A Door for Thirty Cheeses

Madu had a problem, and the problem had thirty wheels.

Madu punya masalah, dan masalah itu beroda tiga puluh.

Madu made cheese in a cellar under a green hill. The cellar was cold and dark. It smelled of milk and stone. Round cheeses sat on long wooden shelves. Every morning, Jabu turned them one by one. Jabu was Madu's helper. He was young, quick, and always hungry.

Madu membuat keju di ruang bawah tanah di bawah sebuah bukit hijau. Ruang bawah tanah itu dingin dan gelap. Baunya seperti susu dan batu. Keju-keju bundar bertengger di rak-rak kayu yang panjang. Setiap pagi, Jabu membalik keju-keju itu satu per satu. Jabu adalah pembantu Madu. Ia muda, cekatan, dan selalu lapar.

Between two shelves, a brass key hung on a nail. It was as long as a hand. It had no door. No lock in the cellar fit it. No lock in the village did either. The key came with the cellar, long before Madu. He never took it down.

Di antara dua rak, sebuah kunci kuningan tergantung pada sebuah paku. Panjangnya sehasta. Kunci itu tidak punya pintu. Tidak ada gembok di ruang bawah tanah yang cocok dengannya. Tidak ada pula gembok di desa yang cocok. Kunci itu sudah ada bersama ruang bawah tanah itu, jauh sebelum Madu. Ia tidak pernah menurunkannya.

On Monday afternoon, a letter came from the town school. The school needed thirty cheeses for a big festival. They must arrive by noon the next day. But the bridge on the valley road was closed for repairs. The long way took a whole day by cart.

Pada Senin sore, sebuah surat datang dari sekolah di kota. Sekolah itu membutuhkan tiga puluh keju untuk sebuah festival besar. Keju-keju itu harus tiba sebelum tengah hari keesokan harinya. Tetapi jembatan di jalan lembah ditutup untuk perbaikan. Jalan memutar memakan waktu sehari penuh dengan kereta.

"We cannot do it," Madu said. He sat on a box. He put his head in his hands. "No bridge, no cheese, no money."

"Kita tidak mungkin sempat," kata Madu. Ia duduk di atas sebuah peti. Ia membenamkan kepala di kedua tangannya. "Tak ada jembatan, tak ada keju, tak ada uang."

Jabu looked at the key. He looked at it a thousand times a year. "What if it opens something?" he said.

Jabu memandang kunci itu. Ia melihatnya seribu kali setiap tahun. "Bagaimana kalau kunci itu membuka sesuatu?" katanya.

"It opens nothing."

"Kunci itu tidak membuka apa-apa."

"Everything opens something," said Jabu. He lifted the key off its nail. It was warm, like a cup of fresh milk.

"Segala sesuatu membuka sesuatu," kata Jabu. Ia mengangkat kunci itu dari pakunya. Kunci itu hangat, seperti secangkir susu segar.

Madu stood up. "Do not touch it," he said. But he did not say it very strongly.

Madu berdiri. "Jangan disentuh," katanya. Tetapi ia tidak mengatakannya dengan tegas.

Jabu walked to the bare stone wall. He held the key out in front of him. He turned it, as if there was a lock. There was a soft click. A thin line of light ran across the stone. It drew a small round door with a wooden frame. The key now sat in a brass keyhole at its side.

Jabu berjalan ke dinding batu yang polos. Ia mengulurkan kunci itu di depannya. Ia memutarnya, seolah-olah di sana ada gembok. Terdengar bunyi klik yang lembut. Sebaris cahaya tipis menjalar di atas batu. Cahaya itu menggambar sebuah pintu bundar kecil dengan bingkai kayu. Kunci itu kini berada di lubang kunci kuningan di sisinya.

They looked at each other. Neither of them breathed.

Mereka saling memandang. Keduanya tidak bernapas.

"Think about the school," said Madu. "Think hard."

"Pikirkan sekolah itu," kata Madu. "Pikirkan baik-baik."

Jabu turned the key again. The door swung open. Behind it was a huge room with a shiny floor. A man in a grey suit sat at a long desk. He stamped a paper and looked up.

