A Second Behind

The microphone repeats everything Lior says.

Mikrofon itu mengulang semua yang dikatakan Lior.

Lior hates it. He is twenty-two, and this is his first real job. He works alone at the weather station on top of a hill. The station is a white hut. It has a metal tower on the roof. Below it, a green valley lies quiet and wide. Inside the hut, there are a desk and a radio. There is also a jar of coffee. There is also the microphone.

Lior membencinya. Ia berumur dua puluh dua tahun, dan ini pekerjaan pertamanya yang sungguhan. Ia bekerja sendirian di stasiun cuaca di puncak sebuah bukit. Stasiun itu berupa pondok putih dengan menara logam di atapnya. Di bawahnya, lembah hijau terbentang luas dan sunyi. Di dalam pondok ada sebuah meja dan sebuah radio. Ada juga sebotol kopi. Dan ada mikrofon itu.

Lior reads the numbers three times a day. He reads at six in the morning, at noon, and at night. He reads the heat, the wind, and the air pressure. A recorder in the town office saves his voice. That is the whole job.

Lior membacakan angka-angka tiga kali sehari. Ia membacanya pukul enam pagi, tengah hari, dan malam. Ia membacakan suhu, angin, dan tekanan udara. Sebuah perekam di kantor kota menyimpan suaranya. Hanya itulah seluruh pekerjaannya.

The microphone is the problem. Lior says, "Twelve degrees." One second later, a small voice answers, "Twelve degrees." It sounds like a polite parrot that lives inside the cable.

Masalahnya ada pada mikrofon itu. Lior berkata, "Dua belas derajat." Satu detik kemudian, sebuah suara kecil menjawab, "Dua belas derajat." Kedengarannya seperti burung beo sopan yang tinggal di dalam kabel.

He tries to fix it. He changes the cable. He cleans the plug. He moves the desk to the other wall. He even turns the microphone upside down. The parrot still answers.

Ia mencoba memperbaikinya. Ia mengganti kabel. Ia membersihkan colokan. Ia memindahkan meja ke dinding seberang. Bahkan mikrofonnya ia balik terbalik. Si beo tetap menjawab.

The manual says, "Echo can happen in tall, empty rooms." The hut is small and full of boxes. Lior laughs, but nobody hears him.

Buku panduan menyebutkan, "Gema bisa terjadi di ruangan yang tinggi dan kosong." Pondok itu kecil dan penuh kardus. Lior tertawa, tetapi tak ada yang mendengarnya.

After a month, he stops fighting. He reads his numbers, and the parrot repeats them. It becomes part of the day, like the hum of the radio.

Setelah sebulan, ia berhenti melawan. Ia membaca angkanya, dan si beo mengulanginya. Lama-lama itu menjadi bagian dari hari-harinya, seperti dengung radio.

Lior has a second problem, and it is not in the cable. In his desk drawer, there is a form. It is a form for a sound school in the city. His name is at the top. The rest is empty.

Lior punya masalah kedua, dan itu tidak ada di dalam kabel. Di laci mejanya ada sebuah formulir. Formulir untuk sekolah tata suara di kota. Namanya tertulis di bagian atas. Sisanya kosong.

He tells nobody about it. His mother calls every Sunday. She is proud of his steady job.

Ia tidak memberi tahu siapa pun. Ibunya menelepon setiap hari Minggu. Ia bangga dengan pekerjaan anaknya yang tetap.

"A safe job is a gift," she says.

"Pekerjaan yang aman itu anugerah," katanya.

"Yes, Mum," says Lior. He looks at the drawer, and he does not open it.

"Iya, Bu," kata Lior. Ia menatap laci itu, dan tidak membukanya.

On Thursday morning, Lior sits down at six o'clock. The valley is silent. He presses the button on the microphone.

Pada Kamis pagi, Lior duduk pukul enam. Lembah itu hening. Ia menekan tombol mikrofon.

"Hill Station. Lior reading. Eleven degrees."

"Stasiun Bukit. Lior melapor. Sebelas derajat."

"Eleven degrees," says the parrot.

