The Ice Shelf Crack

Declan had skied this frozen lake crossing every winter for the past four years, and it had always held without complaint. This year, though, the ice had been forming late, and he knew that mattered more than he wanted to admit.

Declan sudah bermain ski melintasi danau beku ini setiap musim dingin selama empat tahun terakhir, dan esnya selalu bertahan tanpa masalah. Tahun ini, es terbentuk terlambat, dan ia tahu itu lebih penting daripada yang ingin ia akui.

"It sounded different that time," Saoirse said, stopping mid-stride. A low groan had rolled out from somewhere beneath them, more felt than heard.

"Bunyinya beda tadi," kata Saoirse, berhenti di tengah langkah. Sebuah erangan rendah menggelinding dari suatu tempat di bawah mereka, lebih terasa daripada terdengar.

"Probably just the ice settling," Declan said, though he slowed his pace anyway. "It does that when the temperature drops fast."

"Mungkin cuma esnya yang menyesuaikan diri," kata Declan, meski ia tetap memelankan lajunya. "Memang begitu kalau suhu turun cepat."

They skied on, spaced ten meters apart the way they always did on lake ice, in case one of them broke through. It was a rule Declan had never needed before.

Mereka terus meluncur, berjarak sepuluh meter seperti yang selalu mereka lakukan di es danau, kalau-kalau salah satunya tembus. Itu aturan yang belum pernah dibutuhkan Declan sebelumnya.

The second crack came louder, and this time a thin dark line appeared, spreading from a point just behind Saoirse's skis.

Retakan kedua terdengar lebih keras, dan kali ini sebuah garis gelap tipis muncul, menyebar dari titik tepat di belakang ski Saoirse.

"Declan!"

"Declan!"

"Don't stop — glide, don't push off hard!" he called, remembering that sudden weight on one spot was worse than steady motion. "Head for the shore, straight line, go!"

"Jangan berhenti, meluncur saja, jangan dorong keras!" serunya, teringat bahwa beban mendadak di satu titik lebih buruk daripada gerakan yang stabil. "Menuju tepi, garis lurus, ayo!"

Saoirse skied faster, though every instinct told her to run, which would have been the worst thing she could do on cracking ice. The line kept pace with her, branching once, then twice.

Saoirse meluncur lebih cepat, padahal setiap nalurinya menyuruhnya berlari, yang akan menjadi hal terburuk yang bisa dilakukan di atas es yang retak. Garis itu mengikuti lajunya, bercabang sekali, lalu dua kali.

Declan angled toward the same shore from a slightly different line, watching the ice ahead of his own skis rather than behind him. If he had watched Saoirse instead, he might have skied straight into a weak spot himself.

Declan menyudut ke tepi yang sama dari garis yang sedikit berbeda, mengawasi es di depan skinya sendiri, bukan di belakangnya. Kalau ia memperhatikan Saoirse, mungkin ia akan meluncur langsung ke titik lemah.

They reached the rocky shoreline within seconds of each other, scrambling up onto solid ground and collapsing against a boulder, breathing hard.

Mereka tiba di tepi berbatu itu hanya selang beberapa detik, berebut naik ke tanah padat dan ambruk bersandar pada sebuah batu besar, terengah-engah.

"That crack was following me," Saoirse said, still shaking.

"Retakan itu mengikutiku," kata Saoirse, masih gemetar.

"It wasn't following you. We're just heavier than the ice wanted to carry today," Declan said. "We should've turned back the moment we heard the first sound."

"Bukan mengikutimu. Kita saja yang lebih berat daripada yang sanggup ditanggung es hari ini," kata Declan. "Seharusnya kita putar balik begitu mendengar bunyi pertama."

"Next time we will," Saoirse said. "Assuming there's a next time."

"Lain kali kita begitu," kata Saoirse. "Kalau memang ada lain kali."

"There will be," Declan said. "Just not on this lake, not until it's had another month of real cold."

"Pasti ada," kata Declan. "Tapi tidak di danau ini, tidak sampai sebulan lagi bersuhu dingin yang sungguhan."

They shouldered their packs and walked the long way home, along the shoreline instead of across it.

Mereka memanggul ransel dan berjalan pulang lewat jalan yang lebih jauh, menyusuri tepi danau, bukan melintasinya.