One Photo for the Night Moth

Jolanta worked the night shift in the hospital laundry. The room was long and low and always warm. Big machines hummed along one wall. White sheets hung in rows from the ceiling. They looked like sails.

Jolanta bekerja shift malam di binatu rumah sakit. Ruangannya panjang, rendah, dan selalu hangat. Mesin-mesin besar berdengung di sepanjang satu dinding. Seprai putih tergantung berbaris dari langit-langit. Seprai itu tampak seperti layar kapal.

Her work partner was Konrad. He was young and thin and talked very little. He folded towels fast and neatly, one on top of the other. Jolanta liked working beside him. They did not need many words.

Rekan kerjanya Konrad. Ia muda, kurus, dan sangat sedikit bicara. Ia melipat handuk dengan cepat dan rapi, satu di atas yang lain. Jolanta suka bekerja di sampingnya. Mereka tidak membutuhkan banyak kata.

Every night at about three, a moth came. It was pale and big. It flew in through the loading door. It always landed on the grill above dryer nine. The warm air came out there. There it sat for an hour with its wings open.

Setiap malam sekitar pukul tiga, seekor ngengat datang. Ngengat itu pucat dan besar. Ia terbang masuk lewat pintu bongkar muat. Ia selalu hinggap di kisi di atas pengering nomor sembilan. Udara hangat keluar dari situ. Di sana ia duduk selama satu jam dengan sayap terbentang.

Jolanta loved the moth. She never told anyone at first. Then she told Konrad, and he only nodded. After that, they both looked up at three o'clock.

Jolanta menyayangi ngengat itu. Awalnya ia tidak memberi tahu siapa pun. Lalu ia memberi tahu Konrad, dan Konrad hanya mengangguk. Sesudah itu, mereka berdua menengadah pada pukul tiga.

One night, Jolanta brought news. "My daughter wants to see it," she said. "She is on the children's ward. She broke her leg last week. She cannot sleep. She asks me every night what I do at work."

Suatu malam, Jolanta membawa kabar. "Putriku ingin melihatnya," katanya. "Dia ada di bangsal anak. Kakinya patah minggu lalu. Dia tidak bisa tidur. Setiap malam dia bertanya apa yang kukerjakan di tempat kerja."

"What do you tell her?" asked Konrad.

"Apa yang kamu katakan?" tanya Konrad.

"That I fold sheets," said Jolanta. "It sounds so boring. I want to show her the moth."

"Bahwa aku melipat seprai," kata Jolanta. "Kedengarannya membosankan sekali. Aku ingin menunjukkan ngengat itu kepadanya."

Konrad stopped folding. "Take a photo."

Konrad berhenti melipat. "Ambil foto."

"My phone is broken," said Jolanta. "The screen is black."

"Ponselku rusak," kata Jolanta. "Layarnya hitam."

Konrad was quiet. Then he opened his bag and took out a small grey camera. He held it for a moment before he gave it to her. "Use mine," he said. "But there is a problem. The memory is nearly full. It says one photo left."

Konrad terdiam. Lalu ia membuka tasnya dan mengeluarkan kamera kecil berwarna abu-abu. Ia memegangnya sejenak sebelum memberikannya kepadanya. "Pakai punyaku," katanya. "Tapi ada masalah. Memorinya hampir penuh. Katanya sisa satu foto."

"One photo?" said Jolanta. She looked at the little screen. "What is on it?"

"Satu foto?" kata Jolanta. Ia memandang layar kecil itu. "Apa isinya?"

"My trip to the mountains," said Konrad. "They are not saved anywhere else. Please, only one photo."

"Perjalananku ke gunung," kata Konrad. "Tidak tersimpan di tempat lain. Tolong, hanya satu foto."

Jolanta understood. She held the camera very carefully, like a glass cup. "I will be careful," she said.

Jolanta mengerti. Ia memegang kamera itu dengan sangat hati-hati, seperti cangkir kaca. "Aku akan hati-hati," katanya.

At ten to three, they stood by dryer nine and waited. The machine hummed. The warm air moved the sheets. The whole room seemed to breathe. Jolanta's hands were wet with sweat.

Pukul tiga kurang sepuluh, mereka berdiri di dekat pengering sembilan dan menunggu. Mesin itu berdengung. Udara hangat menggerakkan seprai-seprai. Seluruh ruangan seolah bernapas. Tangan Jolanta basah oleh keringat.

At three o'clock exactly, the moth came. It flew in a soft circle under the lights. Then it landed on the grill and opened its wings.

Tepat pukul tiga, ngengat itu datang. Ia terbang berputar lembut di bawah lampu-lampu. Lalu ia hinggap di kisi dan membentangkan sayapnya.

"Now," whispered Konrad.

"Sekarang," bisik Konrad.

Jolanta lifted the camera. She pressed the button. A hard white flash filled the room. The moth jumped up and flew away in fright. It went round the room twice, then out the loading door.

Jolanta mengangkat kamera. Ia menekan tombol. Lampu kilat putih yang keras memenuhi ruangan. Ngengat itu melompat dan terbang pergi ketakutan. Ia mengitari ruangan dua kali, lalu keluar lewat pintu bongkar muat.

Jolanta looked at the screen. The photo showed a bright white blur. There was a piece of the grill in the corner. There was no moth. The little number in the corner said zero.

Jolanta memandang layar. Foto itu hanya memperlihatkan bercak putih yang terang. Ada sepotong kisi di sudutnya. Tidak ada ngengat. Angka kecil di sudut layar menunjukkan nol.

