The Nest at the Sky Stop

Tessa went to work by flying taxi every morning. Her sky stop was on a roof. The building was very tall. She waited there with a coffee in her hand.

Tessa berangkat kerja naik taksi terbang setiap pagi. Halte langitnya ada di atas atap. Gedungnya sangat tinggi. Ia menunggu di sana dengan secangkir kopi di tangan.

The taxi came at eight o'clock. It was small and white, with four round lights. It landed on a round pad. A door opened, and Tessa got in.

Taksi itu datang pukul delapan. Taksinya kecil dan putih, dengan empat lampu bulat. Taksi itu mendarat di landasan bundar. Sebuah pintu terbuka, dan Tessa masuk.

That morning, the taxi did not land.

Pagi itu, taksinya tidak mendarat.

It flew over the roof again and again. The pilot's voice came from the sky. "Sorry, everyone," he said. "The pad is not clear. I cannot land."

Taksi itu terbang melintasi atap berulang kali. Suara pilotnya terdengar dari langit. "Mohon maaf, semuanya," katanya. "Landasannya tidak bersih. Saya tidak bisa mendarat."

Tessa looked at the pad. It was clear. The morning was bright and cold. There was no bag, no box, and no person.

Tessa memandang landasan itu. Landasannya bersih. Paginya cerah dan dingin. Tidak ada tas, tidak ada kotak, dan tidak ada orang.

"What is wrong?" asked a girl next to her. She had a violin case on her back.

"Ada apa?" tanya seorang gadis di sebelahnya. Ia menggendong kotak biola di punggungnya.

"I do not know," said Tessa.

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Tessa.

An old man with a gray hat pointed. "Look there," he said. "Up on the light pole."

Seorang lelaki tua bertopi abu-abu menunjuk. "Lihat di sana," katanya. "Di atas tiang lampu."

On top of the pole sat a small gray bird. It sat on a messy ball of leaves and sticks. It was a nest. The bird looked at the taxi and did not move.

Di puncak tiang itu duduk seekor burung kecil berwarna abu-abu. Burung itu duduk di atas gumpalan daun dan ranting yang berantakan. Itu sarang. Burung itu menatap taksi dan tidak bergerak.

"The taxi sees the nest," said the girl. "It thinks the nest is on the pad."

"Taksinya melihat sarang itu," kata si gadis. "Ia mengira sarang itu ada di landasan."

"It is very close," said the old man. "The taxi wants to be safe."

"Sarangnya dekat sekali," kata lelaki tua itu. "Taksinya ingin aman."

Tessa looked at her watch. It was eight ten. She had an early meeting. She did not want to be late. But she did not want to move the bird.

Tessa melihat jam tangannya. Sudah pukul delapan lewat sepuluh. Ia punya rapat pagi. Ia tidak mau terlambat. Tetapi ia juga tidak mau mengusir burung itu.

"Let us wait," she said.

"Kita tunggu saja," katanya.

"A few minutes is not a big problem."

"Beberapa menit bukan masalah besar."

"The bird is not in danger. It just needs a home."

"Burung itu tidak dalam bahaya. Ia hanya butuh rumah."

They waited. Nobody talked. The taxi flew in a big circle. The bird made a small sound. A second bird flew to the nest. It had a thin stick.

Mereka menunggu. Tidak ada yang berbicara. Taksi itu terbang membuat lingkaran besar. Burung itu mengeluarkan bunyi kecil. Seekor burung kedua terbang ke sarang. Ia membawa ranting tipis.

Then the pilot spoke again. "There is another pad on the next roof," he said. "It is only two minutes away. Can you walk across the glass bridge?"

Lalu pilot berbicara lagi. "Ada landasan lain di atap sebelah," katanya. "Hanya dua menit dari sini. Bisakah Anda berjalan melewati jembatan kaca?"

"Yes!" they all said.

"Bisa!" kata mereka semua.

The group walked over the bridge. The wind was cold. The girl played one soft note on her violin. The old man laughed.

Rombongan itu berjalan melewati jembatan. Anginnya dingin. Si gadis memainkan satu nada lembut di biolanya. Lelaki tua itu tertawa.

On the next roof, the taxi waited. Tessa got in. She looked back through the window. The nest looked very small on the tall pole.

Di atap sebelah, taksi sudah menunggu. Tessa masuk. Ia menoleh ke belakang lewat jendela. Sarang itu tampak sangat kecil di tiang yang tinggi.

She was twelve minutes late for her meeting. Her boss did not mind. He loved birds. He asked to see a photo of the nest. She showed him one.

Ia terlambat dua belas menit ke rapat. Atasannya tidak keberatan. Ia suka burung. Ia meminta melihat foto sarang itu. Tessa menunjukkan satu.

That evening, Tessa walked to a shop near her home. She bought a small wooden box with a round hole. It was a bird house. She also bought a pen and a card.

Sore itu, Tessa berjalan ke sebuah toko dekat rumahnya. Ia membeli kotak kayu kecil dengan lubang bundar. Itu rumah burung. Ia juga membeli pulpen dan kartu.

The next morning, she went to the sky stop early. She put the bird house on a post. It was far from the pad. She wrote on the card, "Please keep away." She put the card on the pole.

Keesokan paginya, ia pergi ke halte langit lebih awal. Ia menaruh rumah burung itu di atas sebuah tiang. Letaknya jauh dari landasan. Ia menulis di kartu, "Mohon jangan didekati." Ia menaruh kartu itu di tiang.

Then she waited for her taxi. The gray bird looked at the new house. It put one stick inside.

Lalu ia menunggu taksinya. Burung abu-abu itu memandang rumah yang baru. Ia memasukkan satu ranting ke dalamnya.