Rosa Pergi ke Kota
Oleh Amit Garg
Di tengah-tengah sebuah kota besar, ada sebuah kebun binatang kecil, di dalamnya hidup seekor bayi gajah. Namanya Rosa. Penjaga kebun binatang sangat menyukai Rosa dan merawatnya setiap ada kesempatan. Banyak pengunjung datang untuk melihat Rosa dan menyaksikan pesonanya saat ia melahap sesisir pisang dalam sekali makan. Rosa dirawat dengan baik, tapi ia merindukan koloni gajahnya yang lain.
Suatu hari, setelah memberi makan Rosa, penjaganya lupa mengunci pintu kandang. Segera Rosa keluar dari kandang! Pertama, ia mendatangi penjual es-krim keliling yang berdiri di tepi jalan. Penjual es-krim itu melihat Rosa lalu ia kabur. Gajah kecil yang penasaran itu pun menancapkan belalainya ke kotak es-krim. Rasanya dingin, manis, dan lezat saat ia telan.
Rosa melanjutkan perjalanannya, matanya mencari-cari seseorang. Akhirnya, di dalam sebuah toko, ia mendengar suara kawanan gajah di layar TV. “Teman-teman!” pikirnya, dan ia lalu bergerak masuk ke dalam toko. Setiap orang di dalam toko lari keluar, meninggalkannya sendiri. Rosa mencoba untuk bicara pada gajah-gajah di layar TV, tapi mereka tidak menjawab. Bingung dan kecewa, ia pun keluar.
Kembali ke jalanan, ia melihat seorang penjual kelapa, sedang menjual kelapa. “Wow, aku telah menemukan bola! Saatnya main!” Ia menjerit dan menendang kelapa tinggi-tinggi ke udara. Bola itu melayang ke seberang jalan dan mendarat tepat di samping seorang bocah yang sedang bermain di taman. Rosa berlari ke seberang jalan, bermaksud untuk mengambil bola-kelapanya. Mobil-mobil mendecit, bus-bus mengklakson, dan para pengemudi mulai berteriak satu sama lain. Rosa telah menciptakan kemacetan! Polisi lalu-lintas mulai mengambil alih. Kebun binatang segera diberitahu.
Mengabaikan huru-hara di sekelilingnya, Rosa dengan santai berjalan ke arah taman. Ia berhenti di depan bocah tadi, yang sedang tersenyum padanya. Bocah itu terkekeh-kekeh dan menepuk Rosa. Rosa berteriak dengan gembira pada teman barunya. Sekarang, penjaga kebun binatang telah mencapai taman. Melihat Rosa di ruang terbuka, ia mengerti bahwa Rosa tak akan bahagia berada di kandang.
Kebun binatang lalu mengirimnya ke hutan lindung, jauh dari perkotaan, di mana ada banyak gajah yang menjelajah dengan bebas. Rosa tumbuh dengan sangat gembira. Sekarang, dibanding menonton Rosa di balik penghalang kandang yang sempit, pengunjung masih bisa melihatnya di antara pepohonan, masih menelan sesisir pisang.
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Rosa Goes to the City
By Amit Garg
In the middle of a big city, there was a small zoo, and inside lived a baby elephant. Her name was Rosa. The zookeeper loved little Rosa very much and cared for her in every possible way. Many visitors came to see Rosa and watched in fascination as she ate a dozen bananas in one go. Rosa was well looked after, but she missed the company of other elephants.
One day, after feeding Rosa, the keeper forgot to lock the door of her cage. Soon she was out of the zoo! First, she came across an ice cream vendor standing by the roadside. He saw Rosa and ran away. The curious little elephant stuck her trunk into the icebox. Something tasted so cold, sweet and delicious that she simply gulped it all down.
Rosa kept moving about, her eyes searching for someone. Finally, inside a shop, she saw a herd of elephants on a television screen. “Friends!” she thought, and marched into the TV shop. Everybody inside the shop ran out, leaving her alone. Rosa tried talking to the elephants on the TV screen, but they didn’t reply. Confused and disappointed, she walked out.
Back on the street, she saw a coconut-seller, selling coconuts. “Wow, I’ve found a ball! It’s play time now!” she cried and kicked a coconut high into the air. It flew across the road and landed right beside a boy playing in the park. Rosa ran across the road, determined to get her coconut-ball. Cars screeched, buses honked, and drivers began to yell at each other. Rosa had created a traffic jam! The traffic police moved in to take control. The zoo was informed.
Ignoring the commotion around her, Rosa simply ran into the park. She stopped in front of the little boy, who was smiling at her. He giggled and patted the elephant. Rosa trumpeted back with excitement at her newfound friend. By now, the zookeeper had reached the park. Seeing Rosa in the open space of the park, he understood that she would never be happy in a cage.
The zoo transferred Rosa to a protected forest, away from the city, where many other elephants roamed freely. Rosa grew up very happily. Now, instead of watching Rosa behind bars in a cramped cage, visitors could see her among lots of trees, still gulping down dozens of bananas!
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