The Missing Tent Poles

Marek and Luz drove to the campsite on Friday evening. They wanted to set up before dark. Marek opened the car trunk and pulled out the tent bag.

Marek dan Luz berkendara ke area perkemahan pada Jumat sore. Mereka ingin memasang tenda sebelum gelap. Marek membuka bagasi mobil dan menarik keluar tas tenda.

"Where are the poles?" he asked. He searched the bag twice. He found only the tent cloth and the stakes.

"Di mana tiang-tiangnya?" tanyanya. Ia mencari di dalam tas dua kali. Ia hanya menemukan kain tenda dan pasak-pasaknya.

"We packed them at home," Luz said. "I remember putting them by the door."

"Kita sudah mengemasnya di rumah," kata Luz. "Aku ingat menaruhnya di dekat pintu."

"They're still by the door," Marek said. "We left them at home."

"Tiang-tiang itu masih di dekat pintu," kata Marek. "Kita meninggalkannya di rumah."

The sky grew dark, and the campsite had no store nearby. Luz looked around and had an idea.

Langit mulai gelap, dan di dekat area perkemahan itu tidak ada toko. Luz melihat sekeliling dan punya ide.

"We can use branches instead," she said. "Strong ones, from that tree over there."

"Kita bisa pakai ranting saja," katanya. "Yang kuat, dari pohon di sana itu."

Marek smiled and grabbed his small saw from the car. He cut four straight branches. Then he trimmed the small sticks off each one.

Marek tersenyum dan mengambil gergaji kecilnya dari mobil. Ia memotong empat batang ranting yang lurus. Lalu ia memangkas ranting-ranting kecil dari masing-masing batang.

Luz held the tent cloth. Marek pushed the branches through the fabric loops. It took a long time, but the branches fit well.

Luz memegang kain tenda. Marek mendorong ranting-ranting itu melewati lubang-lubang kain. Butuh waktu lama, tetapi ranting-ranting itu pas.

They tied the corners with rope from the car. Then they pulled the tent tight. It stood a little crooked, but it held.

Mereka mengikat sudut-sudutnya dengan tali dari mobil. Lalu mereka menarik tenda sampai kencang. Tenda itu berdiri agak miring, tetapi kokoh.

"It's not perfect," Marek said, "but it's ours tonight."

"Tidak sempurna," kata Marek, "tapi malam ini ini tenda kita."

Luz laughed and crawled inside first. "It even smells like pine," she said.

Luz tertawa dan merangkak masuk lebih dulu. "Bahkan baunya seperti pinus," katanya.

They lit a small lamp and listened to the wind outside. The tent held through the night without a problem.

Mereka menyalakan lampu kecil dan mendengarkan angin di luar. Tenda itu bertahan sepanjang malam tanpa masalah.