The First Lettuce on the Moon

Rosa worked in the garden at the moon base. The garden was a big glass room. It was warm and bright inside. Outside, the ground was gray and empty.

Rosa bekerja di kebun di pangkalan bulan. Kebun itu sebuah ruangan kaca yang besar. Di dalamnya hangat dan terang. Di luar, tanahnya abu-abu dan kosong.

Every day Rosa checked her plants. She had tomatoes, beans, and one small row of lettuce. The lettuce was new. It was the first lettuce on the moon.

Setiap hari Rosa memeriksa tanamannya. Dia punya tomat, kacang, dan satu baris kecil selada. Selada itu baru. Itulah selada pertama di bulan.

A boy named Pavel came every morning. He was nine years old. His father worked at the base. So Pavel lived there too. He missed green things from Earth. The base had only gray walls and white lights.

Seorang anak laki-laki bernama Pavel datang setiap pagi. Umurnya sembilan tahun. Ayahnya bekerja di pangkalan itu. Jadi Pavel juga tinggal di sana. Dia rindu pada hal-hal hijau dari Bumi. Pangkalan itu hanya punya dinding abu-abu dan lampu putih.

"Is it ready?" he asked each day.

"Sudah siap?" tanyanya setiap hari.

"Not yet," Rosa said. "Plants are slow."

"Belum," kata Rosa. "Tanaman itu lambat."

Pavel looked at the lettuce. It was only the size of his thumb.

Pavel memandangi selada itu. Besarnya baru sebesar jempolnya.

One morning, he came very early. He had a small cup of water in his hand. "The lettuce is thirsty," he said.

Suatu pagi, dia datang pagi-pagi sekali. Dia membawa cangkir kecil berisi air. "Selada ini haus," katanya.

"No, it is not," said Rosa. "The machine gives water at six o'clock. Too much water is bad."

"Tidak, dia tidak haus," kata Rosa. "Mesin memberi air pukul enam. Air yang terlalu banyak itu tidak baik."

Pavel put the cup on the floor. His face was sad. Rosa sat down next to him.

Pavel menaruh cangkir itu di lantai. Wajahnya sedih. Rosa duduk di sebelahnya.

"A plant needs three things," she said. "Light, water, and time. We have the first two. Now we wait for the third."

"Tanaman butuh tiga hal," katanya. "Cahaya, air, dan waktu. Dua yang pertama sudah kita punya. Sekarang kita menunggu yang ketiga."

"How long?" he asked.

"Berapa lama?" tanyanya.

"Twelve days, maybe."

"Mungkin dua belas hari."

Pavel took a pen from his pocket. He drew a calendar on his hand. He made twelve small boxes. Each morning he put a cross in one box.

Pavel mengambil pulpen dari sakunya. Dia menggambar kalender di tangannya. Dia membuat dua belas kotak kecil. Setiap pagi dia memberi tanda silang di satu kotak.

On day four, he read a book to the lettuce. Rosa listened from the other side of the room. She did not say anything. She only smiled.

Pada hari keempat, dia membacakan buku untuk selada itu. Rosa mendengarkan dari sisi lain ruangan. Dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Dia hanya tersenyum.

On day seven, the leaves were green and wide. A plant from the next row touched them. Pavel took a photo. He sent it to his grandmother on Earth. She wrote back, "Beautiful! Is it real?"

Pada hari ketujuh, daun-daunnya hijau dan lebar. Tanaman dari baris sebelah menyentuhnya. Pavel mengambil foto. Dia mengirimnya kepada neneknya di Bumi. Neneknya membalas, "Cantik sekali! Apa itu sungguhan?"

"It is real," Pavel said to the screen.

"Itu sungguhan," kata Pavel kepada layar.

On day ten, the lettuce was big. It was as big as his hand. Pavel stood and looked at it for a long time. He did not talk. He only counted the leaves. There were nine.

Pada hari kesepuluh, selada itu sudah besar. Besarnya sama dengan tangannya. Pavel berdiri dan memandanginya lama sekali. Dia tidak bicara. Dia hanya menghitung daunnya. Ada sembilan.

On day twelve, Rosa came with a knife. She had a white plate. Pavel was already there. He had a clean shirt on.

Pada hari kedua belas, Rosa datang membawa pisau. Dia membawa piring putih. Pavel sudah ada di sana. Dia memakai kemeja bersih.

"Today is the day," Rosa said.

"Hari ini harinya," kata Rosa.

She cut one leaf, and then a second. She washed them in a bowl of water. She put one leaf on the plate. She gave the plate to Pavel.

Dia memotong satu daun, lalu daun kedua. Dia mencucinya dalam mangkuk berisi air. Dia menaruh satu daun di piring. Dia memberikan piring itu kepada Pavel.

"You first," she said.

"Kamu duluan," katanya.

Pavel held the leaf up to the light. It was soft and bright green. Then he took a small bite. It made a little sound.

Pavel mengangkat daun itu ke arah cahaya. Daunnya lembut dan hijau cerah. Lalu dia menggigitnya sedikit. Terdengar bunyi kecil.

"It tastes like rain," he said.

"Rasanya seperti hujan," katanya.

"Rain?" said Rosa. "You never see rain here."

"Hujan?" kata Rosa. "Kamu kan tidak pernah melihat hujan di sini."

"I remember rain," Pavel said. "From Earth. This is the same."

"Aku ingat hujan," kata Pavel. "Dari Bumi. Rasanya sama."

Rosa laughed. She took the second leaf and tried it too. It was cold and sweet. It was the best leaf of her life.

Rosa tertawa. Dia mengambil daun kedua dan mencobanya juga. Dingin dan manis. Itu daun terenak seumur hidupnya.

Pavel looked at the empty soil in the next box.

Pavel memandangi tanah kosong di kotak sebelah.

"Can we plant more?" he asked.

"Boleh kita tanam lagi?" tanyanya.

"Yes," said Rosa. She gave him a small bag of seeds. "You can hold these."

"Boleh," kata Rosa. Dia memberinya sekantong kecil benih. "Kamu boleh memegang ini."