The Borrowed Ladder

Amina hears a knock on her door. Her neighbor stands outside, looking worried. "Can I borrow your ladder?" he asks.

Amina mendengar ketukan di pintunya. Tetangganya berdiri di luar dengan wajah cemas. "Boleh saya pinjam tangga Ibu?" tanyanya.

"My gutter is full of leaves," he explains. "I want to clean it before the rain." Amina brings her tall ladder outside.

"Talang air saya penuh daun," jelasnya. "Saya ingin membersihkannya sebelum hujan." Amina membawa tangga tingginya keluar.

She carries it to his front yard. The ladder is heavy but not too big. She sets it against the wall carefully.

Ia membawanya ke halaman depan rumah tetangganya. Tangga itu berat tetapi tidak terlalu besar. Ia menyandarkannya ke dinding dengan hati-hati.

"Do you need help holding it?" she offers. He nods and thanks her kindly. Amina holds the ladder steady at the bottom.

"Perlu dipegangi?" tawarnya. Tetangganya mengangguk dan berterima kasih dengan ramah. Amina memegangi tangga itu agar tetap stabil dari bawah.

Her neighbor climbs up carefully with a bucket. He pulls out wet leaves and sticks. Some leaves fall right onto the grass.

Tetangganya memanjat dengan hati-hati sambil membawa ember. Ia menarik keluar daun-daun basah dan ranting. Beberapa daun jatuh tepat ke rumput.

"This is a lot of leaves," he says. Amina laughs and hands him a bag. He fills the bag slowly and carefully.

"Daunnya banyak sekali," katanya. Amina tertawa dan menyerahkan sebuah kantong kepadanya. Ia mengisi kantong itu perlahan-lahan dan hati-hati.

Birds fly out from a nearby tree. The afternoon sun feels warm on their backs. Amina checks her phone for the time.

Burung-burung terbang keluar dari pohon di dekat situ. Matahari sore terasa hangat di punggung mereka. Amina melihat ponselnya untuk memeriksa waktu.

After twenty minutes, the gutter is clean. Her neighbor climbs down safely. "Thank you so much for your help," he says.

Setelah dua puluh menit, talang air itu bersih. Tetangganya turun dengan selamat. "Terima kasih banyak atas bantuan Ibu," katanya.

Amina smiles and picks up her ladder. She carries it back to her garage. Helping a neighbor felt like a good morning.

Amina tersenyum dan mengambil tangganya. Ia membawanya kembali ke garasi. Membantu tetangga terasa seperti pagi yang menyenangkan.