The Last Train Through the Flood

Rain fell hard on the city all evening. Ayla stood at the door of her uncle's shop. She watched the street.

Hujan turun deras di kota sepanjang malam. Ayla berdiri di pintu toko pamannya. Ia memandangi jalan.

The water was already high. It covered the road and the bus stop. A yellow taxi sat in the street. The driver tried to start it. The engine was dead.

Airnya sudah tinggi. Air menutupi jalan dan halte bus. Sebuah taksi kuning berhenti di jalan. Sopirnya mencoba menyalakannya. Mesinnya mati.

A woman got out of the back seat. She held a bag over her head. Water came up to her knees.

Seorang wanita keluar dari kursi belakang. Ia menahan sebuah tas di atas kepalanya. Air sampai ke lututnya.

"Hello!" Ayla called. "Come in here!"

"Halo!" panggil Ayla. "Masuk ke sini!"

The woman waded to the shop. Her coat was wet and her face was white. Her name was Selma.

Wanita itu berjalan menerjang air menuju toko. Mantelnya basah dan wajahnya pucat. Namanya Selma.

"Thank you," Selma said. "My train leaves at eleven. My sister is very sick. I must go tonight."

"Terima kasih," kata Selma. "Kereta saya berangkat pukul sebelas. Kakak saya sakit parah. Saya harus pergi malam ini."

"The station is far," Ayla said. "And the roads are all under water."

"Stasiunnya jauh," kata Ayla. "Dan semua jalan terendam air."

The taxi driver came in too. His name was Tomasz. He shook his hat and looked at the clock.

Sopir taksi itu juga masuk. Namanya Tomasz. Ia mengibaskan topinya dan melihat jam.

"It is ten fifteen," he said. "I am sorry. My car is dead."

"Sekarang pukul sepuluh lewat lima belas," katanya. "Maaf. Mobil saya mati."

Ayla thought for a moment. She knew every part of the old city. She often rode her bike here, even at night.

Ayla berpikir sejenak. Ia kenal setiap sudut kota tua itu. Ia sering naik sepeda di sini, bahkan pada malam hari.

"I know a dry way," she said. "It is long, but it is safe."

"Aku tahu jalan yang kering," katanya. "Jauh, tapi aman."

"Please show me," Selma said.

"Tolong tunjukkan," kata Selma.

Reza, Ayla's uncle, looked up from the counter. He gave Selma a big torch. "Take this," he said. "The lights are out on the next street."

Reza, paman Ayla, mendongak dari meja kasir. Ia memberi Selma sebuah senter besar. "Bawa ini," katanya. "Lampu di jalan berikutnya padam."

"Thank you," Selma said. She did not stop to talk.

"Terima kasih," kata Selma. Ia tidak berhenti untuk bicara.

Ayla led them out the back door. They climbed the stairs to the market arcade. It was a long roof over a row of shops. The floor was dry, but the arcade was dark.

Ayla memimpin mereka keluar lewat pintu belakang. Mereka menaiki tangga menuju arkade pasar. Itu atap panjang di atas deretan toko. Lantainya kering, tapi arkade itu gelap.

"Follow my light," Ayla said.

"Ikuti cahayaku," kata Ayla.

They walked past closed doors and empty tables. Rain hit the glass roof above them. Tomasz came behind with Selma's bag.

Mereka berjalan melewati pintu-pintu tertutup dan meja-meja kosong. Hujan menghantam atap kaca di atas mereka. Tomasz berjalan di belakang membawa tas Selma.

At the end of the arcade was a locked gate. Selma stopped and looked at Ayla.

Di ujung arkade ada gerbang yang terkunci. Selma berhenti dan menatap Ayla.

"Wait," Ayla said. She took a key from her pocket. "My uncle has the key. He gave it to me this morning."

"Tunggu," kata Ayla. Ia mengambil sebuah kunci dari sakunya. "Paman punya kuncinya. Tadi pagi ia memberikannya padaku."

She opened the gate. They went down a ramp into a car park. Water covered the bottom floor. But the ramp up to the top floor was dry.

Ia membuka gerbang. Mereka menuruni jalur landai ke sebuah tempat parkir. Air menutupi lantai paling bawah. Tapi jalur naik ke lantai paling atas kering.

"We go up," Ayla said.

"Kita naik," kata Ayla.

They ran up two floors. At the top, the wind blew hard. They could see the whole city. Many streets shone like rivers under the lights.

Mereka berlari naik dua lantai. Di atas, angin bertiup kencang. Mereka bisa melihat seluruh kota. Banyak jalan berkilau seperti sungai di bawah lampu-lampu.

"Look," Tomasz said. He pointed far away. "That is the station."

"Lihat," kata Tomasz. Ia menunjuk jauh ke sana. "Itu stasiunnya."

A walkway led from the car park to a building. Ayla crossed it first. The metal floor rang under her shoes.

Sebuah jalan layang menghubungkan tempat parkir itu dengan sebuah gedung. Ayla menyeberang lebih dulu. Lantai logam itu berdentang di bawah sepatunya.

"It is ten forty," Selma said. Her voice was thin.

"Sudah pukul sepuluh empat puluh," kata Selma. Suaranya lemah.

"We are near," Ayla said. "Only one more street."

"Kita sudah dekat," kata Ayla. "Tinggal satu jalan lagi."

The last street was the worst. Water ran across it, fast and brown. But a line of tall steps went along the wall. Ayla held the rail and walked on the steps. Selma and Tomasz followed.

Jalan terakhir adalah yang terburuk. Air mengalir melintasinya, deras dan cokelat. Tapi ada deretan anak tangga tinggi di sepanjang dinding. Ayla berpegangan pada pagar dan berjalan di atas anak tangga itu. Selma dan Tomasz mengikutinya.

At the end, the station doors stood open. The big clock on the wall said ten fifty-six.

Di ujung jalan, pintu-pintu stasiun terbuka lebar. Jam besar di dinding menunjukkan pukul sepuluh lewat lima puluh enam.

"Platform three!" a man shouted.

"Peron tiga!" teriak seorang pria.

Selma ran. Tomasz ran behind her with the bag. Ayla ran too, with the torch in her hand.

Selma berlari. Tomasz berlari di belakangnya membawa tas. Ayla ikut berlari, dengan senter di tangannya.

The train was there. A guard held up a small flag. Selma jumped onto the step. Tomasz gave her the bag.

Kereta itu ada di sana. Seorang petugas mengangkat bendera kecil. Selma melompat ke anak tangga kereta. Tomasz menyerahkan tasnya.

"Thank you so much!" she cried.

"Terima kasih banyak!" serunya.

The guard blew his whistle. The doors closed. The train moved slowly into the dark.

Petugas meniup peluitnya. Pintu-pintu menutup. Kereta bergerak pelan ke dalam kegelapan.

Tomasz and Ayla stood on the platform. Water dripped from their coats.

Tomasz dan Ayla berdiri di peron. Air menetes dari mantel mereka.

"Now," Tomasz said, "how do we get home?"

"Nah," kata Tomasz, "bagaimana caranya kita pulang?"

Ayla looked at the torch and smiled. "I know another dry way," she said.

Ayla memandang senter itu dan tersenyum. "Aku tahu jalan kering yang lain," katanya.