The Dare to Swim Across the Pond

Iker and Nils stood at the edge of a pond. It was a warm Saturday in early summer. The water looked cold and a little dark. A narrow path circled the whole pond too. Tall grass grew along both sides of the path.

Iker dan Nils berdiri di tepi sebuah kolam. Hari itu Sabtu yang hangat di awal musim panas. Airnya tampak dingin dan agak gelap. Sebuah jalan setapak sempit juga mengelilingi seluruh kolam. Rumput tinggi tumbuh di kedua sisi jalan setapak itu.

"I dare you to swim across," Nils said. Iker looked at the water and hesitated.

"Aku menantangmu berenang menyeberang," kata Nils. Iker menatap air itu dan ragu-ragu.

"The path around feels safe," Iker said. "The swim looks fun," Nils said.

"Jalan setapak itu terasa aman," kata Iker. "Berenang kelihatannya seru," kata Nils.

Iker thought about both choices carefully. The path took twenty slow minutes to walk. The swim took only five fast minutes.

Iker memikirkan kedua pilihan itu dengan saksama. Berjalan lewat setapak butuh dua puluh menit yang lambat. Berenang hanya butuh lima menit yang cepat.

"I choose the swim," Iker finally said. Nils grinned and pulled off his shoes.

"Aku pilih berenang," kata Iker akhirnya. Nils nyengir dan melepas sepatunya.

They both waded into the cool water. Iker kicked his legs and moved forward. Nils swam right beside him the whole way.

Mereka berdua melangkah masuk ke air yang sejuk. Iker menendang-nendangkan kakinya dan bergerak maju. Nils berenang tepat di sampingnya sepanjang jalan.

Halfway across, Iker's legs started to feel tired. "Keep going," Nils called. "You swim well."

Di tengah kolam, kaki Iker mulai terasa lelah. "Terus maju," seru Nils. "Kamu berenang dengan baik."

Iker pushed forward with new energy. A few minutes later, his feet touched the other shore.

Iker mendorong dirinya maju dengan tenaga baru. Beberapa menit kemudian, kakinya menyentuh tepi seberang.

Both boys climbed out, dripping and proud. "We did it," Iker said, catching his breath.

Kedua anak itu memanjat keluar, menetes-netes dan bangga. "Kita berhasil," kata Iker sambil mengatur napas.

Nils laughed and slapped Iker's back kindly. "That was a great choice," he said.

Nils tertawa dan menepuk punggung Iker dengan ramah. "Itu pilihan yang hebat," katanya.

They sat on the grass and dried off. The sun warmed their wet shoulders slowly. The pond looked calm behind them. A small fish jumped near the shore. Nils pointed at it and laughed out loud.

Mereka duduk di rumput dan mengeringkan badan. Matahari menghangatkan bahu mereka yang basah pelan-pelan. Kolam itu tampak tenang di belakang mereka. Seekor ikan kecil melompat dekat tepi. Nils menunjuknya dan tertawa terbahak-bahak.