One Minute of Orchid Time

The greenhouse module of Station Larkspur was the quietest room in space. It had forty shelves of plants and one long window. The light was soft and green. A big clock hung on the far wall. It showed only minutes. Orla loved it more than any other place on the station.

Modul rumah kaca Stasiun Larkspur adalah ruangan paling sunyi di luar angkasa. Ruangan itu punya empat puluh rak tanaman dan satu jendela panjang. Cahayanya lembut dan kehijauan. Sebuah jam besar tergantung di dinding seberang. Jam itu hanya menunjukkan menit. Orla menyayanginya lebih daripada tempat mana pun di stasiun.

She was fifteen, and she was the youngest crew member. Her job was to care for one plant. It was a night orchid called Pearl.

Ia berumur lima belas tahun, dan ia awak termuda. Tugasnya merawat satu tanaman. Sebuah anggrek malam bernama Pearl.

Pearl was famous on the station. She had one flower, and the flower opened once every thirty days. It stayed open for one minute only. During that minute, someone had to touch it with a tiny brush. Without the brush, Pearl made no seeds.

Pearl terkenal di stasiun. Ia punya satu bunga, dan bunga itu mekar sekali setiap tiga puluh hari. Bunga itu hanya terbuka selama satu menit. Selama menit itu, seseorang harus menyentuhnya dengan kuas kecil. Tanpa kuas itu, Pearl tidak menghasilkan biji.

"Do not miss it," said Cordelia, the station gardener. She was twenty. She wore a hat with a leaf pinned to it. "Pearl has no more chances this month."

"Jangan sampai terlewat," kata Cordelia, tukang kebun stasiun. Umurnya dua puluh tahun. Ia memakai topi dengan sehelai daun tersemat di atasnya. "Pearl tidak punya kesempatan lagi bulan ini."

"I will not miss it," said Orla.

"Aku tidak akan melewatkannya," kata Orla.

"Do you have a clock?" Cordelia asked.

"Kamu punya jam?" tanya Cordelia.

Orla held up her wrist. There was no clock there. Instead, she showed an old brass stopwatch. It hung on a string around her neck.

Orla mengangkat pergelangan tangannya. Tidak ada jam di sana. Sebaliknya, ia menunjukkan sebuah stopwatch kuningan tua. Benda itu tergantung pada seutas tali di lehernya.

"It came with the room," said Orla. "It is older than the station."

"Ini sudah ada bersama ruangan ini," kata Orla. "Umurnya lebih tua daripada stasiun."

"Does it work?" asked Cordelia.

"Masih berfungsi?" tanya Cordelia.

"I think so," said Orla. "It runs a little slow. But it works."

"Kurasa begitu," kata Orla. "Jalannya agak lambat. Tapi berfungsi."

On the day of the flower, Orla woke very early. She put on clean gloves. She took the small brush from its box. She set the stopwatch in her left hand. Then she sat on a stool in front of Pearl. She waited for the bud to move.

Pada hari bunga mekar, Orla bangun sangat pagi. Ia memakai sarung tangan bersih. Ia mengambil kuas kecil dari kotaknya. Ia memegang stopwatch di tangan kirinya. Lalu ia duduk di bangku kecil di depan Pearl. Ia menunggu kuncup itu bergerak.

The bud was shut, round, and silver. At ten o'clock it trembled. A thin line appeared along its side.

Kuncup itu tertutup, bulat, dan keperakan. Pukul sepuluh, kuncup itu bergetar. Sebuah garis tipis muncul di sisinya.

"Now," Orla whispered. She pressed the button on the stopwatch.

"Sekarang," bisik Orla. Ia menekan tombol stopwatch.

The petals opened like a white hand. A soft blue light spread across the shelf. The flower smelled of cold water and honey. Orla raised the brush. She looked at the stopwatch. The hand showed only twenty seconds.

Kelopak-kelopaknya terbuka seperti tangan putih. Cahaya biru lembut menyebar di atas rak. Bunga itu berbau air dingin dan madu. Orla mengangkat kuasnya. Ia memandang stopwatch. Jarumnya hanya menunjukkan dua puluh detik.

"Plenty of time," she told herself.

"Masih banyak waktu," katanya kepada dirinya sendiri.

She moved the brush with great care. She wanted every touch to be perfect. The flower trembled, and a little gold dust fell from its middle. The hand on the stopwatch showed forty seconds. Orla smiled.

