The Kitten from the Surau

Malam itu, selepas solat Maghrib di surau, saya dengar bunyi anak kucing.

That night, after Maghrib prayers at the surau, I heard a kitten's cry.

Bunyi halus, dari bawah tangga kayu.

A soft sound, from under the wooden stairs.

Saya panggil perlahan, "Mari sini."

I called softly, "Come here."

Seekor anak kucing oren keluar, basah dan menggigil.

An orange kitten came out, wet and shivering.

Pak Imam tanya, "Ada tuan?" Semua orang geleng kepala.

The imam asked, "Does it have an owner?" Everyone shook their heads.

Mak bisik pada saya, "Kita bawa balik dulu, ya?"

Mum whispered to me, "Let's take it home first, okay?"

Sampai rumah, keringkan badannya dengan tuala dan beri susu suam.

At home, we dried its body with a towel and gave it warm milk.

Dia makan sedikit, kemudian tidur dalam kotak kasut yang saya alas kain.

It ate a little, then slept in a shoe box that I lined with cloth.

Esoknya, kami bawa dia ke klinik haiwan dekat kedai runcit.

The next day, we took it to the animal clinic near the sundry shop.

Doktor kata dia sihat, cuma perlu vaksin dan nama.

The doctor said it was healthy, only needing vaccines and a name.

Kami namakan dia Oren Surau, pendeknya Oren.

We named it Oren Surau, Oren for short.

Sejak itu, setiap pagi saya beri makan, tukar pasir kucing, dan bermain dengannya di beranda.

Since then, every morning I feed it, change the litter, and play with it on the veranda.