Eleven Minutes of Warmth

Maeve and Fynn reached the car boot sale at six. The field was already full of cars. Sellers opened their boots and set out folding tables.

Maeve dan Fynn tiba di pasar loak bagasi mobil pukul enam. Lapangan itu sudah penuh mobil. Para penjual membuka bagasi dan menata meja lipat.

Maeve needed old parts for the school science fair. She wanted to build a small machine. Fynn held a list of cheap things to find.

Maeve butuh suku cadang bekas untuk pameran sains sekolah. Ia ingin membuat sebuah mesin kecil. Fynn memegang daftar barang murah yang harus dicari.

"Look for wires first," said Fynn. "Then small motors."

"Cari kabel dulu," kata Fynn. "Lalu motor kecil."

"And anything strange," said Maeve.

"Dan apa pun yang aneh," kata Maeve.

They walked down the first row. A man sold old plates. A girl sold toy cars. A boy sold broken radios, but he wanted too much money.

Mereka berjalan menyusuri barisan pertama. Seorang pria menjual piring-piring tua. Seorang gadis menjual mobil-mobilan. Seorang anak laki-laki menjual radio rusak, tetapi harganya terlalu mahal.

"Everything here is rubbish," said Fynn.

"Semua di sini sampah," kata Fynn.

"Everything here is a treasure," said Maeve. "You just do not know it yet."

"Semua di sini harta karun," kata Maeve. "Kamu hanya belum tahu."

At the end of the row, Maeve stopped. A woman sat behind a table of rubber things. There were boots, a swim cap and a pink hot-water bottle.

Di ujung barisan, Maeve berhenti. Seorang wanita duduk di balik meja berisi barang-barang karet. Ada sepatu bot, sebuah topi renang, dan sebuah kantong air panas berwarna merah muda.

The bottle was fat and soft. Maeve touched it. Every other thing on the table felt cold. The bottle felt warm.

Kantong itu gemuk dan lembut. Maeve menyentuhnya. Semua barang lain di meja itu terasa dingin. Kantong itu terasa hangat.

"Is this one hot?" she asked.

"Yang ini panas?" tanyanya.

"No," said the woman. "It only leaks. Fifty pence."

"Tidak," kata wanita itu. "Cuma bocor. Lima puluh pence."

"Where did you get it?"

"Dari mana Ibu mendapatkannya?"

"It came in a box from an old house," said the woman. "I did not look inside."

"Datang dalam sebuah kotak dari rumah tua," kata wanita itu. "Aku tidak melihat isinya."

Maeve held the bottle to her ear. Something inside went tick, tick, tick.

Maeve menempelkan kantong itu ke telinganya. Sesuatu di dalamnya berbunyi tik, tik, tik.

"Fynn, come here," she said.

"Fynn, ke sini," katanya.

Fynn listened. His eyes grew wide. "Bottles do not tick," he said.

Fynn mendengarkan. Matanya melebar. "Kantong air panas tidak berbunyi tik," katanya.

"I know," said Maeve. She paid the woman. Her hand shook a little.

"Aku tahu," kata Maeve. Ia membayar wanita itu. Tangannya sedikit gemetar.

They carried the bottle behind some crates at the edge. Maeve opened the cap. Water ran out of a thin crack at the bottom. A drop fell every second.

Mereka membawa kantong itu ke balik beberapa peti di tepi lapangan. Maeve membuka tutupnya. Air mengalir keluar dari retakan tipis di bagian bawah. Satu tetes jatuh setiap detik.

Inside the bottle sat a silver egg. It was the size of an apple. A soft blue light shone from it. On its side was a tiny screen. The screen showed a number. It said 34.

Di dalam kantong itu ada sebutir telur perak. Ukurannya sebesar apel. Cahaya biru lembut menyala darinya. Di sisinya ada layar mungil. Layar itu menampilkan sebuah angka. Angkanya 34.

"It is a machine," said Fynn.

"Ini mesin," kata Fynn.

"Look," said Maeve. "It moves."

"Lihat," kata Maeve. "Dia bergerak."

The egg turned slowly in the water. Then it made a sound like tiny bells. A thin voice came out of it.

Telur itu berputar pelan di dalam air. Lalu ia mengeluarkan bunyi seperti lonceng-lonceng mungil. Sebuah suara tipis keluar darinya.

"Cold," said the egg. "Cold. Cold."

"Dingin," kata telur itu. "Dingin. Dingin."

Fynn sat down hard on a crate. "It talks," he said.

Fynn duduk dengan keras di atas sebuah peti. "Dia bicara," katanya.

"It is afraid," said Maeve. "I think it needs the warm water."

"Dia ketakutan," kata Maeve. "Kurasa dia butuh air hangat."

The number changed. Now it said 33. The blue light grew a little weaker.

