The Postcards from Nowhere

Owen's family moved into their new house just two months ago. Since then, postcards keep arriving addressed to someone named Priscilla Hart. The first one shows a beach with a short note: "Wish you were here! Miss our summer walks. Love, G." Owen assumes it's simply a mistake and leaves it on the counter.

Keluarga Owen pindah ke rumah baru mereka baru dua bulan lalu. Sejak itu, kartu pos terus berdatangan, ditujukan kepada seseorang bernama Priscilla Hart. Yang pertama menunjukkan sebuah pantai dengan catatan singkat: "Andai kamu di sini! Rindu jalan-jalan musim panas kita. Salam sayang, G." Owen mengira itu hanya kekeliruan dan meninggalkannya di atas meja dapur.

But another postcard arrives the following week, and then another the week after that. Each one is signed differently, but they all mention memories Owen doesn't recognize. There's a garden, a dog named Biscuit, and a trip to the mountains. His younger sister Nora starts to find it a little unsettling.

Tetapi kartu pos lain tiba minggu berikutnya, lalu satu lagi minggu sesudahnya. Masing-masing ditandatangani berbeda, tetapi semuanya menyebut kenangan yang tidak Owen kenali. Ada sebuah taman, seekor anjing bernama Biscuit, dan sebuah perjalanan ke pegunungan. Adik perempuannya, Nora, mulai merasa itu agak meresahkan.

"Maybe someone is sending secret messages," Nora says one evening, clearly more excited than worried. "Or maybe this Priscilla person is missing and nobody has told us."

"Mungkin ada yang mengirim pesan rahasia," kata Nora suatu malam, jelas lebih bersemangat daripada khawatir. "Atau mungkin Priscilla ini hilang dan tak seorang pun memberi tahu kita."

Owen isn't convinced by his sister's dramatic theories, but even he has to admit the pattern is strange. He decides to look up the previous owner of the house. A quick search shows that a woman named Priscilla Hart lived there for almost thirty years. She later moved into a retirement community across town.

Owen tidak terbujuk oleh teori dramatis adiknya, tetapi bahkan ia harus mengakui bahwa polanya aneh. Ia memutuskan mencari tahu pemilik rumah sebelumnya. Pencarian singkat menunjukkan bahwa seorang perempuan bernama Priscilla Hart tinggal di sana hampir tiga puluh tahun. Belakangan ia pindah ke komunitas pensiunan di seberang kota.

Once Owen has her new address, he visits the retirement home. He brings the whole stack of postcards to the front desk. The woman at the desk recognizes the name immediately and smiles.

Begitu Owen mendapat alamat barunya, ia mengunjungi panti pensiunan itu. Ia membawa seluruh tumpukan kartu pos ke meja resepsionis. Perempuan di meja itu langsung mengenali namanya dan tersenyum.

"Oh, these are from her sister," she explains. "They've been writing to each other for years. Her sister just still uses the old address out of habit. I'll make sure Priscilla gets them today."

"Oh, ini dari saudara perempuannya," jelasnya. "Mereka sudah bertahun-tahun saling berkirim surat. Saudaranya itu hanya masih memakai alamat lama karena kebiasaan. Saya akan memastikan Priscilla menerimanya hari ini."

Owen feels a small wave of relief, mixed with something else. He's a little sorry the mystery has such a simple answer. Nora, on the other hand, is delighted to hear that Priscilla has a dog named Biscuit. She insists they should visit sometime.

Owen merasakan gelombang kecil kelegaan, bercampur dengan sesuatu yang lain. Ia agak menyesal misteri itu punya jawaban sesederhana ini. Nora, sebaliknya, senang mendengar bahwa Priscilla punya anjing bernama Biscuit. Ia berkeras mereka harus berkunjung suatu saat.

A few weeks later, a new postcard arrives, this time addressed correctly to Owen's family. It's from Priscilla herself, thanking them for their kindness and inviting them over for tea.

Beberapa minggu kemudian, sebuah kartu pos baru tiba, kali ini ditujukan dengan benar kepada keluarga Owen. Kartu itu dari Priscilla sendiri, berterima kasih atas kebaikan mereka dan mengundang mereka datang minum teh.