"Sebelas derajat," kata si beo.

"Light wind from the north."

"Angin pelan dari utara."

"Wind from the north," says the parrot.

"Angin dari utara," kata si beo.

He looks at the empty hut. Then he says a line that is not a number. "Same as yesterday. Same as always."

Ia memandang pondok yang kosong. Lalu ia mengucapkan kalimat yang bukan angka. "Sama seperti kemarin. Sama seperti biasa."

For a moment, nothing happens. Then the voice says, "Same as always." After another second, it adds, "You sound bored, Lior."

Sejenak tidak terjadi apa-apa. Lalu suara itu berkata, "Sama seperti biasa." Setelah sedetik lagi, suara itu menambahkan, "Kamu kedengarannya bosan, Lior."

Lior jumps. His coffee jar falls off the desk and rolls across the floor. He stares at the microphone as if it has teeth.

Lior terlonjak. Botol kopinya jatuh dari meja dan menggelinding di lantai. Ia menatap mikrofon itu seolah-olah benda itu bergigi.

"Hello?" he says.

"Halo?" katanya.

"Hello?" says the voice. Then it laughs. "Yes, I am real. I am not a parrot. Sorry for the second. My radio is slow."

"Halo?" kata suara itu. Lalu ia tertawa. "Ya, aku nyata. Aku bukan burung beo. Maaf soal jeda satu detik itu. Radioku lambat."

Lior grabs the edge of the desk. "Who are you?"

Lior mencengkeram tepi meja. "Siapa kamu?"

He waits for the answer. The second feels very long.

Ia menunggu jawabannya. Satu detik itu terasa sangat panjang.

"My name is Uzma. I live on a sheep farm at the bottom of your hill. My old radio catches your channel. It can send, too, if I press the big button."

"Namaku Uzma. Aku tinggal di peternakan domba di kaki bukitmu. Radio tuaku menangkap salurannya. Radio itu juga bisa mengirim, kalau aku menekan tombol yang besar."

"You listen to me?"

"Kamu mendengarkan aku?"

"Every day for two months. At first it was a game. I repeat your numbers when the sheep wake up. Now I like your voice. It is the first thing I hear."

"Setiap hari selama dua bulan. Awalnya cuma permainan. Aku mengulang angka-angkamu waktu domba-dombaku bangun. Sekarang aku suka suaramu. Itu hal pertama yang kudengar setiap hari."

Lior sits on the floor with the microphone in his hand. He does not know what to say. A second goes by, and then another.

Lior duduk di lantai dengan mikrofon di tangan. Ia tidak tahu harus berkata apa. Satu detik berlalu, lalu satu lagi.

"You sound sad," says Uzma. "Not only today. Every day. Tell me why."

"Kamu kedengarannya sedih," kata Uzma. "Bukan hanya hari ini. Setiap hari. Ceritakan kenapa."

It is easier to talk to a voice in a wire. Lior says it fast. "I like sound. I like machines that carry voices across a valley. I want to study it in the city. But I have a safe job, and my mother is happy."

Lebih mudah bicara pada suara di dalam kabel. Lior mengatakannya dengan cepat. "Aku suka suara. Aku suka mesin yang membawa suara menyeberangi lembah. Aku ingin mempelajarinya di kota. Tapi aku punya pekerjaan yang aman, dan ibuku senang."

"Do you have a form?"

"Apa kamu punya formulir?"

"How do you know that?"

"Bagaimana kamu tahu?"

"Everybody with a dream has a form in a drawer," says Uzma. "Open it."

"Setiap orang yang punya mimpi menyimpan formulir di lacinya," kata Uzma. "Bukalah."

Lior opens it. The paper is soft at the corners. He touches it often. He puts it flat on the desk.

Lior membukanya. Kertas itu lembut di sudut-sudutnya. Ia sering menyentuhnya. Ia meletakkannya rata di atas meja.

"Now read it to me," says Uzma. "Read it like you read the heat and the wind."

"Sekarang bacakan untukku," kata Uzma. "Bacalah seperti kamu membaca suhu dan angin."

