Marigold in the Glass

Caspian kneels on the dock beside a small wooden boat. The boat lies upside down on two trestles, and its white paint is cracked like dry mud. In his hand he holds a scraper. On the bench behind him sits a snow globe.

Caspian berlutut di dermaga di samping sebuah perahu kayu kecil. Perahu itu terbalik di atas dua penyangga, dan cat putihnya retak seperti lumpur kering. Di tangannya ada sebuah kerokan. Di bangku di belakangnya ada sebuah bola salju.

Hiba arrives with two paper cups of juice and a bag of sandpaper. She is sixteen, like Caspian, and she has promised to spend her Saturday helping him.

Hiba datang membawa dua gelas kertas berisi jus dan sekantong amplas. Usianya enam belas tahun, sama seperti Caspian, dan ia sudah berjanji menghabiskan hari Sabtunya untuk membantu Caspian.

"You look worn out already," she says.

"Kamu kelihatan sudah kelelahan," katanya.

"I have been here since seven," Caspian says. "The boat must be ready for the harbour regatta, and the office wants its name by noon."

"Aku sudah di sini sejak pukul tujuh," kata Caspian. "Perahunya harus siap untuk regata pelabuhan, dan kantor mau nama perahunya paling lambat tengah hari."

"Its name? Doesn't it have one?"

"Namanya? Memangnya perahu ini belum punya nama?"

"That is the problem." He puts down the scraper and wipes his hands on his shirt. "My dad bought it years ago from a man who never said. The papers say 'name unknown'. If I don't paint a name on the stern by noon, the boat cannot race."

"Itulah masalahnya." Ia meletakkan kerokan dan mengelap tangannya pada kemejanya. "Ayahku membelinya bertahun-tahun lalu dari seorang pria yang tidak pernah bilang. Di surat-suratnya tertulis 'nama tidak diketahui'. Kalau aku tidak mengecat nama di buritan sebelum tengah hari, perahu ini tidak boleh ikut balapan."

Hiba laughs, but he does not. She looks at the boat. It is small and round, with a faded line along the side. It looks like a boat that has forgotten something.

Hiba tertawa, tetapi Caspian tidak. Hiba memandang perahu itu. Perahu itu kecil dan bulat, dengan garis pudar di sepanjang sisinya. Perahu itu tampak seperti perahu yang melupakan sesuatu.

"And the snow globe?" she asks.

"Lalu bola salju itu?" tanyanya.

Caspian's face changes. He picks the globe up very carefully with both hands, as if it were a sleeping bird. Inside the glass, a tiny blue boat sits on a painted wave. The water is cloudy, and a heap of white flakes lies at the bottom.

Wajah Caspian berubah. Ia mengangkat bola itu dengan sangat hati-hati memakai kedua tangan, seolah itu burung yang sedang tidur. Di dalam kaca, sebuah perahu biru mungil bertengger di atas ombak yang dicat. Airnya keruh, dan segunduk serpihan putih tergeletak di dasar.

"I found it yesterday," he says. "It was in a locker under the back seat, wrapped in an old cloth. Look at the little boat."

"Kutemukan kemarin," katanya. "Ada di dalam loker di bawah tempat duduk belakang, dibungkus kain tua. Lihat perahu kecilnya."

Hiba bends closer. The tiny boat has a yellow stripe along its side and a round window at the front. It is exactly the same shape as the boat on the trestles.

Hiba mendekat. Perahu mungil itu punya garis kuning di sepanjang sisinya dan jendela bundar di depan. Bentuknya persis sama dengan perahu di atas penyangga itu.

"It's a model of this one," she says.

"Ini model perahu yang ini," katanya.

"I think so. And I think the paint on the model is the real paint. The boat was blue and yellow once. Somebody painted over it in white." Caspian touches the glass with one finger. "There are tiny letters on the front of the model. I think that is the boat's name."

"Kurasa begitu. Dan kurasa cat pada model itu adalah cat yang asli. Dulu perahu ini berwarna biru dan kuning. Seseorang mengecatnya putih." Caspian menyentuh kaca dengan satu jari. "Ada huruf-huruf mungil di bagian depan model itu. Kurasa itu nama perahunya."

"So read it."

"Ya sudah, baca saja."

"I can't. The snow is lying on top of the letters." He pauses. "The only way to move it is to shake the globe. But my dad says the glue on the base is old. One hard shake, and the water will leak out and ruin it. Hiba, I need you to promise me something."

