The Sketchbook at the Dog Park

Brielle took her dog to the park at seven. She went every morning. The dog was a brown dog named Pickle. He was small, fast, and very silly.

Brielle membawa anjingnya ke taman pada pukul tujuh. Ia pergi setiap pagi. Anjing itu berwarna cokelat dan bernama Pickle. Badannya kecil, larinya cepat, dan tingkahnya sangat lucu.

The park had a green fence. It also had a long bench. On the bench sat a man with a sketchbook. He was there every day. He drew the dogs. He did not talk to anyone.

Taman itu punya pagar hijau. Ada juga bangku panjang. Di bangku itu duduk seorang pria dengan buku sketsa. Ia ada di sana setiap hari. Ia menggambar anjing-anjing. Ia tidak berbicara dengan siapa pun.

Brielle watched him for two weeks. He drew a big white dog. He drew a dog with one ear. He drew a tiny dog in a red coat. His pencil moved fast.

Brielle memperhatikannya selama dua minggu. Pria itu menggambar seekor anjing putih yang besar. Ia menggambar anjing yang telinganya hanya satu. Ia menggambar anjing mungil berjaket merah. Pensilnya bergerak cepat.

"Is he drawing me?" Brielle thought. "No. He draws the dogs."

"Apa dia menggambar aku?" pikir Brielle. "Tidak. Dia menggambar anjing-anjing."

On Monday, Pickle ran to the bench. He jumped up. He put his nose on the man's bag. Brielle ran after him.

Pada hari Senin, Pickle berlari ke bangku itu. Ia melompat naik. Ia menaruh hidungnya di tas pria itu. Brielle berlari mengejarnya.

"I am so sorry," she said. "Pickle, no!"

"Maaf sekali," katanya. "Pickle, jangan!"

The man laughed. "It is fine," he said. "He smells my sandwich."

Pria itu tertawa. "Tidak apa-apa," katanya. "Dia mencium bau roti isiku."

"He smells everything," said Brielle. "I am Brielle."

"Dia mencium semuanya," kata Brielle. "Aku Brielle."

"I am Cedric."

"Aku Cedric."

Pickle sat down on Cedric's shoe. He looked up with big eyes. Cedric gave him a small piece of bread. Brielle said, "Please do not do that. He will want it every day."

Pickle duduk di atas sepatu Cedric. Ia menengadah dengan mata besar. Cedric memberinya sepotong kecil roti. Brielle berkata, "Tolong jangan begitu. Nanti dia minta setiap hari."

"Then he will come every day," Cedric said.

"Kalau begitu, dia akan datang setiap hari," kata Cedric.

Brielle felt her face get warm. She looked at the sketchbook on the bench. "May I see your drawings?"

Wajah Brielle terasa hangat. Ia menatap buku sketsa di bangku. "Boleh aku lihat gambarmu?"

"Yes," said Cedric. He gave her the book.

"Boleh," kata Cedric. Ia memberikan buku itu padanya.

She turned the pages slowly. There were many dogs. Every dog had a different face. Some looked happy. Some looked tired. One looked angry about a ball.

Brielle membalik halamannya pelan-pelan. Ada banyak anjing. Setiap anjing punya wajah yang berbeda. Ada yang tampak senang. Ada yang tampak lelah. Satu tampak marah gara-gara sebuah bola.

On the last page, there was a small brown dog. He had a long nose and one ear up. He ran across the grass.

Di halaman terakhir, ada seekor anjing cokelat kecil. Hidungnya panjang dan satu telinganya tegak. Ia berlari melintasi rumput.

"That is Pickle!" Brielle said.

"Itu Pickle!" kata Brielle.

"Yes," said Cedric. "He is my favorite. He runs like a small horse."

"Ya," kata Cedric. "Dia favoritku. Larinya seperti kuda kecil."

"You draw him every day?"

"Kamu menggambarnya setiap hari?"

"Not every day," Cedric said. "Only the days he runs."

"Tidak setiap hari," kata Cedric. "Hanya pada hari-hari dia berlari."

Brielle laughed. "He runs every day."

Brielle tertawa. "Dia berlari setiap hari."

Cedric went red. He looked at his hands. "I know," he said.

Wajah Cedric memerah. Ia menunduk menatap tangannya. "Aku tahu," katanya.

For a moment, nobody spoke. The wind moved the leaves. Pickle snored on the shoe.

Sejenak tak ada yang bicara. Angin menggerakkan dedaunan. Pickle mendengkur di atas sepatu itu.

"I want to ask something," Cedric said. "Can I draw you too? Only your hand with the leash. People are hard for me."

"Ada yang ingin kutanyakan," kata Cedric. "Boleh aku menggambarmu juga? Hanya tanganmu yang memegang tali. Menggambar orang itu sulit bagiku."

"My hand?"

"Tanganku?"

"Yes. Hands are easier."

"Ya. Tangan lebih mudah."

Brielle sat on the bench. She held the leash out. Cedric drew for ten minutes. She did not move. Pickle slept. The sun came over the fence.

Brielle duduk di bangku. Ia mengulurkan tali anjingnya. Cedric menggambar selama sepuluh menit. Brielle tidak bergerak. Pickle tertidur. Matahari naik melewati pagar.

Then Cedric turned the book. The drawing showed a hand and a leash. A small dog sat at the end. The dog looked up at the hand with love.

Lalu Cedric memutar bukunya. Gambar itu memperlihatkan sebuah tangan dan seutas tali. Di ujungnya duduk seekor anjing kecil. Anjing itu menengadah menatap tangan itu dengan penuh sayang.

"It is very good," Brielle said. "Can I keep it?"

"Bagus sekali," kata Brielle. "Boleh aku simpan?"

Cedric tore the page out carefully. He wrote something in the corner. Then he gave it to her.

Cedric merobek halaman itu dengan hati-hati. Ia menulis sesuatu di sudutnya. Lalu ia memberikannya pada Brielle.

She read the words. They said, "Saturday, seven o'clock. Bring Pickle. Bring your face too."

Brielle membaca tulisan itu. Bunyinya, "Sabtu, pukul tujuh. Bawa Pickle. Bawa wajahmu juga."

Brielle looked up. Cedric looked at the grass.

Brielle mendongak. Cedric menatap rumput.

"I will bring both," she said.

"Aku akan membawa keduanya," katanya.

She put the page in her bag. Pickle woke up and shook his ears. Then he pulled her toward the gate. She waved at Cedric the whole way.

Ia memasukkan kertas itu ke dalam tasnya. Pickle bangun dan mengibaskan telinganya. Lalu ia menarik Brielle menuju gerbang. Sepanjang jalan, Brielle melambaikan tangan pada Cedric.