The Moon Behind the Clouds

Tonight is the full moon, and Cedric has a plan. He asks Nika to walk up the hill behind town with him. He brings a blanket and a flask of hot tea.

Malam ini bulan purnama, dan Cedric punya rencana. Ia mengajak Nika berjalan mendaki bukit di belakang kota. Ia membawa selimut dan sebotol teh panas.

They climb for twenty minutes and sit on a flat rock. The lights of the town are small and yellow below them. But above them, thick clouds cover the whole sky. There is no moon and there are no stars.

Mereka mendaki selama dua puluh menit dan duduk di atas batu yang datar. Lampu-lampu kota tampak kecil dan kekuningan di bawah mereka. Tetapi di atas mereka, awan tebal menutupi seluruh langit. Tidak ada bulan dan tidak ada bintang.

"Oh no," Cedric says. "I checked the weather. It said the sky will be clear."

"Aduh," kata Cedric. "Aku sudah memeriksa cuaca. Katanya langit akan cerah."

Nika laughs. "It's fine," she says. "We have tea."

Nika tertawa. "Tidak apa-apa," katanya. "Kita punya teh."

He pours the tea into two cups. It is sweet and very hot. The air is cold, but the blanket is warm. They put the blanket over their legs and sit close. Then they talk. They talk about their families and their first days at school. They talk about the worst food they ever ate. Time goes fast.

Cedric menuang teh ke dalam dua cangkir. Tehnya manis dan sangat panas. Udaranya dingin, tetapi selimutnya hangat. Mereka menyelimuti kaki mereka dan duduk berdekatan. Lalu mereka mengobrol. Mereka membicarakan keluarga dan hari-hari pertama mereka di sekolah. Mereka membicarakan makanan terburuk yang pernah mereka makan. Waktu berlalu cepat.

At a quarter to midnight, the wind gets stronger. It pushes the clouds to the east. A white light touches the grass, and then the moon comes out. It is big, round and very bright.

Pada pukul sebelas lewat empat puluh lima, angin bertiup lebih kencang. Angin mendorong awan ke arah timur. Cahaya putih menyentuh rerumputan, lalu bulan pun muncul. Bulan itu besar, bundar, dan sangat terang.

Neither of them says a word. The whole hill is silver. After two minutes, the clouds close again, and it is dark.

Tak seorang pun dari mereka berkata apa-apa. Seluruh bukit berwarna perak. Dua menit kemudian, awan menutup lagi, dan semuanya gelap.

"Did you see it?" Cedric whispers.

"Kamu lihat tadi?" bisik Cedric.

Nika takes his hand. "Yes. Next month, let's wait here again."

Nika menggenggam tangannya. "Ya. Bulan depan, mari kita menunggu di sini lagi."