Ia menggerakkan kuas dengan sangat hati-hati. Ia ingin setiap sentuhan sempurna. Bunga itu bergetar, dan sedikit serbuk emas jatuh dari tengahnya. Jarum stopwatch menunjukkan empat puluh detik. Orla tersenyum.

Then the petals began to close.

Lalu kelopak-kelopaknya mulai menutup.

"No, no, no," Orla said. She leaned forward and touched the flower again and again. The petals folded one by one. The blue light faded. Pearl became a small silver bud once more.

"Jangan, jangan, jangan," kata Orla. Ia mencondongkan badan dan menyentuh bunga itu berulang kali. Kelopak-kelopaknya melipat satu per satu. Cahaya biru memudar. Pearl kembali menjadi kuncup perak yang kecil.

She checked the time. The stopwatch said forty seconds.

Ia memeriksa waktu. Stopwatch menunjukkan empat puluh detik.

Cordelia ran into the room. "How did it go?"

Cordelia berlari masuk. "Bagaimana hasilnya?"

"It closed early," Orla said sadly. "I still had twenty seconds."

"Menutup lebih awal," kata Orla dengan sedih. "Padahal aku masih punya dua puluh detik."

Cordelia looked at the bud and then at the stopwatch. She bit her lip.

Cordelia memandang kuncup itu lalu stopwatch. Ia menggigit bibir.

"Did you touch her enough?" she asked.

"Kamu menyentuhnya cukup?" tanyanya.

"Maybe," said Orla. "But I do not know. The flower was too fast."

"Mungkin," kata Orla. "Tapi aku tidak tahu. Bunganya terlalu cepat."

"The flower was not fast," said Cordelia. "Your watch was slow."

"Bunganya tidak cepat," kata Cordelia. "Jammu yang lambat."

She took the stopwatch. She held it next to the big clock on the wall. They both watched. The big clock moved one whole minute. The stopwatch showed only forty seconds.

Ia mengambil stopwatch itu. Ia memegangnya di samping jam besar di dinding. Mereka berdua memperhatikan. Jam besar itu bergerak satu menit penuh. Stopwatch hanya menunjukkan empat puluh detik.

"It is not a little slow," said Cordelia. "It loses a third of every minute."

"Ini bukan agak lambat," kata Cordelia. "Ini kehilangan sepertiga setiap menit."

Orla put her face in her hands. "So Pearl made no seeds?"

Orla menutup wajahnya dengan kedua tangan. "Jadi Pearl tidak menghasilkan biji?"

"A few, maybe," said Cordelia. "But not enough. We have to try again."

"Mungkin beberapa," kata Cordelia. "Tapi tidak cukup. Kita harus mencoba lagi."

"In thirty days?" Orla asked. "That is a long time."

"Tiga puluh hari lagi?" tanya Orla. "Itu lama sekali."

"We do not have to wait," said Cordelia.

"Kita tidak perlu menunggu," kata Cordelia.

She pointed at the shelf. Next to Pearl, a second small bud sat in a pot. It was pale, and it was only the size of a pea.

Ia menunjuk rak. Di sebelah Pearl, sebuah kuncup kecil lain berada di dalam pot. Warnanya pucat, dan ukurannya hanya sebesar kacang polong.

"Her sister," said Cordelia. "She opens in three days. If you touch her well with the brush, we get many seeds."

"Saudarinya," kata Cordelia. "Dia mekar tiga hari lagi. Kalau kamu menyentuhnya dengan baik memakai kuas, kita mendapat banyak biji."

"And if I miss again?"

"Dan kalau aku gagal lagi?"

"Then we will have a very sad greenhouse," said Cordelia.

"Maka rumah kaca kita akan sangat sedih," kata Cordelia.

For three days, Orla did not sleep well. She thought about the stopwatch. She thought about the twenty lost seconds. She tried a new watch from the station store. It stopped working in an hour. She tried to count aloud, but she lost her place every time.

Selama tiga hari, Orla tidak tidur nyenyak. Ia memikirkan stopwatch itu. Ia memikirkan dua puluh detik yang hilang. Ia mencoba jam baru dari toko stasiun. Jam itu berhenti berfungsi dalam satu jam. Ia mencoba menghitung dengan suara keras, tetapi setiap kali ia kehilangan hitungan.

On the third night, she sat in the greenhouse. The old brass watch was in her hand. At last she had a different idea.

