The Ski Trip Whiteout

Hazel is on a school ski trip, her first time attempting a run longer than the beginner slopes. She and her friend Orla start down together, laughing about how blue the sky looks above the mountain.

Hazel sedang ikut karyawisata ski sekolah, pertama kalinya ia mencoba lintasan yang lebih panjang daripada lereng pemula. Ia dan temannya, Orla, mulai meluncur turun bersama, tertawa betapa birunya langit di atas gunung.

Halfway down, thick cloud rolls in suddenly, swallowing the trail markers ahead of them. Orla, always the faster skier, disappears into the white ahead before Hazel can call out to her. Within seconds, Hazel can barely see more than a few meters in any direction.

Di tengah jalan, awan tebal tiba-tiba datang bergulung, menelan penanda jalur di depan mereka. Orla, yang selalu lebih cepat, lenyap ke dalam kabut putih di depan sebelum Hazel sempat memanggilnya. Dalam hitungan detik, Hazel nyaris tak bisa melihat lebih dari beberapa meter ke segala arah.

She stops completely, breathing hard. She remembers what the trip leader said during yesterday's safety talk. If visibility drops suddenly, he said, stay where you are. Look for the orange trail poles instead of guessing at the slope's edge.

Ia berhenti total, napasnya tersengal. Ia teringat apa yang dikatakan pemimpin rombongan saat penyuluhan keselamatan kemarin. Kalau jarak pandang mendadak turun, katanya, tetaplah di tempat. Carilah tiang jalur berwarna oranye, jangan menebak-nebak tepi lereng.

Hazel spots a pole a short distance to her left, half-hidden in the mist. She skis carefully toward it. From there, she can just make out another pole further down, and then another. She moves slowly from marker to marker, checking each one before continuing. Every part of her wants to hurry.

Hazel melihat sebuah tiang tak jauh di sebelah kirinya, setengah tersembunyi di kabut. Ia meluncur hati-hati ke arahnya. Dari sana, ia bisa samar-samar melihat tiang lain lebih jauh di bawah, lalu satu lagi. Ia bergerak pelan dari penanda ke penanda, memeriksa setiap tiang sebelum melanjutkan. Seluruh tubuhnya ingin cepat-cepat.

After what feels like a very long ten minutes, a figure appears through the fog. He wears a red jacket. He is a ski patroller named Anton, sweeping the run during the sudden weather change. "You're doing exactly the right thing," he tells her, clearly relieved to find her calm.

Setelah sepuluh menit yang terasa sangat lama, sesosok orang muncul dari balik kabut. Ia mengenakan jaket merah. Ia petugas patroli ski bernama Anton, yang menyisir lintasan saat cuaca tiba-tiba berubah. "Kamu melakukan hal yang persis benar," katanya, jelas lega mendapati Hazel tetap tenang.

He skis alongside her the rest of the way down, chatting easily to keep her calm. They reach the lodge at the bottom, where the fog is thinner. The world reappears in full color again.

Ia meluncur di samping Hazel sepanjang sisa perjalanan turun, mengobrol santai agar Hazel tetap tenang. Mereka tiba di pondok di bawah, tempat kabutnya lebih tipis. Dunia kembali tampak dalam warna penuh.

Orla is waiting anxiously by the entrance. She had reached the bottom minutes earlier and realized only then that Hazel wasn't behind her. The two friends hug, both talking at once, before Hazel finally gets a full sentence out. "I followed the poles," she says. "Just like they told us to."

Orla menunggu dengan cemas di dekat pintu masuk. Ia sudah sampai di bawah beberapa menit sebelumnya dan baru saat itu sadar Hazel tidak ada di belakangnya. Kedua sahabat itu berpelukan, keduanya bicara bersamaan, sebelum Hazel akhirnya bisa mengucapkan satu kalimat utuh. "Aku mengikuti tiang-tiangnya," katanya. "Persis seperti yang dikatakan kepada kita."