"Tidak bisa. Saljunya menutupi huruf-hurufnya." Ia terdiam sejenak. "Satu-satunya cara menggesernya adalah mengocok bolanya. Tapi kata ayahku lem di alasnya sudah tua. Sekali kocok keras, airnya akan bocor dan merusaknya. Hiba, aku mau kamu berjanji sesuatu."

"What?"

"Apa?"

"Do not shake it. Not once. Not even a little. Promise."

"Jangan dikocok. Jangan sekali pun. Sedikit pun jangan. Janji."

"I promise," Hiba says, and she holds out her hand. Caspian puts the globe into it. It is heavier than she expects, and it feels as cold as a stone.

"Aku janji," kata Hiba, dan ia mengulurkan tangan. Caspian meletakkan bola itu di tangannya. Bola itu lebih berat daripada dugaannya, dan rasanya sedingin batu.

They work for an hour. Caspian scrapes the old paint, and Hiba follows with the sandpaper. White dust blows over the dock and settles in her hair. Every few minutes, she glances at the globe. She has placed it on a flat cloth beside her knee.

Mereka bekerja selama satu jam. Caspian mengerok cat lama, dan Hiba menyusul dengan amplas. Debu putih beterbangan di dermaga dan menempel di rambutnya. Setiap beberapa menit, ia melirik bola itu. Ia telah menaruhnya di atas kain datar di samping lututnya.

At half past ten, the sandpaper reveals something on the back of the boat. Hiba stops. Under the white paint, the wood has faint marks, like the ghost of a handwritten word. She rubs gently with her thumb.

Pukul setengah sebelas, amplas menyingkapkan sesuatu di bagian belakang perahu. Hiba berhenti. Di bawah cat putih, kayunya punya bekas samar, seperti bayangan sebuah kata tulisan tangan. Ia menggosoknya pelan dengan ibu jari.

"Caspian, look. There are letters. I can see an M, and maybe an R."

"Caspian, lihat. Ada huruf. Aku bisa melihat huruf M, dan mungkin R."

Caspian drops his scraper and crouches beside her. The marks are shallow, and the paint has filled most of them. "M, something, R," he says. "Something, something, something, something."

Caspian menjatuhkan kerokannya dan berjongkok di samping Hiba. Bekas-bekas itu dangkal, dan cat telah mengisi sebagian besarnya. "M, sesuatu, R," katanya. "Sesuatu, sesuatu, sesuatu, sesuatu."

"That helps a lot," Hiba says.

"Itu sangat membantu," kata Hiba.

"It's a start."

"Setidaknya awal."

By eleven the sun is high, and they still have no name. A woman from the harbour office walks along the dock with a clipboard. She stops beside them and taps her watch.

Pukul sebelas matahari sudah tinggi, dan mereka masih belum punya nama. Seorang perempuan dari kantor pelabuhan berjalan di dermaga membawa papan jepit. Ia berhenti di samping mereka dan mengetuk jam tangannya.

"One hour," she says. "After that, I write 'unnamed' on the form, and the boat watches the race from the shore."

"Satu jam lagi," katanya. "Setelah itu, saya tulis 'tanpa nama' di formulirnya, dan perahunya menonton balapan dari pantai."

"We know," Caspian says.

"Kami tahu," kata Caspian.

The woman leaves. Caspian sits on the edge of the dock with his head in his hands. Hiba looks at the globe, and then at the flakes that cover the tiny letters. The bow of the little boat is a white cloud.

Perempuan itu pergi. Caspian duduk di tepi dermaga sambil memegangi kepalanya. Hiba memandang bola itu, lalu serpihan yang menutupi huruf-huruf mungil itu. Haluan perahu kecil itu berupa awan putih.

"I could shake it a little," Caspian says. "Just once. I could be gentle."

"Aku bisa mengocoknya sedikit," kata Caspian. "Sekali saja. Aku bisa pelan-pelan."

"You made me promise," Hiba says.

"Kamu yang membuatku berjanji," kata Hiba.

"I know. I am the one who made you promise. Maybe I was wrong."

"Aku tahu. Aku yang membuatmu berjanji. Mungkin aku salah."

"Maybe," she says. "But I promised. If you shake it, you do it yourself."

"Mungkin," katanya. "Tapi aku sudah berjanji. Kalau mau mengocoknya, kamu lakukan sendiri."

Caspian looks at the globe for a long time. His hand moves towards it, and then it stops in the air. He puts the hand in his pocket.

Caspian menatap bola itu lama. Tangannya bergerak ke arahnya, lalu berhenti di udara. Ia memasukkan tangan itu ke sakunya.

