The Call with the Space Station

On Friday, Chiamaka's class had a video call with a space station. The room was very quiet. An astronaut smiled on the big screen. Behind her, bags and tools floated in the air.

Pada hari Jumat, kelas Chiamaka mengadakan panggilan video dengan sebuah stasiun luar angkasa. Ruangan sangat sunyi. Seorang astronaut tersenyum di layar besar. Di belakangnya, tas-tas dan peralatan melayang di udara.

The astronaut answered questions about food, exercise, and the view of Earth. Each student stood up, asked a question, and sat down. Chiamaka was the last in the line. Her question was ready on a small paper. Her hands were cold. She read the question again and again.

Astronaut itu menjawab pertanyaan tentang makanan, olahraga, dan pemandangan Bumi. Setiap murid berdiri, mengajukan pertanyaan, lalu duduk. Chiamaka yang terakhir dalam antrean. Pertanyaannya sudah siap di secarik kertas kecil. Tangannya dingin. Ia membaca pertanyaan itu berulang kali.

"Chiamaka, you are next," her teacher said.

"Chiamaka, giliranmu," kata gurunya.

She stood up. At that moment, the screen froze. The astronaut's face stopped in the middle of a smile. A small circle turned on the screen.

Ia berdiri. Pada saat itu, layar membeku. Wajah astronaut itu berhenti di tengah senyuman. Sebuah lingkaran kecil berputar di layar.

"The connection is gone," the teacher said. Everyone sighed.

"Sambungannya terputus," kata guru. Semua orang menghela napas.

Chiamaka sat down. She held her paper and waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. The teacher looked at the clock.

Chiamaka duduk kembali. Ia memegang kertasnya dan menunggu. Lima menit berlalu. Lalu sepuluh. Guru melihat jam.

Then the screen came back. "I'm sorry," the astronaut said. "The signal is weak. I only have one minute."

Lalu layar menyala kembali. "Maaf," kata astronaut itu. "Sinyalnya lemah. Saya hanya punya satu menit."

Chiamaka jumped up. "How do you sleep in space?" she asked.

Chiamaka melompat berdiri. "Bagaimana cara Anda tidur di luar angkasa?" tanyanya.

The astronaut laughed. "I sleep in a bag on the wall. If I do not tie it, I float all night!"

Astronaut itu tertawa. "Saya tidur di dalam kantong yang menempel di dinding. Kalau tidak saya ikat, saya melayang sepanjang malam!"

All the students laughed. "Thank you!" Chiamaka said.

Semua murid tertawa. "Terima kasih!" kata Chiamaka.

The screen went dark. Chiamaka opened her notebook and wrote the answer: "Sleep bag on the wall. Do not float."

Layar menjadi gelap. Chiamaka membuka buku catatannya dan menulis jawabannya: "Kantong tidur di dinding. Jangan sampai melayang."