Leaving the Valley

Tomas the ranger came to the visitor centre at sunrise. He had a Thermos of coffee. He sat on a bench next to Polly.

Tomas, penjaga hutan, datang ke pusat pengunjung saat matahari terbit. Dia membawa termos berisi kopi. Dia duduk di bangku di sebelah Polly.

They did not say much. Polly preened her feathers. The morning smelled of the river.

Mereka tidak banyak bicara. Polly merapikan bulu-bulunya. Pagi itu tercium aroma sungai.

"You are leaving," Tomas said.

"Kamu akan pergi," kata Tomas.

Polly tilted her head.

Polly memiringkan kepalanya.

He told her about the rest of the park. The high country with its lakes. Another valley to the north. A grove of tall trees.

Dia menceritakan tentang bagian lain dari taman itu. Daerah pegunungan dengan danau-danaunya. Lembah lain di utara. Sebuah hutan dengan pohon-pohon tinggi.

"This place is too big to see in three days," he said. "You only see pieces."

"Tempat ini terlalu besar untuk dilihat dalam tiga hari," katanya. "Kamu hanya melihat sebagian kecil."

Polly thought about her dives off the cliff. None of them were good. But each one was a little better. She could keep getting better for a lifetime.

Polly memikirkan tentang terjunannya dari tebing. Tidak ada yang sempurna. Tapi setiap kali sedikit lebih baik. Dia bisa terus menjadi lebih baik seumur hidupnya.

The green shuttle bus came back. The same driver. Tomas stood up. "Off you go," he said.

Bus antar-jemput hijau kembali. Sopir yang sama. Tomas berdiri. "Pergilah," katanya.

Polly stretched her wings. She lifted off the bench. She circled the visitor centre. She climbed.

Polly merentangkan sayapnya. Dia terbang dari bangku. Dia berputar mengelilingi pusat pengunjung. Dia naik ke atas.

The valley dropped away. El Capitan was on her left. Half Dome was on her right.

Lembah itu menjauh. El Capitan ada di sebelah kirinya. Half Dome di sebelah kanannya.

At the rim, she banked west. Below her, a peregrine hunted small swifts along the cliff. Polly watched. Then she found the wind and let it carry her out of the park.

Di tepi, dia berbelok ke barat. Di bawahnya, seekor elang peregrine berburu burung-burung kecil di sepanjang tebing. Polly mengamati. Lalu dia menemukan angin dan membiarkannya membawanya keluar dari taman.