Jabu memutar kunci itu lagi. Pintu itu terayun terbuka. Di baliknya ada ruangan raksasa berlantai mengilap. Seorang pria berjas abu-abu duduk di meja panjang. Ia mengecap sebuah kertas dan mendongak.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"Siapa kalian?" tanya pria itu.

"Oh no," whispered Madu. "That is the tax office. I thought about money."

"Aduh," bisik Madu. "Itu kantor pajak. Aku tadi memikirkan uang."

"Sorry!" shouted Jabu. He pulled the door shut. The light faded. The wall was only stone again.

"Maaf!" teriak Jabu. Ia menarik pintu itu hingga tertutup. Cahayanya memudar. Dinding itu kembali menjadi batu biasa.

That was the first plan, and it was a bad one.

Itulah rencana pertama, dan rencana itu buruk.

"My turn," said Jabu. "I will think about the school, and only the school." He closed his eyes. His hand shook a little. He turned the key.

"Giliranku," kata Jabu. "Aku akan memikirkan sekolah itu, hanya sekolah itu." Ia memejamkan mata. Tangannya sedikit gemetar. Ia memutar kunci itu.

The door opened on a classroom. Thirty children turned their heads at once. At the front stood a teacher with a long ruler.

Pintu itu terbuka ke sebuah ruang kelas. Tiga puluh anak menoleh serentak. Di depan berdiri seorang guru dengan penggaris panjang.

"You are late, young man," she said to Jabu.

"Kamu terlambat, anak muda," katanya kepada Jabu.

Jabu shut the door so fast that the cellar shook. His face was pale. "That was my old teacher," he said. "I only wanted to think about the school. But I remembered her."

Jabu menutup pintu itu begitu cepat sampai ruang bawah tanah bergetar. Wajahnya pucat. "Itu guruku dulu," katanya. "Aku hanya ingin memikirkan sekolah itu. Tapi malah teringat dia."

Madu sat down again. A cheese rolled off a shelf and bumped his foot. He picked it up and held it like a baby. Time went fast. It was already late in the afternoon.

Madu duduk lagi. Sebuah keju menggelinding dari rak dan menyenggol kakinya. Ia memungutnya dan mendekapnya seperti bayi. Waktu berlalu cepat. Hari sudah sore.

"The door follows the mind," he said slowly. "It goes where the holder thinks. And your mind and my mind are two different places."

"Pintu itu mengikuti pikiran," katanya perlahan. "Ia pergi ke tempat yang dipikirkan si pemegang. Dan pikiranmu dan pikiranku adalah dua tempat yang berbeda."

"Then we need one mind," said Jabu.

"Kalau begitu kita butuh satu pikiran," kata Jabu.

They both stopped. Then they both smiled at the same moment.

Keduanya terdiam. Lalu keduanya tersenyum pada saat yang sama.

"The school song," said Madu.

"Lagu sekolah," kata Madu.

"The goat song!" said Jabu.

"Lagu kambing!" kata Jabu.

They both went to that school as boys, many years apart. Every child there learned the same silly song about a goat. They both knew every word.

Keduanya bersekolah di sana waktu kecil, dengan selisih bertahun-tahun. Setiap anak di sana mempelajari lagu konyol yang sama tentang seekor kambing. Mereka berdua hafal setiap katanya.

Madu took one end of the key. Jabu took the other. They stood in front of the wall. Together they began to sing.

Madu memegang satu ujung kunci itu. Jabu memegang ujung yang lain. Mereka berdiri di depan dinding. Bersama-sama mereka mulai bernyanyi.

"A goat on a hill, a goat on a hill! He eats all the grass, but he is hungry still!"

"Kambing di bukit, kambing di bukit! Rumput dilahap habis, tapi perut masih menjerit!"

They sang it badly. They sang it loudly. The words filled the cellar and rolled between the shelves. And in each of their heads, the same picture grew. It was the school kitchen door, with its old blue paint. It smelled of boiled beans.

