The Last Tent at Dawn

Deniz arrives at the bus depot at half past five. The sky is still dark. Orange lamps shine over rows of sleeping coaches.

Deniz tiba di depo bus pukul setengah enam. Langit masih gelap. Lampu-lampu jingga bersinar di atas barisan bus yang tertidur.

He is fifteen, and he has a plan. Today the hiking club chooses who gets the last club tent. It is for the mountain weekend. Deniz wants it more than anything.

Ia lima belas tahun, dan ia punya rencana. Hari ini klub pendaki memilih siapa yang mendapat tenda klub terakhir. Itu untuk akhir pekan di gunung. Deniz menginginkannya lebih dari apa pun.

He walks across the cold ground with his bag on his back. The air smells of oil and old rubber. Somewhere, a door bangs.

Ia berjalan melintasi tanah yang dingin dengan tas di punggungnya. Udara berbau minyak dan karet tua. Di suatu tempat, sebuah pintu membanting.

At the gate, a girl waits with her arms crossed. It is Mirza. She is also fifteen, and she is also in the club. She smiles when she sees him. It is not a nice smile.

Di gerbang, seorang gadis menunggu dengan tangan bersedekap. Itu Mirza. Ia juga lima belas tahun, dan ia juga anggota klub. Ia tersenyum ketika melihat Deniz. Itu bukan senyum yang ramah.

"You came," she says.

"Kamu datang," katanya.

"So did you," says Deniz.

"Kamu juga," kata Deniz.

They do not like each other. Mirza always wins the club race by two seconds. She wins the map prize too. Deniz counts these things. So does she.

Mereka tidak saling menyukai. Mirza selalu memenangi lomba klub dengan selisih dua detik. Ia juga memenangi hadiah peta. Deniz menghitung hal-hal ini. Mirza juga.

A tall woman in a yellow coat comes out of the office. She is the club leader. She holds a clipboard and a small cloth bag.

Seorang perempuan tinggi bermantel kuning keluar dari kantor. Ia pemimpin klub. Ia memegang papan jepit dan sebuah kantong kain kecil.

"Good morning, you two," she says. "Only two of you came. That makes my job easy."

"Selamat pagi, kalian berdua," katanya. "Hanya dua orang yang datang. Itu membuat pekerjaanku mudah."

"Where is everyone?" asks Mirza.

"Yang lain ke mana?" tanya Mirza.

"Sleeping," says the leader. "I told them seven o'clock. I told you two half past five. I wanted to see who really wants this."

"Tidur," kata sang pemimpin. "Aku bilang pada mereka pukul tujuh. Aku bilang pada kalian berdua pukul setengah enam. Aku ingin melihat siapa yang benar-benar menginginkan ini."

She puts the bag on a bench. She takes out two envelopes. "The club has one tent left," she says. "It is the only one in the club store. I hid it in this depot."

Ia meletakkan kantong itu di atas bangku. Ia mengeluarkan dua amplop. "Klub hanya punya satu tenda tersisa," katanya. "Itu satu-satunya di gudang klub. Aku menyembunyikannya di depo ini."

"One tent," she says. "One winner. The rule is simple. This depot has six clues. The first person to find the tent wins."

"Satu tenda," katanya. "Satu pemenang. Aturannya sederhana. Depo ini punya enam petunjuk. Orang pertama yang menemukan tenda itu menang."

Deniz looks at Mirza. Mirza looks at Deniz.

Deniz menatap Mirza. Mirza menatap Deniz.

"Start," says the leader, and she hands each of them an envelope.

"Mulai," kata sang pemimpin, dan ia menyerahkan sebuah amplop kepada masing-masing.

Deniz runs. His shoes slap on the hard floor. He opens the envelope while he moves. Inside is half of a torn page. It says:

Deniz berlari. Sepatunya menampar lantai yang keras. Ia membuka amplop sambil bergerak. Di dalamnya ada setengah halaman yang sobek. Isinya:

Look where the big buses sleep. Find the number that does not sleep.

Lihatlah tempat bus-bus besar tidur. Temukan nomor yang tidak tidur.

He frowns. It makes no sense. He runs along a row of coaches. He reads the numbers on the front windows. Twelve, fourteen, sixteen. Nothing.

