Twelve Sheep, One Bridge

Joaquin works on a sheep farm in the hills. He has twelve sheep and one old dog. The dog is called Nube. She is grey and slow, but she knows her job.

Joaquin bekerja di peternakan domba di perbukitan. Ia punya dua belas domba dan seekor anjing tua. Anjing itu bernama Nube. Bulunya abu-abu dan gerakannya lambat, tetapi ia tahu tugasnya.

This morning, the sky is dark in the west. Joaquin looks at it and shakes his head. "Rain by noon," he says. "Maybe a big storm."

Pagi ini, langit di barat tampak gelap. Joaquin menatapnya dan menggeleng. "Hujan sebelum tengah hari," katanya. "Mungkin badai besar."

The sheep are in the high field. Their grass is almost gone. Across the stream, the low field has fresh green grass. Today is the day to move them.

Domba-domba itu ada di ladang atas. Rumput mereka hampir habis. Di seberang sungai kecil, ladang bawah punya rumput hijau segar. Hari ini saatnya memindahkan mereka.

Joaquin walks up the hill with Nube. The sheep look up. They are white and round. They all chew at the same time.

Joaquin berjalan mendaki bukit bersama Nube. Domba-domba mendongak. Mereka putih dan bulat. Mereka semua mengunyah pada saat yang sama.

"Come on, ladies," he says. "Breakfast is on the other side."

"Ayo, nona-nona," katanya. "Sarapan ada di seberang sana."

The path goes down to the stream. A small wooden bridge crosses the water. It is old, but it is strong. The sheep stop in front of it.

Jalan setapak menurun ke sungai kecil. Sebuah jembatan kayu kecil melintasi air. Jembatan itu tua, tetapi kuat. Domba-domba berhenti di depannya.

Joaquin walks onto the bridge. "See? It is fine," he says.

Joaquin melangkah ke jembatan. "Lihat? Tidak apa-apa," katanya.

The sheep do not move. A big sheep looks at the stream. She does not like it. Her name is Dama, and she is the leader. If Dama stays, all the sheep stay.

Domba-domba itu tidak bergerak. Seekor domba besar menatap sungai. Ia tidak menyukainya. Namanya Dama, dan ia pemimpin kawanan. Kalau Dama tinggal, semua domba ikut tinggal.

Nube runs behind the group and barks once. She is slow, but the sheep listen to her. The sheep push closer together. But nobody goes onto the bridge.

Nube berlari ke belakang kawanan dan menyalak sekali. Ia lambat, tetapi domba-domba mendengarkannya. Domba-domba itu merapat. Tetapi tak ada yang naik ke jembatan.

"Okay," says Joaquin. "Plan two."

"Baiklah," kata Joaquin. "Rencana kedua."

He gets a bucket of grain from the truck. He shakes it, and the grain makes a nice sound. The sheep lift their heads. Joaquin stands on the bridge and holds out the bucket. Dama puts one foot on the first board. Then she steps back.

Ia mengambil seember biji-bijian dari truk. Ia mengocoknya, dan biji-bijian itu berbunyi merdu. Domba-domba mengangkat kepala. Joaquin berdiri di jembatan dan mengulurkan ember itu. Dama menaruh satu kaki di papan pertama. Lalu ia mundur.

"Not today?" says Joaquin. He looks at the sky. It is darker now. A cold wind moves the grass.

"Tidak hari ini?" kata Joaquin. Ia memandang langit. Sekarang langit lebih gelap. Angin dingin menggerakkan rumput.

"Plan three," he says.

"Rencana ketiga," katanya.

He takes an old blanket from the truck. He lays it over the boards of the bridge. Now the bridge looks soft, like a road of wool.

Ia mengambil selimut tua dari truk. Ia membentangkannya di atas papan-papan jembatan. Sekarang jembatan itu tampak empuk, seperti jalan dari wol.

Dama puts her nose down and smells the blanket. It smells like the farm. She walks onto it slowly. One step, two steps, three steps.

Dama menurunkan hidungnya dan mengendus selimut itu. Baunya seperti peternakan. Ia berjalan ke atasnya dengan pelan. Satu langkah, dua langkah, tiga langkah.

Then the second sheep follows. The third. The fourth. Soon the sheep run across in a line. Their feet go tap, tap, tap on the wood.

Lalu domba kedua mengikuti. Yang ketiga. Yang keempat. Tak lama kemudian domba-domba berlari menyeberang dalam satu barisan. Kaki mereka berbunyi tap, tap, tap di atas kayu.

Joaquin counts them. "Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven." He stops. "Eleven?"

Joaquin menghitung mereka. "Tujuh, delapan, sembilan, sepuluh, sebelas." Ia berhenti. "Sebelas?"

He counts again. Eleven. One sheep is not here.

Ia menghitung lagi. Sebelas. Satu domba tidak ada di sini.

Nube lifts her nose and looks back up the hill. Then she runs away. Joaquin follows her to the high field. Behind a tall rock, a small sheep stands alone. Her foot is in a hole in the ground. She calls out in a thin voice.

Nube mengangkat hidungnya dan menoleh ke bukit. Lalu ia berlari pergi. Joaquin mengikutinya ke ladang atas. Di balik sebuah batu tinggi, seekor domba kecil berdiri sendirian. Kakinya terjepit di sebuah lubang di tanah. Ia mengembik dengan suara lirih.

Joaquin kneels. He holds the small sheep and moves her foot slowly. It comes out of the hole. She stands up, shakes, and looks at him.

Joaquin berlutut. Ia memegang domba kecil itu dan menggerakkan kakinya pelan-pelan. Kaki itu keluar dari lubang. Domba itu berdiri, mengibaskan badan, dan menatapnya.

"You are a lucky girl," he says. He carries her down the hill in his arms.

"Kamu anak yang beruntung," katanya. Ia menggendongnya menuruni bukit.

At the bridge, the first drops of rain fall. Joaquin puts the little sheep down on the blanket. She runs after her friends.

Di jembatan, tetes-tetes hujan pertama jatuh. Joaquin menurunkan domba kecil itu di atas selimut. Ia berlari menyusul teman-temannya.

He counts again. "Twelve."

Ia menghitung lagi. "Dua belas."

Rain falls hard on the hills. Joaquin picks up the blanket. He puts it over his head. Then he walks across the bridge with Nube. He laughs in the storm.

Hujan turun deras di perbukitan. Joaquin mengambil selimut itu. Ia menaruhnya di atas kepalanya. Lalu ia berjalan menyeberangi jembatan bersama Nube. Ia tertawa di tengah badai.