Angka itu berubah. Sekarang tertulis 33. Cahaya birunya sedikit melemah.

Fynn took out his notebook. He looked at his watch and wrote fast. Two minutes later, the number said 31.

Fynn mengeluarkan buku catatannya. Ia melihat jam tangannya dan menulis cepat-cepat. Dua menit kemudian, angkanya 31.

"The number is its temperature," he said. "One number goes every minute. If it reaches twenty, the light goes out."

"Angka itu suhunya," katanya. "Satu angka hilang setiap menit. Kalau mencapai dua puluh, cahayanya padam."

"How long is that?" asked Maeve.

"Berapa lama itu?" tanya Maeve.

"Eleven minutes," said Fynn. "Maybe less. The water gets colder and colder."

"Sebelas menit," kata Fynn. "Mungkin kurang. Airnya makin lama makin dingin."

Maeve thought fast. "We need two things," she said. "We must stop the leak. And we need hot water."

Maeve berpikir cepat. "Kita butuh dua hal," katanya. "Kita harus menghentikan kebocoran. Dan kita butuh air panas."

"My kettle is at home," said Fynn. "Home is twenty minutes away."

"Ketelku ada di rumah," kata Fynn. "Rumah berjarak dua puluh menit."

"Then we do not go home," said Maeve. "We find hot water here."

"Kalau begitu kita tidak pulang," kata Maeve. "Kita cari air panas di sini."

Fynn looked around the field. There were many tables and no kettles. Then he smiled. "The coffee van," he said. "It is at the far gate."

Fynn memandang berkeliling lapangan. Ada banyak meja dan tak ada ketel. Lalu ia tersenyum. "Van kopi," katanya. "Ada di gerbang ujung."

"Leak first," said Maeve.

"Bocornya dulu," kata Maeve.

They ran to a stall that sold bike parts. A man sat there with a tin of patches and some glue.

Mereka berlari ke sebuah lapak yang menjual suku cadang sepeda. Seorang pria duduk di sana dengan sekaleng tambalan dan sedikit lem.

"We need a patch," said Maeve. "Please. Right now."

"Kami butuh tambalan," kata Maeve. "Tolong. Sekarang juga."

"One pound," said the man. He cut a patch and gave her the glue. "Press it for one minute," he said. "Then it holds."

"Satu pound," kata pria itu. Ia memotong sebuah tambalan dan memberikan lem kepadanya. "Tekan satu menit," katanya. "Setelah itu menempel."

Maeve dried the bottle with her sleeve. She spread the glue and pressed the patch over the crack. Fynn counted out loud. Sixty seconds felt very long.

Maeve mengeringkan kantong itu dengan lengan bajunya. Ia mengoleskan lem dan menekankan tambalan di atas retakan. Fynn berhitung dengan suara keras. Enam puluh detik terasa sangat panjang.

The number said 28 when she let go. The patch held. No more drops fell.

Angkanya 28 saat ia melepaskannya. Tambalannya bertahan. Tak ada lagi tetesan yang jatuh.

"Now the van," said Fynn.

"Sekarang van-nya," kata Fynn.

They looked down the field. The sellers parked their cars in long rows. The path around the edge was full of buyers. They walked slowly and stopped at every table.

Mereka memandang ke sepanjang lapangan. Para penjual memarkir mobil mereka dalam barisan panjang. Jalan di sekeliling tepi penuh pembeli. Mereka berjalan pelan dan berhenti di setiap meja.

"It takes ten minutes that way," said Fynn. "We only have eight."

"Lewat situ butuh sepuluh menit," kata Fynn. "Kita cuma punya delapan."

Maeve looked at the rows of cars. Between two vans she saw a narrow gap. Behind the cars, a strip of grass ran along the hedge. It was empty.

Maeve memandang barisan mobil itu. Di antara dua van ia melihat celah sempit. Di belakang mobil-mobil itu, sepetak rumput memanjang di sepanjang pagar tanaman. Kosong.

"Nobody walks behind the cars," she said. "That is our shortcut."

"Tak ada yang berjalan di belakang mobil," katanya. "Itu jalan pintas kita."

They squeezed between the vans. Maeve held the bottle against her chest. Fynn ran in front and pushed branches out of the way.

Mereka menyelinap di antara van-van itu. Maeve mendekap kantong itu di dadanya. Fynn berlari di depan dan menyingkirkan ranting-ranting.

"Cold," said the voice. "So cold."

"Dingin," kata suara itu. "Dingin sekali."

"We will be there," said Maeve. "Wait for us."

"Kami akan sampai," kata Maeve. "Tunggu kami."

They ran past bins and boxes and a pile of old tyres. A dog barked at them. They jumped over a rope. They did not stop once.

