The Tide Came In

Lucia and Idris had walked out to the tide pools on the far side of the beach. They were chasing crabs and photographing anemones with Lucia's phone. They'd checked the tide schedule that morning. But somewhere between exploring one pool and then another, they'd lost track of time completely.

Lucia dan Idris berjalan ke kolam-kolam pasang surut di sisi jauh pantai. Mereka mengejar kepiting dan memotret anemon laut dengan ponsel Lucia. Mereka sudah memeriksa jadwal pasang surut pagi itu. Tetapi entah di antara menjelajahi satu kolam dan kolam berikutnya, mereka sama sekali lupa waktu.

It was Idris who noticed first. "Hey, doesn't the water look closer than before?"

Idris yang pertama menyadarinya. "Hei, bukankah airnya tampak lebih dekat dari tadi?"

Lucia looked up from her phone and realized he was right. The narrow strip of sand that had brought them out to the rocks was now noticeably thinner. Small waves were already lapping at its edges. Panic crept into her voice. "We need to go, now."

Lucia mendongak dari ponselnya dan menyadari ia benar. Jalur pasir sempit yang membawa mereka ke batu-batu itu kini terlihat jelas lebih tipis. Ombak-ombak kecil sudah menjilati tepinya. Kepanikan merayap ke dalam suaranya. "Kita harus pergi, sekarang."

They started back the way they'd come, moving quickly across the wet rocks. But halfway along, a wave rushed in and covered the path completely. It left only deeper water between them and the beach.

Mereka mulai kembali lewat jalan yang tadi mereka tempuh, bergerak cepat melintasi batu-batu basah. Tetapi di tengah jalan, sebuah ombak menerjang dan menutupi jalur itu sepenuhnya. Yang tersisa hanya air yang lebih dalam di antara mereka dan pantai.

"We can't swim through that, not with the current this strong," Idris said. He scanned the rocks around them for another option.

"Kita tidak bisa berenang melewatinya, tidak dengan arus sekuat ini," kata Idris. Ia memindai batu-batu di sekitar mereka mencari pilihan lain.

Lucia spotted a higher line of boulders curving away from the water. It was further inland but still connected to dry land. "There, up on those rocks. It looks longer, but it should stay dry."

Lucia melihat deretan batu besar yang lebih tinggi, melengkung menjauhi air. Letaknya lebih jauh ke daratan tetapi masih tersambung ke tanah kering. "Di sana, naik ke batu-batu itu. Kelihatannya lebih panjang, tapi seharusnya tetap kering."

They scrambled up onto the boulders, gripping the rough stone with both hands. The tide continued rising below them. The path was slower and harder than the direct route. But it kept them safely above the water the whole way.

Mereka memanjat ke atas batu-batu besar itu, mencengkeram batu yang kasar dengan kedua tangan. Air pasang terus naik di bawah mereka. Jalur itu lebih lambat dan lebih sulit daripada rute langsung. Tetapi jalur itu menjaga mereka tetap aman di atas air sepanjang jalan.

By the time they reached solid sand again, both of them were breathing hard. Lucia's phone had slipped from her pocket somewhere along the rocks.

Ketika mereka akhirnya menjejak pasir yang kokoh lagi, keduanya terengah-engah. Ponsel Lucia terjatuh dari sakunya di suatu tempat di antara bebatuan.

"Small price to pay," she said, laughing with relief now that they were safe.

"Harga yang kecil untuk dibayar," katanya sambil tertawa lega karena mereka sudah aman.

"Next time," Idris added, "we're setting an alarm for the tide."

"Lain kali," Idris menambahkan, "kita pasang alarm untuk waktu pasang."