The Long Table at the Lantern Festival

Kasia arrived in the old town on festival night. She came alone. She did not know the language. Her phone had no battery.

Kasia tiba di kota tua pada malam festival. Ia datang sendirian. Ia tidak mengerti bahasa setempat. Baterai ponselnya habis.

The streets were full of people. Paper lanterns hung from every window. They were red, gold, and white. Music played from a small stage. The air smelled of fried food.

Jalan-jalan penuh orang. Lampion kertas tergantung di setiap jendela. Warnanya merah, emas, dan putih. Musik mengalun dari panggung kecil. Udara berbau makanan goreng.

A very long table stood in the square. Hundreds of people sat at it. A woman in an apron pointed at an empty chair. "Sit, sit," she said in simple English. "Eat."

Sebuah meja yang sangat panjang berdiri di alun-alun. Ratusan orang duduk di sana. Seorang perempuan berapron menunjuk kursi kosong. "Duduk, duduk," katanya dalam bahasa Inggris sederhana. "Makan."

Kasia sat down. A man sat in the chair next to hers. He had a camera and a kind face. He spoke to her. She did not know the words. She shook her head and smiled.

Kasia duduk. Seorang lelaki duduk di kursi sebelahnya. Ia membawa kamera dan berwajah ramah. Ia berbicara kepada Kasia. Kasia tidak mengerti kata-katanya. Ia menggeleng dan tersenyum.

"Sorry," she said. "I do not understand."

"Maaf," katanya. "Saya tidak mengerti."

The man laughed. "Me too," he said in English. "I do not understand anyone here."

Lelaki itu tertawa. "Saya juga," katanya dalam bahasa Inggris. "Saya tidak mengerti siapa pun di sini."

"You speak English," said Kasia.

"Anda bisa berbahasa Inggris," kata Kasia.

"A little. My name is Leandro. I am from far away."

"Sedikit. Nama saya Leandro. Saya datang dari tempat yang jauh."

"I am Kasia."

"Saya Kasia."

A boy brought two big bowls of noodles. The noodles were hot, and the soup was red. Kasia took one bite and her eyes filled with water.

Seorang anak laki-laki membawakan dua mangkuk besar mi. Mi itu panas, dan kuahnya merah. Kasia menggigit sekali dan matanya berair.

"It is very hot," she said.

"Pedas sekali," katanya.

Leandro tried his. He went red in the face. He drank a whole glass of water. Kasia laughed. She could not hold her spoon.

Leandro mencoba mi miliknya. Wajahnya memerah. Ia meminum segelas penuh air. Kasia tertawa. Ia sampai tidak bisa memegang sendoknya.

An old man across the table watched them. He said a word and pointed at their bowls. Then he pointed at a plate of white bread. He pushed the plate toward them.

Seorang lelaki tua di seberang meja memperhatikan mereka. Ia mengucapkan sebuah kata dan menunjuk mangkuk mereka. Lalu ia menunjuk sepiring roti putih. Ia mendorong piring itu ke arah mereka.

"Bread," said Leandro. "It stops the fire."

"Roti," kata Leandro. "Roti memadamkan apinya."

"Thank you," said Kasia. She put a small piece in her mouth. It helped a lot.

"Terima kasih," kata Kasia. Ia memasukkan sepotong kecil ke mulutnya. Rasa pedasnya banyak berkurang.

The old man smiled and said a word again. This time Kasia repeated it. The old man laughed and clapped. Soon five people at the table taught her words. She learned "thank you," "very good," and "moon." Leandro learned "friend."

Lelaki tua itu tersenyum dan mengucapkan sebuah kata lagi. Kali ini Kasia mengulanginya. Lelaki tua itu tertawa dan bertepuk tangan. Tak lama kemudian lima orang di meja itu mengajarinya kata-kata. Ia belajar "terima kasih," "sangat enak," dan "bulan." Leandro belajar "teman."

"Friend," he said. "This one is easy."

"Teman," katanya. "Yang ini mudah."

The bowls were empty. A girl came with a tray of lanterns. Each one was small and white. A thin pen lay next to each one.

Mangkuk-mangkuk sudah kosong. Seorang gadis datang membawa nampan berisi lampion. Setiap lampion kecil dan putih. Sebatang pena tipis tergeletak di samping masing-masing.

"For wishes," said the woman in the apron. "Write a wish. Then we send it up."

"Untuk permohonan," kata perempuan berapron itu. "Tulis satu permohonan. Lalu kita terbangkan."

Kasia looked at the white paper. She did not know what to write. She looked at Leandro. He held his pen over the paper.

Kasia memandang kertas putih itu. Ia tidak tahu harus menulis apa. Ia memandang Leandro. Leandro memegang penanya di atas kertas.

"What do you write?" she asked.

"Apa yang Anda tulis?" tanyanya.

"I cannot tell you," he said. "A wish is a secret."

"Saya tidak bisa memberi tahu Anda," katanya. "Permohonan itu rahasia."

"Then I write mine, and you cannot see."

"Kalau begitu saya menulis punya saya, dan Anda tidak boleh melihat."

They bent over their lanterns. Kasia wrote three words and covered them with her hand. Leandro wrote a longer line. Then they both stopped and looked at each other.

Mereka membungkuk di atas lampion masing-masing. Kasia menulis tiga kata dan menutupinya dengan tangan. Leandro menulis satu baris yang lebih panjang. Lalu keduanya berhenti dan saling memandang.

The whole square walked to the river. A man lit each lantern with a small flame. One by one, the lanterns rose into the dark sky. They were soft golden dots that went higher and higher. Hundreds of them floated over the river.

Seluruh alun-alun berjalan menuju sungai. Seorang lelaki menyalakan setiap lampion dengan api kecil. Satu per satu, lampion-lampion itu naik ke langit yang gelap. Lampion itu seperti titik-titik keemasan yang lembut dan terbang semakin tinggi. Ratusan lampion melayang di atas sungai.

Kasia held her lantern with both hands. It was warm. "Ready?" said Leandro. They counted together, "One, two, three," and let go.

Kasia memegang lampionnya dengan kedua tangan. Lampion itu hangat. "Siap?" kata Leandro. Mereka menghitung bersama, "Satu, dua, tiga," lalu melepaskannya.

Their lanterns rose side by side. For a long time, they stayed close. Then the wind took one a little to the left.

Lampion mereka naik berdampingan. Untuk waktu yang lama, keduanya tetap berdekatan. Lalu angin membawa salah satunya sedikit ke kiri.

"Mine goes away," said Kasia.

"Punya saya menjauh," kata Kasia.

"No," said Leandro. "Look. It comes back."

"Tidak," kata Leandro. "Lihat. Dia kembali."

She watched. It was true. Her lantern came back toward his. The two lights flew up together.

Kasia memperhatikan. Memang benar. Lampionnya kembali mendekati lampion Leandro. Kedua cahaya itu terbang naik bersama.

Kasia turned to him. "Leandro, I have no battery in my phone," she said. "Can you take my photo?"

Kasia menoleh kepadanya. "Leandro, baterai ponsel saya habis," katanya. "Bisakah Anda memotret saya?"

He lifted his camera. She stood by the river. The sky was golden behind her.

Leandro mengangkat kameranya. Kasia berdiri di tepi sungai. Langit keemasan terbentang di belakangnya.

"Say 'friend,'" said Leandro, and he pressed the button.

"Katakan 'teman,'" kata Leandro, lalu ia menekan tombolnya.