The Oar in the Dark Lake

Lotte and Pilar pushed the small boat off the dock. The lake was black and still. A thousand stars shone above them.

Lotte dan Pilar mendorong perahu kecil itu dari dermaga. Danau itu hitam dan tenang. Seribu bintang bersinar di atas mereka.

"Tonight is the best night for meteors," Lotte said. "My brother Reuben told me."

"Malam ini malam terbaik untuk melihat meteor," kata Lotte. "Kakakku, Reuben, yang bilang begitu."

"Where is he?" Pilar asked.

"Dia di mana?" tanya Pilar.

"He is on the dock. He has a big torch."

"Dia ada di dermaga. Dia membawa senter besar."

Reuben waved from the dock. "Take the lamp," he called. Pilar pressed the button, but the lamp stayed dark.

Reuben melambai dari dermaga. "Bawa lampunya!" serunya. Pilar menekan tombolnya, tetapi lampu itu tetap gelap.

"The battery is dead," she said. "It is too late to find a new one."

"Baterainya habis," kata Pilar. "Sudah terlalu larut untuk mencari yang baru."

"We do not need it," Lotte said. "We have the stars. I know the way."

"Kita tidak butuh lampu," kata Lotte. "Kita punya bintang. Aku tahu jalannya."

Pilar sat at the front with a bag of snacks. Lotte sat in the middle and rowed. The boat moved slowly across the water.

Pilar duduk di depan dengan sekantong camilan. Lotte duduk di tengah dan mendayung. Perahu bergerak pelan melintasi air.

Pilar told a long story about her cat. Lotte laughed so hard that the boat shook. They both stopped and held the sides.

Pilar bercerita panjang tentang kucingnya. Lotte tertawa begitu keras sampai perahu bergoyang. Keduanya berhenti dan berpegangan pada sisi perahu.

After ten minutes, the dock lights looked very small. Lotte stopped and lifted both oars. "This is a good place," she said.

Sepuluh menit kemudian, lampu-lampu dermaga tampak sangat kecil. Lotte berhenti dan mengangkat kedua dayungnya. "Ini tempat yang bagus," katanya.

Then one oar slipped from her hand. It hit the water with a loud splash. Lotte reached for it, but it floated away.

Lalu sebuah dayung terlepas dari tangannya. Dayung itu menghantam air dengan percikan keras. Lotte berusaha meraihnya, tetapi dayung itu hanyut menjauh.

"Oh no," Lotte said. "I cannot see it."

"Aduh," kata Lotte. "Aku tidak bisa melihatnya."

Pilar took out her phone. She turned on the light. The oar was a long dark shape on the water. It was five meters away.

Pilar mengeluarkan ponselnya dan menyalakan senternya. Dayung itu tampak seperti bentuk gelap yang panjang di atas air. Jaraknya lima meter.

"Do not worry," Pilar said. "I can see it. It has white tape on the end."

"Jangan khawatir," kata Pilar. "Aku bisa melihatnya. Ujungnya ada lakban putih."

"We have only one oar now," Lotte said.

"Sekarang kita hanya punya satu dayung," kata Lotte.

"Then we use it like a paddle," Pilar said. "Give it to me."

"Kalau begitu kita pakai seperti pengayuh," kata Pilar. "Berikan padaku."

Lotte gave her the oar. Pilar knelt at the front. She put the oar in the water. Lotte used her hand on the other side.

Lotte memberikan dayung itu. Pilar berlutut di depan dan memasukkan dayung ke air. Lotte memakai tangannya di sisi yang lain.

"Left a little," Lotte said. "No, more left."

"Sedikit ke kiri," kata Lotte. "Bukan, lebih ke kiri lagi."

"Now it is close," Pilar said. "Hold the light for me."

"Sekarang sudah dekat," kata Pilar. "Pegang lampunya untukku."

Lotte took the phone. Pilar pushed the oar through the water. The boat turned slowly. The white tape came closer and closer.

Lotte mengambil ponsel itu. Pilar mendorong dayung menembus air. Perahu berputar pelan. Lakban putih itu makin lama makin dekat.

Pilar reached out and caught the oar. "Got it!" she said.

Pilar mengulurkan tangan dan menangkap dayung itu. "Dapat!" katanya.

They laughed. Lotte took both oars again. Her hands were cold and wet. She rowed with care, and the boat moved straight.

Mereka tertawa. Lotte memegang kedua dayung lagi. Tangannya dingin dan basah. Ia mendayung dengan hati-hati, dan perahu melaju lurus.

A fish jumped near the boat. Pilar jumped too, and Lotte laughed again.

Seekor ikan melompat di dekat perahu. Pilar ikut terlonjak, dan Lotte tertawa lagi.

"Let us stay here," Pilar said. "We do not need to row any more."

"Kita diam di sini saja," kata Pilar. "Kita tidak perlu mendayung lagi."

They lay back in the boat. The water made a soft sound under them. Lotte turned off the phone. The sky became very bright.

Mereka berbaring di dalam perahu. Air menimbulkan bunyi lembut di bawah mereka. Lotte mematikan ponselnya. Langit menjadi sangat terang.

"There!" Pilar whispered. A white line crossed the sky and was gone.

"Itu!" bisik Pilar. Sebuah garis putih melintasi langit lalu lenyap.

"I saw it!" Lotte said. "Look, there is another one."

"Aku lihat!" kata Lotte. "Lihat, ada satu lagi."

They counted twelve meteors. Pilar ate the last snack. Then Lotte looked at the shore.

Mereka menghitung dua belas meteor. Pilar menghabiskan camilan yang terakhir. Lalu Lotte memandang ke tepi danau.

"Where is the dock?" she asked.

"Di mana dermaganya?" tanyanya.

Pilar sat up. The boat had moved in the dark. All the lights looked the same.

Pilar duduk tegak. Perahu sudah bergeser dalam gelap. Semua lampu tampak sama.

Then a bright light flashed three times on the shore. It was Reuben with his big torch.

Lalu sebuah cahaya terang berkedip tiga kali di tepi danau. Itu Reuben dengan senter besarnya.

"There it is," Lotte said. "He calls us."

"Itu dia," kata Lotte. "Dia memanggil kita."

Pilar held the phone up and flashed it back. Lotte rowed toward the torch with strong, slow strokes.

Pilar mengangkat ponselnya dan membalas dengan kedipan cahaya. Lotte mendayung menuju senter itu dengan ayunan yang kuat dan pelan.

When the boat touched the dock, Reuben took the rope. "How many did you see?" he asked.

Ketika perahu menyentuh dermaga, Reuben mengambil talinya. "Berapa banyak yang kalian lihat?" tanyanya.

"Twelve," Pilar said.

"Dua belas," kata Pilar.

"We lost an oar, and we found it," Lotte said. "Pilar was the hero."

"Kami kehilangan satu dayung, lalu menemukannya lagi," kata Lotte. "Pilar pahlawannya."

"No," Pilar said. "We did it together. You held the light."

"Bukan," kata Pilar. "Kita melakukannya bersama. Kamu yang memegang lampu."

Reuben laughed. "Next time, I bring a better lamp," he said.

Reuben tertawa. "Lain kali, aku bawa lampu yang lebih bagus," katanya.

Above his head, one last white line crossed the sky.

Di atas kepalanya, satu garis putih terakhir melintasi langit.