The Old Tractor and the Doctor

Rosalie lived in a small village high in the hills. One night, she had a fever. She felt very hot and very weak.

Rosalie tinggal di sebuah desa kecil di pegunungan. Suatu malam, ia demam. Badannya terasa sangat panas dan sangat lemas.

Her grandson Emil ran to the next house. "Kwame! Please help us!" he said. "My grandmother is ill."

Cucunya, Emil, berlari ke rumah sebelah. "Pak Kwame! Tolong kami!" katanya. "Nenekku sakit."

Kwame opened the door. "Is there a doctor in the village?" he asked.

Kwame membuka pintu. "Apa ada dokter di desa ini?" tanyanya.

"No," said Emil. "The doctor lives in town. It is far."

"Tidak ada," kata Emil. "Dokternya tinggal di kota. Jauh."

"Can we call her?" asked Kwame.

"Bisa kita telepon?" tanya Kwame.

"The phone does not work in the hills," said Emil.

"Telepon tidak berfungsi di pegunungan," kata Emil.

Kwame thought for a moment. "It rained all day," he said. "The road is mud. A car cannot go there."

Kwame berpikir sejenak. "Seharian tadi hujan," katanya. "Jalannya berlumpur. Mobil tidak bisa lewat."

"What can we do?" asked Emil.

"Lalu kita harus bagaimana?" tanya Emil.

"I have my old tractor," said Kwame. "It is slow, but it is strong."

"Aku punya traktor tua," kata Kwame. "Lambat, tapi kuat."

They ran to the barn. Kwame started the old tractor. It made a loud noise. Emil sat next to him with a big lamp.

Mereka berlari ke gudang. Kwame menyalakan traktor tua itu. Suaranya sangat berisik. Emil duduk di sampingnya sambil membawa lampu besar.

The road was dark and wet. The mud was deep. The tractor went slowly, but it did not stop. After an hour, they came to a bend.

Jalan itu gelap dan basah. Lumpurnya dalam. Traktor melaju pelan, tetapi tidak berhenti. Satu jam kemudian, mereka sampai di sebuah tikungan.

Some cows stood in the middle of the road. They did not move. Kwame pressed the horn. The cows looked at him and ate more grass.

Beberapa ekor sapi berdiri di tengah jalan. Mereka tidak bergerak. Kwame membunyikan klakson. Sapi-sapi itu menatapnya lalu terus makan rumput.

"They do not like our noise," said Emil. "Wait. I have some bread."

"Mereka tidak suka suara kita," kata Emil. "Tunggu. Aku punya roti."

Emil got down from the tractor. He held out the bread and walked to the side. The cows followed him one by one. The road was free.

Emil turun dari traktor. Ia mengulurkan roti itu dan berjalan ke pinggir. Sapi-sapi itu mengikutinya satu per satu. Jalan pun kosong.

"Good work," said Kwame. Emil smiled and jumped back up.

"Kerja bagus," kata Kwame. Emil tersenyum dan melompat naik lagi.

Soon the tractor made a strange sound. Then it stopped. Kwame looked at the tank. "No more fuel," he said.

Tak lama kemudian, traktor mengeluarkan bunyi aneh. Lalu mesinnya mati. Kwame memeriksa tangki. "Bahan bakarnya habis," katanya.

"Do you have more?" asked Emil.

"Apa Bapak punya cadangan?" tanya Emil.

"Yes, there is a can in the barn," said Kwame. "But it is far behind us."

"Ada, satu jeriken di gudang," kata Kwame. "Tapi jauh di belakang kita."

Then they heard a car. Its light came around the bend. A woman stood in the road and waved her arms.

Lalu mereka mendengar suara mobil. Cahayanya muncul dari tikungan. Seorang perempuan berdiri di jalan sambil melambaikan kedua tangannya.

"Hello!" she said. "I am Sunita. I am the doctor. My car is stuck down the road."

"Halo!" katanya. "Saya Sunita. Saya dokter. Mobil saya terjebak di jalan sana."

Kwame and Emil looked at each other. "We need you!" said Emil.

Kwame dan Emil saling berpandangan. "Kami membutuhkan Anda!" kata Emil.

"Who is ill?" asked Sunita.

"Siapa yang sakit?" tanya Sunita.

"My grandmother," said Emil. "She has a fever."

"Nenekku," kata Emil. "Dia demam."

"Then I must go to her now," said Sunita. "Is it far?"

"Kalau begitu saya harus segera ke sana," kata Sunita. "Apa jauh?"

"One hour by tractor," said Kwame. "But we have no fuel."

"Satu jam dengan traktor," kata Kwame. "Tapi kami kehabisan bahan bakar."

Sunita looked at the tractor. She opened her bag. "I have a small can in my car," she said. "My car does not move, but the fuel is fine."

Sunita memandang traktor itu. Ia membuka tasnya. "Saya punya jeriken kecil di mobil," katanya. "Mobil saya tidak bisa jalan, tapi bahan bakarnya baik-baik saja."

They walked together to her car. They took the can and went back to the tractor. Kwame poured the fuel into the tank. The old engine started with a loud noise.

Mereka berjalan bersama ke mobilnya. Mereka mengambil jeriken itu dan kembali ke traktor. Kwame menuangkan bahan bakar ke tangki. Mesin tua itu menyala dengan suara keras.

"Come, Doctor," said Kwame. "Sit here, next to the boy."

"Silakan, Dokter," kata Kwame. "Duduk di sini, di samping anak ini."

Sunita held her bag on her knees. Emil held the lamp high. The tractor moved slowly through the mud and the dark.

Sunita memangku tasnya. Emil mengangkat lampu tinggi-tinggi. Traktor bergerak pelan menembus lumpur dan kegelapan.

At last, they saw the lights of the village. Emil jumped down before the tractor stopped. He ran to the house and opened the door.

Akhirnya, mereka melihat lampu-lampu desa. Emil melompat turun sebelum traktor berhenti. Ia berlari ke rumah dan membuka pintu.

Rosalie lay in bed. She opened her eyes. "Emil? Who is that?" she asked.

Rosalie berbaring di tempat tidur. Ia membuka matanya. "Emil? Itu siapa?" tanyanya.

"Grandmother, this is the doctor," said Emil. "She came on Kwame's tractor."

"Nenek, ini dokternya," kata Emil. "Beliau datang naik traktor Pak Kwame."

Sunita sat down next to the bed. She put her hand on Rosalie's head. "Don't worry," she said. "I have medicine in my bag."

Sunita duduk di samping tempat tidur. Ia meletakkan tangannya di dahi Rosalie. "Jangan khawatir," katanya. "Saya punya obat di tas saya."

Kwame stood at the door with his hat. "Is she very ill?" he asked.

Kwame berdiri di pintu sambil memegang topinya. "Apa dia sakit parah?" tanyanya.

"She is ill, but she is strong," said Sunita. "You came in time."

"Dia sakit, tapi dia kuat," kata Sunita. "Kalian datang tepat waktu."

Then she looked at the tractor outside. "Next time, I bring my own fuel," she said.

Lalu ia memandang traktor di luar. "Lain kali, saya bawa bahan bakar sendiri," katanya.