"Oh, no," she said. Her voice was very small.

"Oh, tidak," katanya. Suaranya sangat kecil.

Konrad took the camera and looked at the blur. For a long time he said nothing. Then he pressed a button on the back. "Delete," said the screen. "Delete this photo?"

Konrad mengambil kamera itu dan memandang bercak tersebut. Lama ia tidak berkata apa-apa. Lalu ia menekan sebuah tombol di bagian belakang. "Hapus," kata layar. "Hapus foto ini?"

"What are you doing?" said Jolanta.

"Apa yang kamu lakukan?" kata Jolanta.

"It is only a blur," said Konrad. "Now the camera has room for one more." He pressed yes. The number on the screen changed. One left.

"Ini cuma bercak," kata Konrad. "Sekarang kamera ini punya ruang untuk satu foto lagi." Ia menekan ya. Angka di layar berubah. Sisa satu.

"Thank you," said Jolanta. She wanted to say more, but she did not know how.

"Terima kasih," kata Jolanta. Ia ingin mengatakan lebih banyak, tetapi tidak tahu caranya.

"The moth will come back," he said. "Tomorrow, you must do it differently."

"Ngengat itu akan kembali," katanya. "Besok kamu harus melakukannya dengan cara lain."

The next night, they planned together. Konrad thought about the problem all day. He told Jolanta his idea while they folded the first sheets. "The flash scared it," he said. "So no flash."

Malam berikutnya, mereka merencanakan bersama. Konrad memikirkan masalah itu sepanjang hari. Ia menceritakan idenya kepada Jolanta sambil mereka melipat seprai pertama. "Lampu kilat membuatnya takut," katanya. "Jadi jangan pakai lampu kilat."

"But the room is dim," said Jolanta. "The photo will be dark."

"Tapi ruangannya remang," kata Jolanta. "Fotonya akan gelap."

"Then we stay still. We use the light that is already here." Konrad pointed at the small window in the dryer door. A warm yellow glow came from inside it. Above it, the green sign for the exit shone softly.

"Kalau begitu kita diam saja. Kita pakai cahaya yang sudah ada di sini." Konrad menunjuk jendela kecil di pintu pengering. Cahaya kuning hangat datang dari dalamnya. Di atasnya, tanda hijau pintu keluar bersinar lembut.

They put a stack of folded towels beside the dryer. The stack was just the right height. Konrad turned off the flash. He set the camera on the top towel. He pointed it at the grill. Then he stepped back.

Mereka menaruh setumpuk handuk terlipat di samping pengering. Tumpukan itu tingginya pas. Konrad mematikan lampu kilat. Ia meletakkan kamera di atas handuk teratas. Ia mengarahkannya ke kisi. Lalu ia melangkah mundur.

"The camera shakes if you hold it," he said. "On the towels, it sits still."

"Kamera akan goyang kalau dipegang," katanya. "Di atas handuk, ia diam."

"And how do I take the photo?" asked Jolanta.

"Dan bagaimana aku mengambil fotonya?" tanya Jolanta.

"You press it very softly, with one finger. And you don't breathe."

"Tekan pelan sekali, dengan satu jari. Dan jangan bernapas."

At three o'clock, the moth came again. It flew its soft circle, as before, and landed on the grill. Its wings opened slowly, one then the other. They shone a little in the yellow light.

Pukul tiga, ngengat itu datang lagi. Ia terbang berputar lembut seperti sebelumnya, dan hinggap di kisi. Sayapnya terbuka perlahan, satu lalu yang lain. Sayap itu sedikit berkilau dalam cahaya kuning.

Jolanta got down on her knees beside the towels. She did not move. She did not breathe. Behind her, she could feel Konrad doing the same. The machines hummed and the sheets moved. Very gently, she pressed the button with one finger.

Jolanta berlutut di samping handuk-handuk itu. Ia tidak bergerak. Ia tidak bernapas. Di belakangnya, ia bisa merasakan Konrad melakukan hal yang sama. Mesin-mesin berdengung dan seprai-seprai bergerak. Dengan sangat lembut, ia menekan tombol dengan satu jari.

There was no flash, only a small click. The moth stayed where it was. It closed its wings once and opened them again.

Tidak ada lampu kilat, hanya bunyi klik kecil. Ngengat itu tetap di tempatnya. Ia menutup sayapnya sekali dan membukanya lagi.

This time Jolanta felt her eyes fill with tears. The photo was a little dark, but clear. In the middle, a white moth sat on a grey grill. A warm yellow light shone below it like a tiny lamp.

Kali ini Jolanta merasa matanya berkaca-kaca. Fotonya sedikit gelap, tetapi jelas. Di tengahnya, seekor ngengat putih duduk di kisi abu-abu. Cahaya kuning hangat bersinar di bawahnya seperti lampu mungil.

"It is perfect," she whispered.

"Sempurna," bisiknya.

"It is," said Konrad. He looked at the screen for a long time. Then he gave a rare, shy smile. "Show your daughter in the morning."

"Memang," kata Konrad. Ia memandang layar itu lama. Lalu ia memberikan senyum langka yang malu-malu. "Tunjukkan kepada putrimu besok pagi."

"What do I tell her?" asked Jolanta.

"Apa yang harus kukatakan kepadanya?" tanya Jolanta.

"Tell her the moth works nights too," said Konrad.

"Katakan bahwa ngengat itu juga bekerja malam hari," kata Konrad.