The Paintbrush from the Flea Market

On Sunday, Willa bought an old paintbrush. She found it at the flea market. It cost two coins. The handle was dark wood. The hairs were soft and blue at the tips. The woman at the stall said only one thing. "It likes to paint what is true."

Pada hari Minggu, Willa membeli sebuah kuas tua. Ia menemukannya di pasar loak. Harganya dua koin. Gagangnya dari kayu gelap. Bulunya lembut dan ujungnya berwarna biru. Perempuan penjaga lapak itu hanya mengatakan satu hal. "Kuas ini suka melukis apa yang benar."

Willa did not understand. But the brush felt good in her hand. So she bought it.

Willa tidak mengerti. Tetapi kuas itu terasa nyaman di tangannya. Jadi ia membelinya.

On Wednesday, she went to her painting class. It was in the park. The teacher put a bowl of apples on a table. Everyone sat on the grass with paper and paint.

Pada hari Rabu, ia pergi ke kelas melukis. Kelasnya di taman. Guru meletakkan semangkuk apel di atas meja. Semua orang duduk di rumput dengan kertas dan cat.

Willa dipped the new brush in water. She drew a gray cloud at the top. It was a small cloud. She made it softer with one stroke.

Willa mencelupkan kuas barunya ke air. Ia menggambar awan kelabu di bagian atas. Awannya kecil. Ia membuatnya lebih lembut dengan satu sapuan.

Then something touched her hand. It was cold and wet. She looked at the paper. A small drop of water sat on the cloud. She looked up at the sky. It was clear and blue.

Lalu ada sesuatu yang menyentuh tangannya. Dingin dan basah. Ia melihat kertasnya. Setetes air kecil terletak di atas awan itu. Ia menengadah ke langit. Langit cerah dan biru.

"That is strange," she said to herself.

"Aneh sekali," katanya pada dirinya sendiri.

She put the brush in the yellow paint. She made a sun. The paper grew warm under her hand. It felt like a cup of tea. She smiled.

Ia mencelupkan kuas ke cat kuning dan melukis matahari. Kertas itu terasa hangat di bawah tangannya. Rasanya seperti secangkir teh. Ia tersenyum.

"What a nice sun," said the girl next to her. The girl's name was Nora. "Mine looks like a lemon."

"Mataharinya bagus," kata gadis di sebelahnya. Nama gadis itu Nora. "Punyaku mirip lemon."

Willa wanted to say, "Mine is a magic sun." But she kept quiet.

Willa ingin berkata, "Punyaku matahari ajaib." Tetapi ia diam saja.

Next, she painted a small blue bird on a branch. She finished the last feather. Then she heard a sound. It was very quiet. It was just one note. Tweet.

Selanjutnya, ia melukis burung biru kecil di sebuah dahan. Ia menyelesaikan bulu yang terakhir. Lalu ia mendengar sebuah bunyi. Sangat pelan. Hanya satu nada. Cuit.

Willa looked around. No one else heard it. The teacher walked past and looked at the apples. The other students bent over their papers.

Willa menoleh ke sekeliling. Tidak ada orang lain yang mendengarnya. Guru berjalan lewat dan memandangi apel-apel itu. Murid-murid lain menunduk di atas kertas mereka.

Willa laughed softly. The old woman was right. The brush painted what was true. Or maybe it made true what she painted. She did not know. She only knew she loved it.

Willa tertawa pelan. Perempuan tua itu benar. Kuas itu melukis apa yang benar. Atau mungkin kuas itu membuat apa yang ia lukis menjadi nyata. Ia tidak tahu. Ia hanya tahu bahwa ia menyukainya.

She painted a tiny house. A light came on in its window.

Ia melukis sebuah rumah mungil. Sebuah lampu menyala di jendelanya.

After half an hour, Nora called out, "Oh no!" Her painting was wet. Her red apple ran down the paper in long lines. A cloud sat over the picture, and it rained. Willa saw her own gray cloud on Nora's paper. The brush was still in her hand.

Setengah jam kemudian, Nora berseru, "Aduh!" Lukisannya basah. Apel merahnya meleleh turun di kertas dalam garis-garis panjang. Sebuah awan menggantung di atas lukisan itu, dan hujan turun. Willa melihat awan kelabunya sendiri di kertas Nora. Kuas itu masih di tangannya.

"I am so sorry," Willa said. "My brush did that."

"Maaf sekali," kata Willa. "Itu perbuatan kuasku."

"Your brush?" Nora asked. "Don't be silly. The paper is just wet."

"Kuasmu?" tanya Nora. "Jangan bercanda. Kertasnya cuma basah."

Willa did not argue. She painted a bright sun on her own paper. Then she held the brush over Nora's picture. A warm light fell on it. Slowly, the paper dried. The red apple stopped running. Nora's mouth fell open.

Willa tidak membantah. Ia melukis matahari yang terang di kertasnya sendiri. Lalu ia menahan kuas itu di atas lukisan Nora. Cahaya hangat jatuh di atasnya. Perlahan, kertas itu mengering. Apel merahnya berhenti meleleh. Nora ternganga.

"How did you do that?" she said.

"Bagaimana kamu melakukannya?" katanya.

"I think it is a good brush," said Willa.

"Kurasa ini kuas yang bagus," kata Willa.

At the end, the teacher walked around the circle. She stopped at Willa's painting. It showed the sun and the cloud. It showed the bird and the house. The teacher looked at it for a long time.

Di akhir kelas, guru berjalan mengelilingi lingkaran murid. Ia berhenti di depan lukisan Willa. Lukisan itu menampilkan matahari dan awan. Ada burung dan rumah. Guru memandanginya lama sekali.

"This is very alive," she said quietly.

"Lukisan ini sangat hidup," katanya pelan.

Willa dipped the brush in brown paint one more time. She painted a small cup of tea. The smell of mint filled the air. She lifted the paper. She slid it across the grass to her teacher.

Willa mencelupkan kuas ke cat cokelat sekali lagi. Ia melukis secangkir teh kecil. Aroma mint memenuhi udara. Ia mengangkat kertasnya. Ia menggesernya melintasi rumput ke arah gurunya.

The teacher picked up the cup. She smiled and took a sip.

Guru itu mengambil cangkirnya. Ia tersenyum dan menyesap tehnya.