He feels silly. Then he reads. "Sound Engineering School. Applications close this month."

Ia merasa konyol. Lalu ia membaca. "Sekolah Teknik Tata Suara. Pendaftaran ditutup bulan ini."

"Applications close this month," says the echo, one second late.

"Pendaftaran ditutup bulan ini," kata gema itu, terlambat satu detik.

"Name. Lior."

"Nama. Lior."

"Name. Lior."

"Nama. Lior."

"Reason for applying."

"Alasan mendaftar."

He stops. The pen shakes in his hand. The microphone waits. So does the valley.

Ia berhenti. Pena di tangannya gemetar. Mikrofon itu menunggu. Lembah itu juga.

"I don't know what to write," he says.

"Aku tidak tahu harus menulis apa," katanya.

"Don't write," says Uzma. "Say it. I will say it back, so you can hear how it sounds."

"Jangan ditulis," kata Uzma. "Ucapkan saja. Aku akan mengulanginya, supaya kamu bisa mendengar bagaimana bunyinya."

Lior takes a breath. His voice is small at first. "I want to learn how voices travel."

Lior menarik napas. Suaranya kecil pada awalnya. "Aku ingin belajar bagaimana suara merambat."

"I want to learn how voices travel," says Uzma, a second behind.

"Aku ingin belajar bagaimana suara merambat," kata Uzma, satu detik di belakang.

It sounds strange and wonderful. This is the first time he hears his own wish out loud. It does not sound silly at all. It sounds like a plan.

Kedengarannya aneh dan indah. Ini pertama kalinya ia mendengar keinginannya sendiri diucapkan keras-keras. Sama sekali tidak terdengar konyol. Kedengarannya seperti sebuah rencana.

He writes the words on the form. Then he reads the next line, and the next. Uzma echoes each one. The sun climbs over the valley. The two of them fill the page together. Sometimes she makes a joke. Sometimes she waits and says nothing, and he is glad.

Ia menuliskan kata-kata itu di formulir. Lalu ia membaca baris berikutnya, dan berikutnya lagi. Uzma menggemakan setiap baris. Matahari naik di atas lembah. Mereka berdua mengisi halaman itu bersama-sama. Kadang Uzma melontarkan lelucon. Kadang ia menunggu dan tidak berkata apa-apa, dan Lior merasa senang.

At last, there is only one box left. It says, "Signature."

Akhirnya tinggal satu kotak yang tersisa. Tertulis, "Tanda tangan."

Lior signs his name. The pen makes a tiny sound in the quiet hut. He feels light, for the first time in months.

Lior menandatangani namanya. Pena itu menimbulkan bunyi kecil di pondok yang sunyi. Ia merasa ringan, untuk pertama kalinya setelah berbulan-bulan.

"Now you need an envelope," says Uzma. "And a stamp. And you must be brave enough to go to the post office."

"Sekarang kamu butuh amplop," kata Uzma. "Dan perangko. Dan kamu harus cukup berani untuk pergi ke kantor pos."

"The post office is down in the town," says Lior. "Everyone knows my mother there."

"Kantor posnya ada di kota bawah," kata Lior. "Semua orang di sana kenal ibuku."

"Then they will all hear the news from you first." She laughs. "Do not forget your numbers at noon, Lior."

"Kalau begitu mereka semua akan mendengar kabarnya darimu lebih dulu." Ia tertawa. "Jangan lupa angka-angkamu saat tengah hari, Lior."

He laughs, too. He picks up the jar and puts it on the desk.

Lior ikut tertawa. Ia memungut botol itu dan menaruhnya di meja.

"Will you still repeat me tomorrow?" he asks.

"Besok kamu masih akan mengulang kata-kataku?" tanyanya.

"One second late, every day," says Uzma. "But first, say your wish once more, and louder this time. The whole valley can hear you."

"Terlambat satu detik, setiap hari," kata Uzma. "Tapi sekarang, ucapkan sekali lagi keinginanmu, dan lebih keras kali ini. Seluruh lembah bisa mendengarmu."