Along the River

For one second, Ana and the man looked at each other. Then he turned and walked away fast, along the river path, to the left.

Selama satu detik, Ana dan pria itu saling memandang. Lalu pria itu berbalik dan berjalan pergi dengan cepat, menyusuri jalan setapak sungai, ke arah kiri.

“No, no, no,” Ana said. She didn’t think. She ran out of her room and down the stairs in her jumper and her old trainers. She didn’t take a coat.

“Tidak, tidak, tidak,” kata Ana. Dia tidak berpikir. Dia lari keluar dari kamarnya dan menuruni tangga dengan baju hangat dan sepatu olahraga tuanya. Dia tidak membawa mantel.

In the bakery, the radio was on and Walter was at the oven with his back to her. He didn’t hear her. Crumb looked up from the floor, but he didn’t bark. Ana opened the back door very quietly and went out.

Di toko roti, radio menyala dan Walter berada di dekat oven membelakangi dia. Walter tidak mendengar dia. Crumb mendongak dari lantai, tetapi dia tidak menggonggong. Ana membuka pintu belakang dengan sangat pelan dan pergi keluar.

It was very cold outside. The folded paper square was on the step. Ana didn’t stop for it. She ran along the river path, to the left, the same way as the man.

Di luar sangat dingin. Kertas lipat persegi itu ada di anak tangga. Ana tidak berhenti untuk mengambilnya. Dia lari menyusuri jalan setapak sungai, ke arah kiri, ke jalan yang sama dengan pria itu.

The path was dark. There were no lights there, only the moon. Ana could hear the river, and her own feet on the stones. She couldn’t see the man.

Jalan setapak itu gelap. Tidak ada lampu di sana, hanya bulan. Ana bisa mendengar sungai, dan kakinya sendiri di atas batu-batu. Dia tidak bisa melihat pria itu.

“Hello?” she called. “Wait! Please! I only want to talk!”

“Halo?” panggilnya. “Tunggu! Tolong! Aku hanya ingin bicara!”

Nobody answered. She ran on. After five minutes, the path went left, away from the river. Now there was water on both sides. It was the canal.

Tidak ada yang menjawab. Dia terus berlari. Setelah lima menit, jalan setapak itu belok ke kiri, menjauhi sungai. Sekarang ada air di kedua sisi. Itu adalah kanal.

There were narrowboats along the canal, one after the other. Ana remembered them from her walk with Jess: the red boat with the flowers, the blue boat with the bicycle. In the night, they all looked black.

Ada perahu-perahu sempit di sepanjang kanal, satu di belakang yang lain. Ana mengingatnya dari jalan-jalannya bersama Jess: perahu merah dengan bunga-bunga, perahu biru dengan sepeda. Pada malam hari, semuanya terlihat hitam.

She stopped. She listened. A dog barked far away. Water moved against a boat. But there were no steps on the path. The man was gone.

Dia berhenti. Dia mendengarkan. Seekor anjing menggonggong jauh di sana. Air bergerak mengenai perahu. Tetapi tidak ada langkah kaki di jalan setapak. Pria itu pergi.

Ana walked slowly along the boats. Most of them were dark. On one boat, a small light was on, and she could hear music. On another boat, somebody was snoring.

Ana berjalan perlahan menyusuri perahu-perahu itu. Sebagian besar perahu gelap. Di satu perahu, sebuah lampu kecil menyala, dan dia bisa mendengar musik. Di perahu yang lain, seseorang mendengkur.

Then she saw the quiet dark green boat. She remembered it too. She stopped in front of it.

Lalu dia melihat perahu hijau tua yang tenang itu. Dia mengingatnya juga. Dia berhenti di depannya.

On the roof, there wasn’t only one paper square now. There were five or six, in a neat line, under a stone. They were wet from the rain. Brown paper squares, all the same.

Di atas atap, sekarang tidak hanya ada satu kertas persegi. Ada lima atau enam lembar, berderet rapi, di bawah sebuah batu. Kertas-kertas itu basah karena hujan. Kertas cokelat persegi, semuanya sama.

There was no light in the boat. The curtains were closed. Ana stood there for a long time. Was he inside? Was he looking at her now, from behind the curtains?

Tidak ada lampu di perahu itu. Tirai-tirai tertutup. Ana berdiri lama di sana. Apakah pria itu ada di dalam? Apakah dia sedang melihat Ana sekarang, dari balik tirai?

She wanted to knock on the door. She lifted her hand. Then she stopped. It was half past three in the morning. She was alone, in her jumper, at a stranger’s door.

Dia mau mengetuk pintu. Dia mengangkat tangannya. Lalu dia berhenti. Waktu itu pukul setengah empat pagi. Dia sendirian, memakai baju hangatnya, di depan pintu orang asing.