The Tent That Wouldn't Stand

Wei and Suki drove to a quiet campsite. The drive took almost two hours. They picked a flat spot near the trees. Wei pulled the tent out of its bag. Suki set down the cooking gear nearby.

Wei dan Suki mengendarai mobil ke sebuah area berkemah yang tenang. Perjalanan itu memakan waktu hampir dua jam. Mereka memilih tempat datar di dekat pepohonan. Wei mengeluarkan tenda dari kantongnya. Suki meletakkan perlengkapan memasak di dekat situ.

Suki laid out all the tent poles. She counted them twice, then frowned. "We only have six poles," she said. "The tent needs eight poles to stand."

Suki menata semua tiang tenda. Ia menghitungnya dua kali, lalu mengerutkan kening. "Kita cuma punya enam tiang," katanya. "Tenda ini butuh delapan tiang agar bisa berdiri."

Wei checked the bag again carefully. "We do not have two poles," he said. "We left them at home, I think."

Wei memeriksa kantong itu sekali lagi dengan teliti. "Dua tiangnya tidak ada," katanya. "Sepertinya tertinggal di rumah."

Suki looked around the campsite for ideas. She spotted two straight, sturdy branches nearby. "These branches look strong enough," she said.

Suki memandang sekeliling area berkemah untuk mencari ide. Ia melihat dua dahan lurus yang kokoh di dekat situ. "Dahan-dahan ini kelihatannya cukup kuat," katanya.

Wei trimmed the branches with his small knife. He tied them where the missing poles belonged. Suki pulled the tent fabric tight and smooth.

Wei memangkas dahan-dahan itu dengan pisau kecilnya. Ia mengikatnya di tempat tiang yang hilang seharusnya berada. Suki menarik kain tenda hingga kencang dan rata.

Slowly, the tent began to take its shape. The branches held their spots firmly. The whole tent stood tall and steady.

Perlahan, tenda itu mulai berbentuk. Dahan-dahan itu bertahan di tempatnya dengan kokoh. Seluruh tenda berdiri tegak dan mantap.

Wei stepped back and looked at their work. "It stands," he said with a proud smile.

Wei mundur selangkah dan memandangi hasil kerja mereka. "Berdiri juga," katanya dengan senyum bangga.

Suki laughed and patted the tent gently. "Our tent has a little extra style now," she said.

Suki tertawa dan menepuk tenda itu dengan lembut. "Tenda kita sekarang punya gaya ekstra," katanya.

They set their bags inside the tent. Outside, the campfire crackled in the evening light. Wei and Suki sat down and relaxed together. Suki looked back at the sturdy branches. "Next time, we pack extra poles," she said. Wei nodded and poked the fire with a stick.

Mereka menaruh tas-tas di dalam tenda. Di luar, api unggun berderak di bawah cahaya senja. Wei dan Suki duduk dan bersantai bersama. Suki menoleh ke dahan-dahan yang kokoh itu. "Lain kali, kita bawa tiang cadangan," katanya. Wei mengangguk dan menusuk-nusuk api dengan sebatang ranting.