Mereka berlari melewati tong sampah, kardus, dan tumpukan ban bekas. Seekor anjing menggonggongi mereka. Mereka melompati seutas tali. Mereka tidak berhenti sekali pun.

At the far gate, many buyers waited at the coffee van. The number said 23. Maeve pushed to the front.

Di gerbang ujung, banyak pembeli menunggu di van kopi. Angkanya 23. Maeve mendesak ke depan.

"Please," she said. "I need hot water. Only a little. It is for a very small friend."

"Tolong," katanya. "Saya butuh air panas. Sedikit saja. Untuk seorang teman yang sangat kecil."

The man in the van looked at the pink bottle. The blue light shone through the rubber. He did not ask a single question. He filled a jug from his shiny tap.

Pria di dalam van itu memandang kantong merah muda tersebut. Cahaya biru bersinar menembus karetnya. Ia tidak mengajukan satu pertanyaan pun. Ia mengisi sebuah teko dari keran mengilapnya.

"Careful," he said. "This water is very hot."

"Hati-hati," katanya. "Air ini sangat panas."

Fynn stopped her hand.

Fynn menahan tangannya.

"Too hot," he said. "Maybe it breaks the egg."

"Terlalu panas," katanya. "Bisa-bisa telurnya pecah."

Maeve stared at him. The number said 22. She felt her heart beat fast.

Maeve menatapnya. Angkanya 22. Ia merasakan jantungnya berdebar kencang.

"Do you have a thermometer?" she asked the man.

"Apa Bapak punya termometer?" tanyanya kepada pria itu.

"For the milk," said the man. He gave her a long glass one. He also gave her a bottle of cold water. "Mix them in the jug."

"Untuk susu," kata pria itu. Ia memberinya sebuah termometer kaca panjang. Ia juga memberinya sebotol air dingin. "Campur di dalam teko."

Maeve poured the cold water in. Fynn read the thermometer.

Maeve menuang air dingin ke dalamnya. Fynn membaca termometer itu.

"Sixty," he said. "Still too hot."

"Enam puluh," katanya. "Masih terlalu panas."

She added more.

Ia menambahkan lagi.

"Forty," he said. "Add a little more cold."

"Empat puluh," katanya. "Tambah sedikit lagi air dingin."

She did.

Maeve melakukannya.

"Thirty-six," said Fynn. "That is good."

"Tiga puluh enam," kata Fynn. "Itu bagus."

The number said 21. The blue light went very dim.

Angkanya 21. Cahaya biru itu meredup sekali.

"Now," said Maeve. She poured the water into the bottle. Fynn held the cap open with both hands. Some water splashed on his shoes. Nobody cared.

"Sekarang," kata Maeve. Ia menuangkan air itu ke dalam kantong. Fynn menahan tutupnya terbuka dengan kedua tangan. Sedikit air memercik ke sepatunya. Tak ada yang peduli.

For three long seconds, nothing happened. Then the number said 22. Then 24. Then 27.

Selama tiga detik yang panjang, tidak terjadi apa-apa. Lalu angkanya menjadi 22. Lalu 24. Lalu 27.

The egg made its bell sound. The light grew bright and steady.

Telur itu mengeluarkan bunyi loncengnya. Cahayanya menyala terang dan mantap.

"Warm," said the egg. "Warm. Warm."

"Hangat," kata telur itu. "Hangat. Hangat."

Fynn laughed and sat down on the grass. His legs shook. Maeve screwed the cap on tight. The man in the van gave them a thumbs up.

Fynn tertawa dan duduk di atas rumput. Kakinya gemetar. Maeve memutar tutupnya erat-erat. Pria di van itu mengacungkan jempol.

The number climbed to 34 and stopped. Maeve and Fynn watched it for a long time. Behind them, the line of buyers grew short. Sellers began to pack their boots. Cars drove out of the field one by one.

Angka itu naik ke 34 dan berhenti. Maeve dan Fynn menatapnya lama sekali. Di belakang mereka, antrean pembeli memendek. Para penjual mulai mengemasi bagasi mereka. Mobil-mobil keluar dari lapangan satu per satu.

Fynn wrote a last line in his notebook. He showed it to Maeve. It said: Ask the egg where it comes from.

Fynn menulis satu baris terakhir di buku catatannya. Ia menunjukkannya kepada Maeve. Tulisannya: Tanya telur itu dari mana asalnya.

Maeve smiled and put the bottle in her lap. Her small machine for the science fair did not matter now. The field became empty and quiet. The blue light glowed through the pink rubber. The little bells rang softly in the grass.

Maeve tersenyum dan meletakkan kantong itu di pangkuannya. Mesin kecilnya untuk pameran sains sudah tidak penting lagi. Lapangan itu menjadi kosong dan sunyi. Cahaya biru berpendar menembus karet merah muda itu. Lonceng-lonceng kecil berdenting pelan di atas rumput.