture of the tree.

Elan berpikir. Beberapa hal dalam gambar anak kecil mudah ditemukan. Ia mengetuk gambar pohon itu.

"This is the clue," he says. "A tall tree with a bird. We can look for it from the water."

"Ini petunjuknya," katanya. "Pohon tinggi dengan burung. Kita bisa mencarinya dari atas air."

Samir stands up. "The deck is too crowded to see the island. Everybody is in front of us."

Samir berdiri. "Dek terlalu penuh untuk melihat pulau. Semua orang ada di depan kita."

It is true. A family stands at the front rail. Three men in work clothes lean next to them. A man with a camera takes pictures of everything.

Memang benar. Sebuah keluarga berdiri di pagar depan. Tiga pria berpakaian kerja bersandar di sebelah mereka. Seorang pria dengan kamera memotret segala hal.

"Then we need a better view," Elan says.

"Kalau begitu kita butuh pemandangan yang lebih baik," kata Elan.

He looks up. Behind the bench, a metal ladder goes up to a small platform. A sign says STAFF ONLY. The platform has a bright orange ring, and nothing else.

Ia mendongak. Di belakang bangku, sebuah tangga logam naik ke sebuah anjungan kecil. Sebuah papan bertuliskan STAFF ONLY. Anjungan itu hanya berisi pelampung oranye terang, tidak ada yang lain.

Samir shakes his head. "No."

Samir menggeleng. "Jangan."

"We only look," Elan says. "Two minutes."

"Kita cuma melihat," kata Elan. "Dua menit."

"We will be in trouble."

"Kita bisa kena masalah."

"Then we ask first." Elan walks to a worker. She wears a blue jacket and holds a rope. "Excuse me. May we stand on the high platform for two minutes? We want to find a tree on the island."

"Kalau begitu kita izin dulu." Elan berjalan ke arah seorang petugas. Perempuan itu mengenakan jaket biru dan memegang tali. "Permisi. Bolehkah kami berdiri di anjungan atas selama dua menit? Kami ingin mencari sebatang pohon di pulau itu."

The woman looks at him. She looks at the paper in his hand. "Is that a map?"

Perempuan itu memandangnya. Ia memandang kertas di tangannya. "Itu peta?"

"A child drew it. We must find the right dock."

"Seorang anak menggambarnya. Kami harus menemukan dermaga yang benar."

The woman reads the page. A small smile appears. "Good drawing. I know that tree. It is the old pine on the hill. The bird is a statue." She points at the island. "The yellow house is near it, by the little fishing pier."

Perempuan itu membaca kertas itu. Senyum kecil muncul. "Gambar yang bagus. Saya tahu pohon itu. Itu pohon pinus tua di bukit. Burungnya patung." Ia menunjuk pulau itu. "Rumah kuning itu dekat dengannya, di dekat dermaga nelayan kecil."

"So the tree and the house are close together?" Samir asks.

"Jadi pohon dan rumahnya berdekatan?" tanya Samir.

"Yes. Your friend with the crayons drew everything in one picture. Real life is bigger." She nods at the ladder. "Go up. Hold the rail with both hands."

"Ya. Temanmu yang pakai krayon itu menggambar semuanya dalam satu gambar. Kenyataannya lebih luas." Ia mengangguk ke arah tangga. "Naiklah. Pegang pagar dengan kedua tangan."

"Thank you!" Elan says.

"Terima kasih!" kata Elan.

They climb. The platform is small and cold. From here, the island rises out of the sea.

Mereka memanjat. Anjungan itu kecil dan dingin. Dari sini, pulau itu menjulang dari laut.

Elan holds the map up. He looks from the paper to the island. He moves it left, then right.

Elan mengangkat peta itu. Ia memandang bergantian dari kertas ke pulau. Ia menggesernya ke kiri, lalu ke kanan.

"There," he says. He points. "The tall tree. And a house with a yellow roof. They are close together."

"Itu," katanya. Ia menunjuk. "Pohon yang tinggi. Dan rumah dengan atap kuning. Letaknya berdekatan."

"Which is the dock?" Samir asks.

"Yang mana dermaganya?" tanya Samir.

Elan looks for the black line. At the foot of the hill, a short pier reaches out. It is between the tree and the house. It is closer to North Landing.

Elan mencari garis hitam itu. Di kaki bukit, sebuah dermaga pendek menjorok ke laut. Letaknya di antara pohon dan rumah. Lebih dekat ke North Landing.

"The pier is in the middle," he says. "The girl drew everything near it. She did not mean North or South. She meant the little pier between them."

"Dermaga itu ada di tengah," katanya. "Gadis itu menggambar semuanya di dekatnya. Maksudnya bukan North atau South. Maksudnya dermaga kecil di antara keduanya."

Samir laughs. "So where does the ferry stop?"

Samir tertawa. "Jadi feri berhenti di mana?"

Elan checks the ship's sign again. "The ferry stops at North Landing first. That is the closest to the pier. We get off there and walk five minutes."

Elan memeriksa lagi papan kapal itu. "Feri berhenti di North Landing lebih dulu. Itu yang paling dekat dengan dermaga kecil itu. Kita turun di sana dan berjalan lima menit."

"Great plan," Samir says.

"Rencana bagus," kata Samir.

They climb down. The woman with the rope gives them a big smile. Samir takes the map. He folds it with care along its lines.

Mereka turun. Perempuan bertali itu memberi mereka senyum lebar. Samir mengambil peta itu. Ia melipatnya dengan hati-hati mengikuti lipatannya.

The ferry slows. The horn sounds again, low and long. People pick up their bags and move toward the door.

Feri melambat. Klakson berbunyi lagi, rendah dan panjang. Orang-orang mengambil tas mereka dan bergerak ke arah pintu.

Elan and Samir stay at the rail one moment longer. The island is close now. Under the pine tree, the stone bird shines in the sun.

Elan dan Samir tinggal di pagar semenit lebih lama. Pulau itu sudah dekat sekarang. Di bawah pohon pinus, burung batu itu berkilau di bawah matahari.

The map lies in Samir's hand. Its crayon sea is soft and bright. The black line at the bottom is a pier now.

Peta itu terbaring di tangan Samir. Laut krayonnya lembut dan cerah. Garis hitam di bagian bawah kini sebuah dermaga.

The gangway touches the dock with a quiet bump.

Jembatan penghubung itu menyentuh dermaga dengan benturan pelan.