Pada malam ketiga, ia duduk di rumah kaca. Jam kuningan tua itu ada di tangannya. Akhirnya ia punya ide yang berbeda.

In the morning, she told Cordelia.

Paginya, ia memberi tahu Cordelia.

"I will not fight the watch," she said. "I will use it as it is."

"Aku tidak akan melawan jam ini," katanya. "Aku akan memakainya apa adanya."

"What do you mean?" Cordelia asked.

"Maksudmu?" tanya Cordelia.

"The watch loses a third of every minute," said Orla. "That never changes. So the flower's whole minute is only forty seconds on my watch. I will plan my work in forty seconds, not sixty."

"Jam ini kehilangan sepertiga setiap menit," kata Orla. "Itu tidak pernah berubah. Jadi satu menit penuh milik bunga itu hanya empat puluh detik di jamku. Aku akan merencanakan kerjaku dalam empat puluh detik, bukan enam puluh."

Cordelia tilted her head. "That is clever."

Cordelia memiringkan kepala. "Itu cerdas."

"It is only counting," said Orla. "From the start, the left petals. At ten, the right petals. At twenty, the middle. At thirty-eight, I stop."

"Ini cuma berhitung," kata Orla. "Dari awal, kelopak kiri. Pada hitungan sepuluh, kelopak kanan. Pada hitungan dua puluh, bagian tengah. Pada hitungan tiga puluh delapan, aku berhenti."

"And the big clock?" Cordelia asked.

"Dan jam besar?" tanya Cordelia.

"It shows no seconds," said Orla. "Only my watch can count them."

"Jam itu tidak menunjukkan detik," kata Orla. "Hanya jamku yang bisa menghitungnya."

The second bud trembled at ten that morning. The petals opened, and a pale gold light filled the room. Orla pressed the button. She did not hurry. She brushed the left petals in slow, even lines. At ten seconds, she moved to the right. At twenty, she touched the middle with the tip of the brush.

Kuncup kedua bergetar pukul sepuluh pagi itu. Kelopak-kelopaknya terbuka, dan cahaya emas pucat memenuhi ruangan. Orla menekan tombol. Ia tidak terburu-buru. Ia menyapukan kuas pada kelopak kiri dengan garis-garis yang lambat dan rata. Pada detik kesepuluh, ia pindah ke kanan. Pada detik kedua puluh, ia menyentuh bagian tengah dengan ujung kuas.

Gold dust rose into the air and sparkled around her glove.

Serbuk emas naik ke udara dan berkilau di sekeliling sarung tangannya.

At thirty-eight seconds, she stopped. She held the brush still.

Pada detik ketiga puluh delapan, ia berhenti. Ia menahan kuas itu diam.

At forty, the petals began to close.

Pada detik keempat puluh, kelopak-kelopaknya mulai menutup.

Orla did not move. She watched the flower fold, one petal after another. Soon only a small silver bud was left. The blue light faded from the shelf.

Orla tidak bergerak. Ia memperhatikan bunga itu melipat, kelopak demi kelopak. Segera hanya kuncup perak kecil yang tersisa. Cahaya biru memudar dari rak.

"Did it work?" Cordelia whispered from the door.

"Berhasil?" bisik Cordelia dari pintu.

Orla checked the stopwatch. Then she looked at the pale bud. A tiny gold seed already grew at its base.

Orla memeriksa stopwatch. Lalu ia memandang kuncup pucat itu. Sebutir biji emas kecil sudah tumbuh di pangkalnya.

"Yes," she said. "Every petal. Every second."

"Ya," katanya. "Setiap kelopak. Setiap detik."

Cordelia clapped her hands. "You did it. You really did it."

Cordelia bertepuk tangan. "Kamu berhasil. Kamu benar-benar berhasil."

"The watch did most of the work," said Orla.

"Jam itu yang mengerjakan sebagian besarnya," kata Orla.

Cordelia took the brass stopwatch off its string. She looked at it for a long moment. Then she hung it around her own neck.

Cordelia melepas stopwatch kuningan itu dari talinya. Ia memandanginya lama. Lalu ia mengalungkannya di lehernya sendiri.

"At last," she said, "a clock that makes my meetings shorter. I will wear it everywhere."

"Akhirnya," katanya, "jam yang membuat rapat-rapatku lebih singkat. Aku akan memakainya ke mana-mana."