"No," he says. "My dad would rather have the globe than the race."

"Tidak," katanya. "Ayahku lebih memilih bola ini daripada balapan itu."

Hiba picks up the globe. If she cannot shake it, perhaps she can tilt it. She turns it slowly on its side, so slowly that the water barely moves. A few flakes slide, but most of them stay in a stubborn heap. She tries tapping her finger on the glass, and the heap does not move. She tries the light of her phone, and the letters shine and then vanish in the cloud.

Hiba mengambil bola itu. Kalau tidak boleh mengocoknya, mungkin ia bisa memiringkannya. Ia memutarnya pelan ke samping, begitu pelan sampai air nyaris tidak bergerak. Beberapa serpihan meluncur, tetapi sebagian besar tetap menggunduk dengan keras kepala. Ia mencoba mengetukkan jarinya di kaca, dan gundukan itu tidak bergerak. Ia mencoba cahaya ponselnya, dan huruf-huruf itu berkilau lalu menghilang dalam awan.

"It's no use," she says. "The snow is glued to the boat."

"Percuma," katanya. "Saljunya menempel pada perahunya."

Out on the water, a large ferry sounds its horn. It leaves the harbour with a deep, slow roar. Hiba stands at the edge of the dock, still holding the globe in both hands. She watches the long wave that the ferry makes. It spreads across the water towards the dock.

Di atas air, sebuah feri besar membunyikan klakson. Feri itu meninggalkan pelabuhan dengan raungan dalam yang lambat. Hiba berdiri di tepi dermaga, masih memegang bola itu dengan kedua tangan. Ia memperhatikan gelombang panjang yang ditimbulkan feri itu. Gelombang itu menyebar di atas air menuju dermaga.

"Caspian," she says. "Hold my elbow."

"Caspian," katanya. "Pegang sikuku."

"Why?"

"Kenapa?"

"Just hold it."

"Pegang saja."

The wave reaches the dock. The whole wooden floor rises and falls with a long, soft movement, and the trestles creak. Hiba keeps her feet apart and her hands very still. She does not shake the globe. She only holds it while the harbour moves.

Gelombang itu mencapai dermaga. Seluruh lantai kayu naik dan turun dengan gerakan panjang yang lembut, dan penyangga-penyangga berderit. Hiba merenggangkan kakinya dan menahan tangannya sangat diam. Ia tidak mengocok bola itu. Ia hanya memegangnya selagi pelabuhan bergerak.

Inside the glass, the white heap trembles. It breaks into many small flakes that rise in a slow, gentle cloud. They turn, drift, and settle again. For a few seconds, the little boat sits clear and bright on its painted wave.

Di dalam kaca, gundukan putih itu bergetar. Gundukan itu pecah menjadi banyak serpihan kecil yang naik dalam awan yang lambat dan lembut. Mereka berputar, melayang, dan mengendap lagi. Selama beberapa detik, perahu kecil itu tampak jernih dan terang di atas ombak yang dicat.

On its bow, in thin gold letters, is a single word.

Di haluannya, dengan huruf emas yang tipis, tertulis satu kata.

"Marigold," Hiba reads.

"Marigold," baca Hiba.

"Marigold," Caspian says. He says it again, more softly. "M, A, R, I, G, O, L, D. That matches your marks."

"Marigold," kata Caspian. Ia mengucapkannya lagi, lebih lembut. "M, A, R, I, G, O, L, D. Cocok dengan bekas yang kamu temukan."

They both look at the stern of the real boat, at the faint letters under the dust. Hiba laughs and puts the globe on the cloth, exactly where it was. She has not shaken it once.

Keduanya memandang buritan perahu yang asli, pada huruf-huruf samar di bawah debu. Hiba tertawa dan menaruh bola itu di atas kain, persis di tempat semula. Ia tidak mengocoknya sekali pun.

"I kept my promise," she says. "The harbour broke it for me."

"Aku menepati janjiku," katanya. "Pelabuhan yang melanggarnya untukku."

Caspian picks up a brush and opens a can of gold paint. He does not start yet. He looks at the blue boat in the glass, and then at the white one on the trestles. His voice is quiet.

Caspian mengambil kuas dan membuka kaleng cat emas. Ia belum memulai. Ia memandang perahu biru di dalam kaca, lalu perahu putih di atas penyangga. Suaranya pelan.

"Then who painted Marigold white, Hiba, and why did they want her name to disappear?"

"Kalau begitu siapa yang mengecat Marigold jadi putih, Hiba, dan kenapa mereka ingin namanya menghilang?"