The Little Cloud That Followed Esme

It is the hottest week of the summer. The grass is yellow, and the river is low. Esme has a small garden at the edge of town. Today she goes there with a heavy bucket.

Ini minggu terpanas di musim panas. Rumput menguning dan sungai surut. Esme punya kebun kecil di pinggir kota. Hari ini ia pergi ke sana membawa ember berat.

Her tomatoes are sad. Their leaves are soft and tired. Esme pours water on each plant. The water goes into the dry ground in two seconds.

Tomat-tomatnya tampak menyedihkan. Daun-daunnya lembek dan lelah. Esme menyiram setiap tanaman. Air meresap ke tanah kering dalam dua detik.

"Please grow," she says. "Just a little more."

"Tolong tumbuhlah," katanya. "Sedikit lagi saja."

She sits on a box and wipes her face. Then she sees something strange. Above her head, there is a small white cloud. It is not big. It is the size of a bed.

Ia duduk di atas sebuah kotak dan menyeka wajahnya. Lalu ia melihat sesuatu yang aneh. Di atas kepalanya, ada awan putih kecil. Awan itu tidak besar. Ukurannya sebesar tempat tidur.

"Hello, cloud," says Esme. She wants someone to talk to.

"Halo, awan," kata Esme. Ia ingin ada seseorang untuk diajak bicara.

The cloud does not say anything. Of course not. But it moves a little closer.

Awan itu tidak berkata apa-apa. Tentu saja. Tetapi ia bergerak sedikit lebih dekat.

She stands up. She picks up her bucket and walks to the beans. The cloud follows her. She walks to the carrots. The cloud follows her again, slowly, like a dog.

Esme berdiri. Ia mengambil embernya dan berjalan ke kebun kacang. Awan itu mengikutinya. Ia berjalan ke kebun wortel. Awan itu mengikutinya lagi, pelan-pelan, seperti anjing.

Esme stops. "You follow me," she says.

Esme berhenti. "Kamu mengikutiku," katanya.

A drop of water falls on her nose. Then another. Then it starts to rain, softly. It rains only on Esme. The rain falls on her hat and her shoes. It falls on the plants around her. Past her feet, the ground is dry and hot.

Setetes air jatuh di hidungnya. Lalu setetes lagi. Lalu hujan mulai turun dengan lembut. Hujan itu hanya turun di atas Esme. Hujan jatuh di topi dan sepatunya. Hujan jatuh di tanaman-tanaman di sekitarnya. Di luar kakinya, tanah tetap kering dan panas.

She looks at her tomatoes. They stand up a little, as if they drink. Esme laughs loudly. She takes off her hat. She puts her face up to the rain.

Ia memandang tomat-tomatnya. Tanaman itu menegak sedikit, seolah-olah sedang minum. Esme tertawa keras. Ia melepas topinya. Ia mengangkat wajahnya ke arah hujan.

An old man from the next garden looks over. He holds a hose in his hand. "Do you see that?" he asks.

Seorang lelaki tua dari kebun sebelah menoleh. Ia memegang selang di tangannya. "Kamu lihat itu?" tanyanya.

"Yes," says Esme.

"Ya," kata Esme.

"It is only over your plants."

"Hanya turun di atas tanamanmu."

"I know," says Esme.

"Aku tahu," kata Esme.

The old man looks at his dry beans. He looks at the cloud. Then he looks at Esme. "Does it listen to you?" he asks.

Lelaki tua itu memandang kacang-kacangnya yang kering. Ia memandang awan itu. Lalu ia memandang Esme. "Apakah awan itu mendengarkanmu?" tanyanya.

"I do not know," she says. "Let me try." She walks across the garden to the old man's side. The cloud floats after her. The rain falls on his dry beans. They shine in the light.

"Aku tidak tahu," katanya. "Biar aku coba." Ia berjalan melintasi kebun ke sisi lelaki tua itu. Awan itu melayang mengikutinya. Hujan turun di atas kacang-kacang yang kering itu. Kacang-kacang itu berkilau tertimpa cahaya.

The old man says nothing for a long time. Then he takes off his cap. "Thank you, young lady," he says.

Lelaki tua itu tidak berkata apa-apa untuk waktu yang lama. Lalu ia melepas topinya. "Terima kasih, Nak," katanya.

"Thank the cloud," says Esme.

"Berterima kasihlah kepada awan," kata Esme.

On the first day, Esme tells nobody. On the second day, the whole street knows.

Pada hari pertama, Esme tidak memberi tahu siapa pun. Pada hari kedua, seluruh jalan sudah tahu.

For three days, the cloud follows her. It goes to the garden in the morning. It waits near the gate. It sits over the bus stop. The people there stay cool in its shade. When Esme goes shopping, the cloud floats above the market.

Selama tiga hari, awan itu mengikutinya. Pagi hari ia pergi ke kebun. Ia menunggu di dekat gerbang. Ia berhenti di atas halte bus. Orang-orang di sana tetap sejuk di bawah bayangannya. Ketika Esme berbelanja, awan itu melayang di atas pasar.

On the fourth day, Esme goes to the garden early. The cloud is not there. The sky is empty and hard and blue.

Pada hari keempat, Esme pergi ke kebun pagi-pagi. Awan itu tidak ada di sana. Langit kosong, keras, dan biru.

She looks up for a long time. Then she sees a line of dark clouds far away. They are big, and they move toward the town. The wind smells of water.

Ia menengadah cukup lama. Lalu ia melihat barisan awan gelap jauh di sana. Awan-awan itu besar dan bergerak menuju kota. Angin berbau air.

Esme climbs on her box and waves. "Go home!" she shouts. "Your friends are here!"

Esme naik ke atas kotaknya dan melambaikan tangan. "Pulanglah!" teriaknya. "Teman-temanmu sudah datang!"

The small cloud floats up to the hills. It looks gray and tired. It touches the big clouds, and then it is gone.

Awan kecil itu melayang naik ke arah perbukitan. Warnanya kelabu dan tampak lelah. Ia menyentuh awan-awan besar itu, lalu menghilang.

An hour later, the big rain comes. It falls on the roofs and the streets. It falls on the old man's beans. Esme stands in her garden with her arms open. Her tomatoes drink.

Satu jam kemudian, hujan deras turun. Hujan jatuh di atap-atap dan jalan-jalan. Hujan jatuh di kacang-kacang lelaki tua itu. Esme berdiri di kebunnya dengan tangan terbuka lebar. Tomat-tomatnya minum.