The Twisted Ankle

Greta and Hugo had been hiking toward the summit for nearly four hours. Then disaster struck, right at the steepest part of the trail. Greta stepped on a loose rock and twisted awkwardly. She cried out in pain as her ankle rolled beneath her.

Greta dan Hugo sudah mendaki menuju puncak hampir empat jam. Lalu bencana datang, tepat di bagian jalur yang paling curam. Greta menginjak batu longgar dan terpeleset dengan canggung. Ia menjerit kesakitan ketika pergelangan kakinya terguling di bawahnya.

Hugo rushed over and helped her sit down on a nearby boulder. "How bad is it?" he asked, already reaching for the small first aid kit in his backpack.

Hugo bergegas menghampiri dan membantunya duduk di sebuah batu besar di dekat situ. "Seberapa parah?" tanyanya, sudah meraih kotak P3K kecil di ranselnya.

"It hurts, but I don't think it's broken," Greta said, wincing as she gently rotated her foot. "I can probably still walk on it, just slowly."

"Sakit, tapi kurasa tidak patah," kata Greta sambil meringis, memutar kakinya perlahan. "Mungkin aku masih bisa berjalan, hanya pelan-pelan."

They were less than a mile from the summit. Turning back felt like giving up on something they'd been planning for months. But the trail ahead grew even steeper. Loose gravel covered it, which would be difficult to manage on an injured ankle.

Mereka sudah kurang dari satu mil dari puncak. Berbalik arah terasa seperti menyerah pada sesuatu yang sudah mereka rencanakan berbulan-bulan. Tetapi jalur di depan makin curam. Jalur itu dipenuhi kerikil lepas, yang akan sulit dilalui dengan pergelangan kaki yang cedera.

"We have two choices," Hugo said carefully. "We push on to the top, or we head back down now while your ankle is still manageable."

"Kita punya dua pilihan," kata Hugo hati-hati. "Kita lanjut ke puncak, atau kita turun sekarang selagi pergelangan kakimu masih bisa diatasi."

Greta thought about it for a long moment, testing her weight on the ankle again. The view from the summit had been the whole reason they'd chosen this trail. She hated to miss it over something so small.

Greta berpikir cukup lama, menguji lagi beban pada pergelangan kakinya. Pemandangan dari puncak adalah satu-satunya alasan mereka memilih jalur ini. Ia benci melewatkannya karena sesuatu yang begitu kecil.

"If we go up and it gets worse, we'll be in real trouble coming down," she admitted finally. "I think we should turn back, even though I really don't want to."

"Kalau kita naik dan makin parah, kita akan benar-benar kesulitan waktu turun," akhirnya ia mengaku. "Kurasa kita sebaiknya kembali, meskipun aku sungguh tidak mau."

Hugo nodded, relieved she'd made the sensible choice rather than pushing through out of pride. He wrapped her ankle firmly with a bandage from the kit and offered his arm for support.

Hugo mengangguk, lega Greta mengambil pilihan yang masuk akal dan tidak memaksakan diri karena gengsi. Ia membalut pergelangan kaki Greta dengan kuat memakai perban dari kotak itu dan menawarkan lengannya sebagai penopang.

The walk down took nearly twice as long as usual, with frequent stops to rest. By the time they reached the car, Greta's ankle had swollen noticeably, but nothing worse had happened.

Perjalanan turun memakan waktu hampir dua kali lipat dari biasanya, dengan sering berhenti untuk beristirahat. Ketika mereka sampai di mobil, pergelangan kaki Greta sudah bengkak jelas, tetapi tak ada hal yang lebih buruk terjadi.

"There's always next summer," Hugo said, helping her into the passenger seat. Greta managed a tired smile. "Next time, I'm definitely wearing better boots."

"Masih ada musim panas tahun depan," kata Hugo sambil membantunya duduk di kursi penumpang. Greta berhasil tersenyum lelah. "Lain kali, aku pasti memakai sepatu bot yang lebih bagus."