The Night Walk to the Flag

It was the second night of school camp. The teacher gave each group a map. It was a simple map of the woods. A red cross marked a hill.

Itu malam kedua perkemahan sekolah. Guru memberi setiap kelompok sebuah peta. Peta sederhana tentang hutan. Sebuah tanda silang merah menandai sebuah bukit.

"A flag waits on that hill," the teacher said. "Your group must find it. No phones. You can use the map, a light, and your eyes."

"Sebuah bendera menunggu di bukit itu," kata guru. "Kelompok kalian harus menemukannya. Tidak boleh memakai ponsel. Kalian boleh memakai peta, senter, dan mata kalian."

Bruno, Chiara, and Dmitri made one group. Bruno held the map. Chiara held the light. Dmitri carried the water bottle. He said he was good at carrying.

Bruno, Chiara, dan Dmitri membentuk satu kelompok. Bruno memegang peta. Chiara memegang senter. Dmitri membawa botol air. Katanya ia pandai membawa barang.

It was eight o'clock. The sky was dark blue. The first stars came out.

Saat itu pukul delapan. Langit biru tua. Bintang-bintang pertama muncul.

"We start at the big oak tree," Bruno said. "Then we follow the white stones."

"Kita mulai dari pohon ek besar," kata Bruno. "Lalu kita ikuti batu-batu putih."

They walked into the woods. The path was narrow. White stones sat on the ground, one every few steps. In the light, they looked like little moons.

Mereka berjalan masuk ke hutan. Jalan setapaknya sempit. Batu-batu putih terletak di tanah, satu setiap beberapa langkah. Dalam cahaya senter, batu-batu itu tampak seperti bulan kecil.

For ten minutes, everything went well. Then the path split in two. One way went left, up a small hill. The other way went right, down to the water.

Selama sepuluh menit, semuanya berjalan lancar. Lalu jalan itu bercabang dua. Satu arah ke kiri, naik ke bukit kecil. Arah lainnya ke kanan, turun ke air.

Bruno looked at the map. "The map has no split here," he said. "I do not understand."

Bruno melihat peta. "Di peta tidak ada percabangan di sini," katanya. "Aku tidak mengerti."

"Look at the stones," said Chiara. She moved the light. "The left path has no white stones."

"Lihat batu-batunya," kata Chiara. Ia menggerakkan senter. "Jalan kiri tidak ada batu putihnya."

"The right path has stones," said Dmitri.

"Jalan kanan ada batunya," kata Dmitri.

"The map shows the hill on the left," Bruno said.

"Peta menunjukkan bukitnya di sebelah kiri," kata Bruno.

They stood still. A bird called in the dark. It was a long, low sound. Dmitri jumped.

Mereka berdiri diam. Seekor burung berbunyi dalam gelap. Suaranya panjang dan rendah. Dmitri terlonjak.

"It is only an owl," said Chiara.

"Itu cuma burung hantu," kata Chiara.

"I know," said Dmitri. But he stood a little closer to the others.

"Aku tahu," kata Dmitri. Tetapi ia berdiri sedikit lebih dekat dengan yang lain.

Bruno looked up. "The Pole Star," he said. "Our teacher showed us. It tells us where north is. The hill is in the north, I think."

Bruno menengadah. "Bintang Kutub," katanya. "Guru kita pernah menunjukkannya. Bintang itu memberi tahu arah utara. Kurasa bukitnya ada di utara."

He found the star over the trees. It was small, but it was bright. The stars around it turned slowly, like a big wheel.

Ia menemukan bintang itu di atas pepohonan. Bintangnya kecil, tetapi terang. Bintang-bintang di sekelilingnya berputar pelan, seperti roda besar.

"The right path goes north too," said Chiara. "It curves. Look. The stones follow it."

"Jalan kanan juga menuju utara," kata Chiara. "Jalannya melengkung. Lihat. Batu-batunya mengikutinya."

"Then the stones lead us," Bruno said. "The map is not complete."

"Kalau begitu batu-batu itu yang menuntun kita," kata Bruno. "Petanya tidak lengkap."

They took the right path. After five minutes, they came to a stream. The water was black and cold. A line of flat rocks lay across it.

Mereka mengambil jalan kanan. Lima menit kemudian, mereka sampai di sebuah sungai kecil. Airnya hitam dan dingin. Sederet batu datar terbentang melintasinya.

Chiara went first. She stepped from rock to rock. She held out the light. Bruno followed. Dmitri came last, with the bottle in his hand.

Chiara maju lebih dulu. Ia melangkah dari batu ke batu. Ia mengulurkan senter. Bruno mengikuti. Dmitri paling belakang, dengan botol di tangannya.

On the third rock, his foot slipped. Splash! One shoe went into the water.

Di batu ketiga, kakinya terpeleset. Byur! Satu sepatunya masuk ke air.

"Cold! Cold!" Dmitri shouted. He jumped to the bank on one foot.

"Dingin! Dingin!" teriak Dmitri. Ia melompat ke tepi dengan satu kaki.

Chiara laughed so hard that she dropped the light. Bruno caught it just in time.

Chiara tertawa begitu keras sampai senternya jatuh. Bruno menangkapnya tepat waktu.

"Sorry," said Chiara. She tried to stop laughing. She could not.

"Maaf," kata Chiara. Ia mencoba berhenti tertawa. Ia tidak bisa.

Dmitri shook his wet shoe. Then he started to laugh too. "I carry water," he said. "I did not plan to carry it in my shoe."

Dmitri mengibaskan sepatunya yang basah. Lalu ia ikut tertawa. "Aku memang membawa air," katanya. "Tapi aku tidak berencana membawanya di dalam sepatu."

They climbed the last hill. At the top, the trees opened. The sky was full of stars. A white flag stood in the grass. It moved in the soft wind.

Mereka mendaki bukit terakhir. Di puncak, pepohonan terbuka. Langit penuh bintang. Sebuah bendera putih berdiri di rerumputan. Bendera itu bergerak ditiup angin lembut.

Bruno touched the pole. "We did it," he said.

Bruno menyentuh tiangnya. "Kita berhasil," katanya.

Chiara turned off the light. For a moment, nobody spoke. The stars were bright. They did not need the light.

Chiara mematikan senter. Sesaat, tidak ada yang berbicara. Bintang-bintang bersinar terang. Mereka tidak butuh senter.

Then they heard voices. The teacher and two other groups walked up the hill. Someone gave each student a cup of hot chocolate.

Lalu mereka mendengar suara-suara. Guru dan dua kelompok lain berjalan naik ke bukit. Seseorang membagikan secangkir cokelat panas kepada setiap murid.

Dmitri held the cup with both hands. His wet foot shook in the cold.

Dmitri memegang cangkirnya dengan kedua tangan. Kakinya yang basah gemetar kedinginan.

"Again tomorrow?" he asked.

"Besok lagi?" tanyanya.