The River Below the Falls

Kieran had run this stretch of river a dozen times with the outdoor club. He had never done it with the water this high, though, after three days of rain. Sofia paddled just ahead of him, her kayak riding low over the current.

Kieran sudah belasan kali mengarungi ruas sungai ini bersama klub luar ruang. Tetapi belum pernah dengan air setinggi ini, setelah tiga hari hujan. Sofia mendayung tepat di depannya, kayak miliknya melaju rendah di atas arus.

"Stay river-right past the rock garden," their instructor Elias shouted from the bank. "The channel on the left is faster than it looks."

"Tetap di sisi kanan sungai melewati taman batu itu," teriak instruktur mereka, Elias, dari tepi sungai. "Alur di sebelah kiri lebih cepat daripada kelihatannya."

Sofia didn't hear him, or she misjudged the line — Kieran was never sure which. Her kayak clipped a submerged rock, spun sideways, and flipped before she could brace against it.

Sofia tidak mendengarnya, atau salah memilih jalur, Kieran tidak pernah yakin yang mana. Kayak Sofia menyenggol batu yang tersembunyi di bawah air, berputar menyamping, dan terbalik sebelum ia sempat menahan diri.

Kieran's stomach dropped. He had been trained for exactly this moment, though training and the real thing felt nothing alike.

Perut Kieran serasa jatuh. Ia sudah dilatih untuk saat seperti ini, meski latihan dan kenyataan terasa sama sekali berbeda.

"Sofia's out!" he called, already angling his kayak toward where her paddle had surfaced. She popped up seconds later, gasping, being pulled downstream faster than she could swim.

"Sofia jatuh!" serunya, sudah membelokkan kayak miliknya ke tempat dayung Sofia muncul di permukaan. Beberapa detik kemudian Sofia muncul, tersengal, terseret ke hilir lebih cepat daripada yang bisa ia renangi.

"Swim to me, not to shore!" Kieran shouted. If she tried to fight straight across the current, she would tire before reaching either bank.

"Berenang ke arahku, bukan ke tepi!" teriak Kieran. Kalau Sofia mencoba melawan arus lurus ke seberang, ia akan kelelahan sebelum mencapai salah satu tepi.

She turned and swam with the flow, angling gradually toward him. Kieran reached out his paddle, and she gripped the end with both hands.

Sofia berbalik dan berenang mengikuti arus, pelan-pelan menyudut ke arahnya. Kieran mengulurkan dayungnya, dan Sofia menggenggam ujungnya dengan kedua tangan.

"I've got you. Kick if you can, don't pull," he said. He was remembering exactly what Elias had taught them, on a calm afternoon that now felt like a different lifetime.

"Aku pegang kamu. Menendang saja kalau bisa, jangan menarik," katanya. Ia teringat persis apa yang diajarkan Elias, pada sore yang tenang yang kini terasa seperti kehidupan yang berbeda.

Together they worked toward an eddy behind a large boulder, where the water finally slowed. Elias had been running along the bank the whole time, and he met them there, already reaching down to help pull Sofia out.

Bersama-sama mereka bergerak menuju pusaran tenang di belakang sebuah batu besar, tempat air akhirnya melambat. Elias berlari di tepi sungai sepanjang waktu, dan ia menemui mereka di sana, sudah membungkuk untuk membantu menarik Sofia keluar.

"You're okay. You're okay," he kept saying, more to himself than to her, it seemed.

"Kamu tidak apa-apa. Kamu tidak apa-apa," katanya berulang-ulang, tampaknya lebih kepada dirinya sendiri daripada kepada Sofia.

Sofia sat on the rocks, shivering but laughing with relief. "I really thought I had that line."

Sofia duduk di atas bebatuan, menggigil tetapi tertawa lega. "Aku betul-betul mengira aku sudah mengambil jalur yang benar."

"You almost did," Kieran said. "Next time, we go right."

"Hampir benar," kata Kieran. "Lain kali, kita lewat kanan."

Elias radioed the rest of the group to hold above the rapid until the water dropped. The three of them hiked the bank trail back to camp instead, kayaks balanced on their shoulders.

Elias menghubungi anggota rombongan lainnya lewat radio agar menunggu di atas jeram sampai air surut. Mereka bertiga akhirnya mendaki jalur tepi sungai kembali ke perkemahan, dengan kayak di atas bahu masing-masing.