The Lost Map App

Ezra and his dad Colin have planned this camping trip for months. They've promised themselves a weekend completely off their phones, except for the hiking app that tracks their route. The plan seems foolproof. Then, halfway up the mountain, Colin's phone suddenly dies, taking the map app down with it.

Ezra dan ayahnya, Colin, sudah merencanakan perjalanan berkemah ini selama berbulan-bulan. Mereka berjanji pada diri sendiri untuk akhir pekan tanpa ponsel sama sekali, kecuali aplikasi pendakian yang melacak rute mereka. Rencananya tampak tanpa celah. Lalu, di tengah pendakian, ponsel Colin tiba-tiba mati, membawa aplikasi peta ikut padam.

"I thought I charged it this morning," Colin mutters, shaking the phone as if that might help.

"Kukira tadi pagi sudah kuisi dayanya," gumam Colin, mengguncang ponselnya seolah itu akan membantu.

Ezra checks his own phone, but it's already down to eight percent. Neither of them thought to bring a portable charger. Without the app, they have only a vague memory of the trail. There's also the old paper map, sitting unused in the bottom of Ezra's backpack since they left home.

Ezra memeriksa ponselnya sendiri, tetapi dayanya sudah tinggal delapan persen. Tak satu pun dari mereka ingat membawa pengisi daya portabel. Tanpa aplikasi itu, mereka hanya punya ingatan samar tentang jalur. Ada juga peta kertas tua, yang tak terpakai di dasar ransel Ezra sejak mereka berangkat dari rumah.

"Good thing you insisted on bringing that old thing," Colin says. He sounds more relieved than he probably wants to admit.

"Untung kamu ngotot membawa benda tua itu," kata Colin. Ia terdengar lebih lega daripada yang mungkin mau ia akui.

They spread the map across a flat rock and try to match it to the landmarks around them. There's a fork in the trail, a ridge shaped like a saddle, and a lone dead tree. It takes a while, since neither of them has used a paper map in years. But slowly, the picture starts to make sense.

Mereka membentangkan peta di atas batu datar dan mencoba mencocokkannya dengan patokan di sekeliling mereka. Ada percabangan jalur, punggung bukit berbentuk pelana, dan sebatang pohon mati yang sendirian. Butuh waktu, karena sudah bertahun-tahun tak seorang pun dari mereka memakai peta kertas. Tetapi perlahan, gambarannya mulai masuk akal.

Just as they get moving again, the sky darkens, and a light rain begins to fall. Ezra pulls his jacket tighter and glances at his dad. "Should we look for shelter?"

Begitu mereka mulai berjalan lagi, langit menggelap, dan hujan ringan mulai turun. Ezra merapatkan jaketnya dan melirik ayahnya. "Perlu cari tempat berteduh, Yah?"

Colin studies the map for a moment. "There's a rock overhang marked about ten minutes from here. Let's head there and wait it out."

Colin mempelajari peta sejenak. "Ada tebing batu yang menjorok ditandai sekitar sepuluh menit dari sini. Ayo ke sana dan menunggu hujan reda."

They reach it just as the rain grows heavier, ducking under the stone ledge with their bags. For twenty minutes, they sit together, watching the rain and eating the snacks they'd packed for later.

Mereka sampai tepat ketika hujan makin deras, berlindung di bawah lempeng batu dengan tas-tas mereka. Selama dua puluh menit, mereka duduk bersama, menonton hujan sambil menyantap camilan yang tadinya mereka siapkan untuk nanti.

"You know," Colin says eventually, "I think I actually prefer this to staring at a screen."

"Tahu tidak," kata Colin akhirnya, "kurasa aku sebenarnya lebih suka ini daripada menatap layar."

Ezra laughs, folding the damp map carefully. "Let's just remember to bring a real compass next time, too."

Ezra tertawa, melipat peta yang lembap itu dengan hati-hati. "Ingatkan saja kita bawa kompas sungguhan juga lain kali."