The Book That Kept Coming Back

Bianca works at her school library after class. Every Tuesday, she puts books back on the shelves. One book always came back to the returned cart. But no one ever checked it out at the desk.

Bianca bekerja di perpustakaan sekolahnya sepulang pelajaran. Setiap hari Selasa, ia menata kembali buku-buku ke rak. Ada satu buku yang selalu muncul di kereta buku kembalian. Tetapi tidak pernah ada yang meminjamnya di meja peminjaman.

Bianca thought it was strange. She asked the head librarian about it. "That's odd," the librarian said. "Maybe someone reads it here and leaves it on the cart."

Bianca merasa itu aneh. Ia menanyakannya kepada kepala pustakawan. "Aneh juga," kata pustakawan itu. "Mungkin ada yang membacanya di sini lalu meninggalkannya di kereta itu."

The next Tuesday, Bianca watched the study tables quietly. A boy from her math class sat near the poetry section. He read the same book for almost an hour. Bianca recognized him as Cormac, a quiet boy in her class.

Pada Selasa berikutnya, Bianca mengamati meja-meja belajar dengan diam-diam. Seorang anak laki-laki dari kelas matematikanya duduk di dekat bagian puisi. Ia membaca buku yang sama selama hampir satu jam. Bianca mengenalinya sebagai Cormac, anak laki-laki pendiam di kelasnya.

When Cormac finished, he put the book on a table. Bianca walked over and picked it up. "Hi, I'm Bianca," she said. "I noticed you read this book every week."

Ketika Cormac selesai, ia meletakkan buku itu di atas meja. Bianca menghampiri dan mengambilnya. "Hai, aku Bianca," katanya. "Aku perhatikan kamu membaca buku ini setiap minggu."

Cormac's face turned red. "Sorry," he said. "I don't like checking books out at the desk. People always ask about my book."

Wajah Cormac memerah. "Maaf," katanya. "Aku tidak suka meminjam buku di meja peminjaman. Orang-orang selalu menanyakan bukuku."

"That's okay," Bianca said. "You can read it here anytime. I'll put it back on the same shelf for you."

"Tidak apa-apa," kata Bianca. "Kamu boleh membacanya di sini kapan saja. Aku akan menaruhnya kembali di rak yang sama untukmu."

"Really?" Cormac asked, surprised. "Really," Bianca said with a smile. Cormac opened the book again and began to read.

"Sungguh?" tanya Cormac, terkejut. "Sungguh," kata Bianca sambil tersenyum. Cormac membuka buku itu lagi dan mulai membaca.