Mereka menyanyikannya dengan buruk. Mereka menyanyikannya dengan keras. Kata-katanya memenuhi ruang bawah tanah dan bergulir di antara rak-rak. Dan di kepala mereka masing-masing, gambaran yang sama tumbuh. Itu pintu dapur sekolah, dengan cat birunya yang sudah tua. Baunya seperti kacang rebus.

The key turned by itself. Click.

Kunci itu berputar sendiri. Klik.

The door opened. Behind it was a small, cool room. It had tall shelves and a stone floor. A cook in a tall white hat stood there. He held a spoon. He looked at the door. He looked at the two singing men. The spoon fell on the floor.

Pintu itu terbuka. Di baliknya ada sebuah ruangan kecil yang sejuk. Ruangan itu punya rak-rak tinggi dan lantai batu. Seorang juru masak bertopi putih tinggi berdiri di sana. Ia memegang sebuah sendok. Ia menatap pintu itu. Ia menatap kedua pria yang sedang bernyanyi itu. Sendoknya jatuh ke lantai.

"Good afternoon," said Madu politely. "We have your cheeses."

"Selamat sore," kata Madu dengan sopan. "Kami membawa keju Anda."

"Where did you come from?" the cook whispered.

"Kalian datang dari mana?" bisik si juru masak.

"From the hills," said Jabu. "Where do you want them?"

"Dari perbukitan," kata Jabu. "Mau ditaruh di mana?"

The cook pointed at an empty shelf. His hand shook.

Si juru masak menunjuk sebuah rak kosong. Tangannya gemetar.

Then the work began. Madu and Jabu rolled the cheeses across the cellar, one by one. Each wheel went through the little round door. Each wheel bumped over the frame with a soft bump. The cook counted out loud. He sounded a bit afraid. When the last wheel went through, the shelves were empty. Their arms were tired, and their shirts were wet.

Lalu pekerjaan dimulai. Madu dan Jabu menggelindingkan keju-keju itu melintasi ruang bawah tanah, satu per satu. Setiap roda keju melewati pintu bundar kecil itu. Setiap roda melompati bingkainya dengan bunyi bum yang pelan. Si juru masak menghitung dengan suara keras. Suaranya terdengar agak takut. Ketika roda terakhir lewat, rak-rak itu kosong. Lengan mereka pegal, dan baju mereka basah.

"Thirty," said the cook. He looked at the door again, and then at Madu. "How did you…"

"Tiga puluh," kata si juru masak. Ia memandang pintu itu lagi, lalu memandang Madu. "Bagaimana kalian…"

"Better not to ask," said Madu. He took the coins the cook gave him. They were warm from the cook's pocket.

"Lebih baik tidak usah bertanya," kata Madu. Ia menerima koin-koin yang diberikan si juru masak. Koin-koin itu hangat dari saku si juru masak.

Jabu pulled out the key. The door grew smaller, and smaller, and smaller. It became a thin line of light. Then the line was gone. Only the stone wall was left. The key cooled slowly in his hand.

Jabu mencabut kunci itu. Pintu itu mengecil, dan mengecil, dan mengecil. Ia menjadi sebaris cahaya tipis. Lalu garis itu lenyap. Yang tersisa hanya dinding batu. Kunci itu perlahan mendingin di tangannya.

Madu laughed until he had to hold a shelf. "A goat on a hill," he said.

Madu tertawa sampai harus berpegangan pada sebuah rak. "Kambing di bukit," katanya.

"A goat on a hill," Jabu said, and he laughed too.

"Kambing di bukit," kata Jabu, dan ia pun tertawa.

Jabu walked to the nail. He hung the key back in its place. He stepped away and looked at it. It was only a brass key, and it opened nothing.

Jabu berjalan ke paku itu. Ia menggantung kembali kunci itu di tempatnya. Ia melangkah mundur dan memandangnya. Itu hanya sebuah kunci kuningan, dan ia tidak membuka apa-apa.

Then, from somewhere deep inside the wall, came a tiny sound.

Lalu, dari suatu tempat jauh di dalam dinding, terdengar bunyi yang amat kecil.

Click.

Klik.