“Pesta… Pesta… Pesta…,” teriak Buto Ireng gembira menyambut panen terong di Desa Mujito. Buto Ireng adalah seorang manusia raksasa berkulit gelap dan berambut keriwil. Ia tinggal di hutan, tak jauh dari Desa Mujito. (“Party… Party… Party…,” shouts Buto Ireng in joy as he welcomes the eggplant harvest at Mujito Village. Buto Ireng is a human giant with dark skin and curly hair. He lives in the forest, not far from Mujito Village.)
Selama ini, Buto Ireng bertugas menjaga kebun terong dari serangan hewan dan hama. Biasanya, ia dibayar dengan sejumlah terong hasil panen. (All this time, Buto Ireng is responsible to guard the eggplant garden from pests and animals. Usually, he gets paid with a number of the harvested eggplants.)
“Mana bayaranku?” tanya Buto Ireng kepada warga desa yang sedang memanen terong. Wajah Buto Ireng sedikit cemberut, karena sambil menahan rasa lapar. (“Where is my pay?” asks Buto Ireng to the villagers who are harvesting the eggplants. Buto Ireng’s face is frowning, holding up his hunger.)
“Iya kami akan memberikan sebagian terong untukmu, tapi nanti setelah semua terong dicuci dan dikumpulkan di balai desa,” jawab Pak Kepala Desa. Buto Ireng pun duduk termenung sambil melihat terong-terong yang sudah dipanen. (“Yes, we will give you your eggplants, but later after all the eggplants are washed and gathered at the village hall,” answers the Village Chief. Buto Ireng then sits in silence as he sees the harvested eggplants.)
“Kruk… Kruk… Kruk…,” perut Buto Ireng berbunyi nyaring. Karena sudah tak kuat menahan lapar, Buto Ireng nekat mengambil tumpukan terong yang baru saja dipetik. Untung saja, tak ada orang yang melihatnya. (“Grumble… Grumble… Grumble…,” Buto Ireng’s belly puts up a loud noise. Barely containing his hunger, Buto Ireng snatches a pile of recently harvested eggplants. Fortunately, nobody saw it.)
“Nyam… Nyam… enak sekali terong-terong ini,” ucap Buto Ireng pelan. Tak terasa, puluhan terong sudah dilahapnya. (“Yum… Yum… these eggplants are delicious,” says Buto Ireng half whispering. It turns out, he has eaten dozens of eggplants.)
Tiba-tiba, Buto Ireng merasa ada keanehan. Hidungnya membesar dan berubah warna menjadi ungu. Persis seperti terong! Salah satu warga desa melihat keanehannya.(Suddenly, Buto Ireng senses something wrong. His nose grows huge and turns purple. Exactly like an eggplant! One of the villagers sees the oddity.)
“Hahaha… hidungmu mirip terong!” teriak warga tersebut. “Kenapa hidungku bisa begini?” tanya Buto Ireng panik. (“Hahaha… your nose looks like an eggplant!” shout the villager. “Why is my nose like this?” asks Buto Ireng in panic.)
“Itulah akibat kamu tak sabar dan memakan terong yang belum dicuci tanpa ijin,” timpal Pak Kepala Desa. “Kamu juga terlalu rakus, wahai Buto Ireng!” kata Pak Kepala Desa lagi. (“That’s what you get for not being patient and ate the unwashed eggplants without permission,” replies the Village Chief. “You’re also greedy, oh Buto Ireng!” the Village Chief adds.)
Buto Ireng menyesali perbuatannya. Ia berjanji akan lebih sabar dan tidak rakus lagi. Tapi, penyesalan itu tak bisa membuat hidungnya kembali normal. (Buto Ireng regrets his actions. He promises to be more patient and not being greedy. But, the remorse couldn’t turn his nose back to normal.)
“Kalau begitu, kamu akan kami ganti nama menjadi Buto Terong,” ujar Pak Kepala Desa sambil tertawa. Buto Terong dan warga desa lainnya ikut tertawa. (“Well then, from now on we will change your name into Buto Eggplant,” says the Village Chief laughing. Buto Eggplant and the entire villagers continue the laugh.)
(Teks: Just For Kids/ Ilustrasi: Just For Kids/ Translator: Yos)
