The Thursday Stop

Tamsin took bus nine home from work every day. The ride was long. She knew every stop by heart.

Tamsin naik bus sembilan untuk pulang kerja setiap hari. Perjalanannya panjang. Dia hafal setiap halte.

One Thursday, the bus driver spoke. His name was Wiktor. He had a kind, tired voice.

Pada suatu hari Kamis, sopir bus itu berbicara. Namanya Wiktor. Suaranya ramah dan terdengar lelah.

"Next stop, Lamp Street," he said.

"Halte berikutnya, Jalan Lampu," katanya.

Tamsin looked up. "There is no Lamp Street," she said.

Tamsin mendongak. "Tidak ada Jalan Lampu," katanya.

"There is," said Wiktor. "But only on Thursdays."

"Ada," kata Wiktor. "Tapi hanya pada hari Kamis."

The bus stopped. The doors opened with a soft sound. Outside, she saw a small square and one tall lamp. A long table stood under the light.

Bus berhenti. Pintu-pintunya terbuka dengan bunyi pelan. Di luar, dia melihat sebuah lapangan kecil dan satu lampu tinggi. Sebuah meja panjang berdiri di bawah cahayanya.

Tamsin looked at the empty seats on the bus. Nobody else moved. She got off.

Tamsin memandang kursi-kursi kosong di dalam bus. Tidak ada penumpang lain yang bergerak. Dia turun.

The air was warm. The square was quiet. On the table, she saw many things. There were gloves, keys, books, and umbrellas. There was a blue hat and a yellow bag.

Udaranya hangat. Lapangan itu sunyi. Di atas meja, dia melihat banyak barang. Ada sarung tangan, kunci, buku, dan payung. Ada topi biru dan tas kuning.

A woman sat behind the table. She wore a green coat. "Good evening," she said. "My name is Anouk."

Seorang perempuan duduk di balik meja. Dia memakai mantel hijau. "Selamat malam," katanya. "Nama saya Anouk."

"What is this place?" Tamsin asked.

"Tempat apa ini?" tanya Tamsin.

"This is the stop for lost things," said Anouk. "Everything people lose on the bus comes here."

"Ini halte untuk barang-barang yang hilang," kata Anouk. "Semua yang hilang di bus datang ke sini."

"Everything?" asked Tamsin.

"Semuanya?" tanya Tamsin.

"Yes, everything. But the stop is open only one night each week."

"Ya, semuanya. Tapi halte ini hanya buka satu malam setiap minggu."

Tamsin walked along the table. She looked at every thing. Then she stopped. Her heart jumped.

Tamsin berjalan menyusuri meja. Dia memperhatikan setiap barang. Lalu dia berhenti. Jantungnya melonjak.

"My red scarf!" she said. "I lost it last winter."

"Syal merahku!" katanya. "Aku kehilangannya musim dingin lalu."

"Then it is yours," said Anouk. She gave Tamsin the scarf. It was soft and clean. It smelled like her old home.

"Kalau begitu itu milikmu," kata Anouk. Dia memberikan syal itu kepada Tamsin. Syal itu lembut dan bersih. Baunya seperti rumah lamanya.

"Thank you," said Tamsin. She put it around her neck.

"Terima kasih," kata Tamsin. Dia melilitkannya di lehernya.

Just then, a small boy ran into the square. He was about six years old. His face was wet with tears.

Tepat saat itu, seorang anak laki-laki kecil berlari ke lapangan. Usianya sekitar enam tahun. Wajahnya basah oleh air mata.

"I lost my train," he said. "It is a little wooden train."

"Kereta apiku hilang," katanya. "Kereta api kayu kecil."

"This is Cosimo," said Anouk. "He comes here every Thursday."

"Ini Cosimo," kata Anouk. "Dia datang ke sini setiap hari Kamis."

"Every Thursday?" asked Tamsin. "Why?"

"Setiap hari Kamis?" tanya Tamsin. "Kenapa?"

"He loses something every week," said Anouk, and she smiled. "He is a very busy boy."

"Dia kehilangan sesuatu setiap minggu," kata Anouk, dan dia tersenyum. "Dia anak yang sangat sibuk."

Cosimo looked at the table. He did not see his train. His mouth shook.

Cosimo memandang meja. Dia tidak melihat kereta apinya. Mulutnya bergetar.

"Let me help," said Tamsin. "We can look together."

"Biar kubantu," kata Tamsin. "Kita bisa mencari bersama."

They looked under the books. They looked behind the bags. They looked inside the hat.

Mereka mencari di bawah buku-buku. Mereka mencari di balik tas-tas. Mereka mencari di dalam topi.

"I see something," said Cosimo. He pointed under a big umbrella.

"Aku melihat sesuatu," kata Cosimo. Dia menunjuk ke bawah sebuah payung besar.

It was a little red wooden train. Cosimo took it and held it tight.

Itu kereta api kayu kecil berwarna merah. Cosimo mengambilnya dan memeluknya erat.

"Thank you!" he said. His smile was very big.

"Terima kasih!" katanya. Senyumnya lebar sekali.

Wiktor called from the bus. "Last call! The bus goes in one minute."

Wiktor memanggil dari bus. "Panggilan terakhir! Bus berangkat satu menit lagi."

Tamsin looked at Anouk. "Will the stop be here next week?" she asked.

Tamsin menatap Anouk. "Apakah halte ini akan ada di sini minggu depan?" tanyanya.

"Yes," said Anouk. "Every Thursday, when the lamp is on."

"Ya," kata Anouk. "Setiap hari Kamis, saat lampunya menyala."

"Does it move to other streets?" asked Tamsin.

"Apakah halte ini berpindah ke jalan lain?" tanya Tamsin.

"No. It stays here. But you must ride the bus on Thursday. That is the rule."

"Tidak. Halte ini tetap di sini. Tapi Anda harus naik bus pada hari Kamis. Itu aturannya."

Tamsin thought about the rule. She liked it. Other days, the stop was not there. Only on Thursday did the door open for lost things.

Tamsin memikirkan aturan itu. Dia menyukainya. Pada hari-hari lain, halte itu tidak ada. Hanya pada hari Kamis pintunya terbuka untuk barang-barang yang hilang.

"Goodbye, Tamsin," said Anouk.

"Selamat tinggal, Tamsin," kata Anouk.

"Goodbye," said Tamsin. "Goodbye, Cosimo."

"Selamat tinggal," kata Tamsin. "Selamat tinggal, Cosimo."

Cosimo waved his little train. "See you on Thursday!" he said.

Cosimo melambaikan kereta api kecilnya. "Sampai jumpa hari Kamis!" katanya.

Tamsin got back on the bus. She sat by the window. The doors closed. The bus began to move.

Tamsin naik lagi ke bus. Dia duduk di dekat jendela. Pintu-pintu menutup. Bus mulai bergerak.

She looked back at the square. The lamp was bright. Then the street turned, and the lamp was gone.

Dia menoleh ke belakang, ke arah lapangan. Lampunya terang. Lalu jalan berbelok, dan lampu itu pun menghilang.

On Friday, Tamsin rode the bus again. Wiktor did not say a word about Lamp Street. She looked out of the window. There was only the old, plain road.

Pada hari Jumat, Tamsin naik bus lagi. Wiktor tidak mengatakan sepatah kata pun tentang Jalan Lampu. Dia memandang ke luar jendela. Yang ada hanya jalan lama yang biasa.

She touched the red scarf around her neck. Then she took out her pen. On her hand, she wrote one word.

Dia menyentuh syal merah di lehernya. Lalu dia mengeluarkan penanya. Di tangannya, dia menulis satu kata.

Thursday.

Kamis.