Ia mengerutkan kening. Itu tidak masuk akal. Ia berlari menyusuri satu barisan bus. Ia membaca nomor di kaca depan. Dua belas, empat belas, enam belas. Tak ada apa-apa.

At the other end of the depot, Mirza reads her own half. It says:

Di ujung lain depo, Mirza membaca bagiannya sendiri. Isinya:

Find the sign that knows the time. Count what it does not say.

Temukan tanda yang tahu waktu. Hitung apa yang tidak ia katakan.

She spins round. She looks up at a big clock over the garage door. It shows 5:41. She stares at it for a long time.

Ia berputar. Ia menengadah ke sebuah jam besar di atas pintu garasi. Jam itu menunjukkan 5:41. Ia menatapnya lama sekali.

Ten minutes pass. Neither of them finds anything. Their paper halves shake in their hands.

Sepuluh menit berlalu. Tak satu pun dari mereka menemukan apa-apa. Potongan kertas di tangan mereka gemetar.

They meet at the water tank in the middle. Both of them are out of breath.

Mereka bertemu di tangki air di tengah. Keduanya terengah-engah.

"You have a half too," says Mirza.

"Kamu juga punya setengah," kata Mirza.

"Yes," says Deniz. "Give me yours."

"Ya," kata Deniz. "Berikan punyamu."

"No. You give me yours."

"Tidak. Kamu yang berikan punyamu."

They stand there. Neither of them moves. The sun is not up yet, and their breath makes small clouds.

Mereka berdiri di sana. Tak ada yang bergerak. Matahari belum terbit, dan napas mereka membentuk awan-awan kecil.

Then a coach engine starts somewhere. The sound is loud. A bus driver in a blue jacket leans out of a window. "Move, kids! I need to turn here."

Lalu sebuah mesin bus menyala di suatu tempat. Suaranya keras. Seorang sopir bus berjaket biru menjulurkan badan dari jendela. "Minggir, anak-anak! Saya harus berputar di sini."

They jump aside. The driver looks at them, shakes his head, and drives away. His light shines over the two pages in their hands.

Mereka melompat ke samping. Sopir itu menatap mereka, menggeleng, dan melaju pergi. Lampunya menyinari kedua lembar di tangan mereka.

For one second, the torn edges look the same.

Selama satu detik, tepi-tepi sobekan itu tampak sama.

"Wait," says Mirza. She holds her half next to his. The edges fit together like two hands. "The leader tore one page in two."

"Tunggu," kata Mirza. Ia memegang potongannya di samping punya Deniz. Tepi-tepinya cocok seperti dua tangan. "Sang pemimpin menyobek satu halaman menjadi dua."

They put the pieces together. Now the page makes sense.

Mereka menyatukan kepingan itu. Sekarang halaman itu masuk akal.

"That is one clue," says Deniz. "Not two."

"Itu satu petunjuk," kata Deniz. "Bukan dua."

"Yes," says Mirza. She does not smile now. "We need each other for this."

"Ya," kata Mirza. Sekarang ia tidak tersenyum. "Untuk ini kita saling membutuhkan."

She says it like a bad word. He nods like it hurts.

Ia mengatakannya seperti kata kasar. Deniz mengangguk seolah itu menyakitkan.

They look at the big clock. It shows 5:53. Deniz walks toward it. Under the clock hangs a sign. It lists the bus numbers.

Mereka menatap jam besar itu. Jam menunjukkan 5:53. Deniz berjalan ke arahnya. Di bawah jam itu tergantung sebuah papan. Papan itu mencantumkan nomor-nomor bus.

"It does not say a number thirteen," he says slowly. "It goes from twelve to fourteen."

"Tidak ada nomor tiga belas," katanya perlahan. "Urutannya dari dua belas langsung ke empat belas."

"Thirteen is not sleeping," says Mirza. "Because it does not exist."

"Tiga belas tidak tidur," kata Mirza. "Karena ia tidak ada."

"So the clue points to the coach after the gap," says Deniz. "Fourteen."

"Jadi petunjuk itu menunjuk bus sesudah celah itu," kata Deniz. "Empat belas."

They run to the long row where coach fourteen stands. Deniz drops to his knees. Under the front wheel, a bit of paper sticks out.

Mereka berlari ke barisan panjang tempat bus empat belas berdiri. Deniz menjatuhkan diri berlutut. Di bawah roda depan, secarik kertas menyembul keluar.

It is the second clue. It needs a high place. Mirza is taller. She stands on the step of the coach and reaches up. Deniz holds her bag so it does not fall.

Itu petunjuk kedua. Petunjuk itu membutuhkan tempat tinggi. Mirza lebih tinggi. Ia berdiri di undakan bus dan menggapai ke atas. Deniz memegangi tasnya supaya tidak jatuh.

The third clue sits on a roof. The fourth sits in the driver's cabin of a coach. Its door is broken. Only one of them is thin enough to go in. Only the other can read the tiny writing in the dark.

Petunjuk ketiga berada di atas atap. Petunjuk keempat berada di kabin sopir sebuah bus. Pintunya rusak. Hanya satu dari mereka yang cukup kurus untuk masuk. Hanya yang lain yang bisa membaca tulisan kecil di kegelapan.

By the fifth clue, they stop fighting. They hand things to each other without saying a word. Mirza holds the light. Deniz writes the words on his hand. He reads, she thinks, and they run.

Pada petunjuk kelima, mereka berhenti bertengkar. Mereka saling menyerahkan barang tanpa berkata sepatah pun. Mirza memegang senter. Deniz menulis kata-kata di tangannya. Ia membaca, Mirza berpikir, dan mereka berlari.

The last clue says: Luggage hold, coach nine. Lock needs four numbers.

Petunjuk terakhir berbunyi: Bagasi, bus sembilan. Gembok butuh empat angka.

They find the coach. The hold door is shut with a number lock. Deniz knows the first two numbers. Mirza knows the last two. They find them on different clues.

Mereka menemukan bus itu. Pintu bagasinya tertutup dengan gembok angka. Deniz tahu dua angka pertama. Mirza tahu dua angka terakhir. Mereka menemukannya pada petunjuk yang berbeda.

"Seven, four," says Deniz.

"Tujuh, empat," kata Deniz.

"Nine, one," says Mirza.

"Sembilan, satu," kata Mirza.

He turns the wheels. The lock clicks. The door swings up.

Ia memutar roda-rodanya. Gembok itu berbunyi klik. Pintunya terayun naik.

Inside lies the tent bag. It is dark green and made for two people. On top of it there is a white card.

Di dalamnya tergeletak tas tenda. Warnanya hijau tua dan dibuat untuk dua orang. Di atasnya ada sebuah kartu putih.

Deniz picks up the card. He reads it out loud.

Deniz mengambil kartu itu. Ia membacanya dengan suara keras.

"One tent. Two campers. I never said who sleeps in it. Put it up together."

"Satu tenda. Dua pendaki. Aku tidak pernah bilang siapa yang tidur di dalamnya. Pasanglah bersama-sama."

He reads it again. Mirza grabs the card and reads it herself. Then she bursts out laughing. It is a real laugh this time.

Ia membacanya lagi. Mirza merebut kartu itu dan membacanya sendiri. Lalu ia tertawa terbahak. Kali ini tawanya tulus.

"She tricked us," she says.

"Dia menipu kita," katanya.

"She did not," says Deniz. He smiles too. "She told us the truth. It was just a very short truth."

"Tidak," kata Deniz. Ia tersenyum juga. "Dia mengatakan yang sebenarnya. Hanya saja itu kebenaran yang sangat singkat."

The leader walks up behind them. She leans against the coach with her arms crossed. Her yellow coat shines under the lamp.

Sang pemimpin berjalan mendekat di belakang mereka. Ia bersandar pada bus dengan tangan bersedekap. Mantel kuningnya berkilau di bawah lampu.

"Two people, one tent," she says. "Try it on the hill. Then tell me if you still want to race."

"Dua orang, satu tenda," katanya. "Cobalah di bukit. Lalu beri tahu aku apakah kalian masih ingin berlomba."

Deniz lifts one end of the tent bag. Mirza lifts the other. It is heavy, and neither of them can carry it alone.

Deniz mengangkat satu ujung tas tenda. Mirza mengangkat ujung yang lain. Tas itu berat, dan tak ada dari mereka yang sanggup membawanya sendirian.

The sun comes up over the garage roof. Far away, a coach driver presses his horn.

Matahari terbit di atas atap garasi. Jauh di sana, seorang sopir bus menekan klaksonnya.

Beep.

Tiit.