The Badge and the Two Paths

The cabin sat at the end of a long forest road. Nuala found the key under a flat stone. The owner said to look there. Viktor carried the bags inside. The rooms smelled of pine and warm wood.

Pondok itu berdiri di ujung jalan hutan yang panjang. Nuala menemukan kuncinya di bawah batu pipih. Si pemilik menyuruh mencari di situ. Viktor membawa tas-tas masuk. Ruangan-ruangannya berbau pinus dan kayu yang hangat.

"It is very quiet," Viktor said.

"Sunyi sekali," kata Viktor.

"That is why we came," Nuala said.

"Itu sebabnya kita datang," kata Nuala.

She put her bag on the table. A small card slid out of it. It was her new name badge. The letters said NUALA, and under them, FIRST DAY.

Ia meletakkan tasnya di meja. Sebuah kartu kecil meluncur keluar dari dalamnya. Itu tanda pengenal barunya. Hurufnya berbunyi NUALA, dan di bawahnya, HARI PERTAMA.

Viktor looked at the card. "Is that from the museum?"

Viktor memandang kartu itu. "Itu dari museum?"

"Yes. They sent it early," Nuala said. "They want me to start on Monday."

"Ya. Mereka mengirimnya lebih awal," kata Nuala. "Mereka ingin aku mulai hari Senin."

"And the garden school?"

"Dan sekolah kebun?"

"They want me to start on Monday too." She laughed, but it was not a happy laugh. "Two jobs. Two good offers. I must say yes to one of them by tomorrow night."

"Mereka juga ingin aku mulai hari Senin." Ia tertawa, tetapi bukan tawa yang gembira. "Dua pekerjaan. Dua tawaran bagus. Aku harus bilang ya pada salah satunya paling lambat besok malam."

"So that is why you wanted a cabin."

"Jadi itu sebabnya kamu ingin pondok."

"I wanted a place with no phone signal," Nuala said. "Nobody can ask me anything here."

"Aku ingin tempat tanpa sinyal telepon," kata Nuala. "Di sini tidak ada yang bisa menanyaiku apa pun."

Viktor made soup on the small stove. They ate by the window and watched the trees go dark. Nuala did not talk about the jobs. Viktor did not ask. He was a good friend that way.

Viktor memasak sup di kompor kecil. Mereka makan di dekat jendela dan menyaksikan pepohonan menggelap. Nuala tidak membicarakan pekerjaan itu. Viktor tidak bertanya. Dalam hal itu ia teman yang baik.

Before bed, Nuala hung the badge on a hook by the door. Then she lay down and listened to the quiet. It was a big quiet. It was full of tiny sounds. Soon she slept.

Sebelum tidur, Nuala menggantung tanda pengenal itu di paku dekat pintu. Lalu ia berbaring dan mendengarkan kesunyian. Kesunyian yang besar. Penuh dengan bunyi-bunyi kecil. Tak lama ia tertidur.

A soft light woke her in the middle of the night. It was pale green, like a leaf in the sun. It came from the hook by the door. The badge glowed.

Cahaya lembut membangunkannya di tengah malam. Warnanya hijau pucat, seperti daun di bawah matahari. Cahaya itu datang dari paku di dekat pintu. Tanda pengenal itu berpendar.

Nuala got up and touched it. It was warm, like a stone in the sun. She opened the cabin door and looked out.

Nuala bangun dan menyentuhnya. Terasa hangat, seperti batu di bawah matahari. Ia membuka pintu pondok dan melihat keluar.

Two paths led away from the step. When they came, there was only one. The left path went between tall pines. The right path went down toward a stream. A small lantern hung from a branch on each path.

Dua jalan setapak mengarah menjauh dari undakan. Saat mereka datang, hanya ada satu. Jalan kiri melewati pinus-pinus tinggi. Jalan kanan turun menuju sebuah sungai kecil. Sebuah lentera kecil tergantung di dahan pada masing-masing jalan.

"Hello, first-day person," said a voice near her feet.

"Halo, orang hari-pertama," kata sebuah suara di dekat kakinya.

A grey fox sat on the step. It looked at the badge. It did not look afraid.

Seekor rubah abu-abu duduk di undakan. Ia memandang tanda pengenal itu. Ia tidak tampak takut.

Nuala did not scream. She was too sleepy. "Can foxes talk?" she asked.

Nuala tidak menjerit. Ia terlalu mengantuk. "Rubah bisa bicara?" tanyanya.

"On this step, in this forest, yes," said the fox. "Please do not ask for more."

"Di undakan ini, di hutan ini, ya," kata si rubah. "Tolong jangan minta lebih."

"What do you want?"

"Apa yang kamu inginkan?"

"I want nothing. The badge wants something." The fox pointed its nose at the card. "Everyone with a first-day badge gets one walk on each path. You see the day that waits for you. Then you choose."

"Aku tidak ingin apa-apa. Tanda pengenal itu yang menginginkan sesuatu." Rubah itu menunjuk kartu itu dengan moncongnya. "Setiap orang yang punya tanda pengenal hari pertama mendapat satu kali berjalan di setiap jalan. Kamu melihat hari yang menantimu. Lalu kamu memilih."

Nuala went back inside and shook Viktor's shoulder. He opened one eye.

Nuala masuk kembali dan mengguncang bahu Viktor. Ia membuka sebelah mata.

"There is a fox on the step," she said. "It talks."

"Ada rubah di undakan," katanya. "Dia bisa bicara."

Viktor sat up. He looked at the door for a long time. "I think I am still asleep," he said.

Viktor duduk tegak. Ia memandang pintu itu lama sekali. "Kurasa aku masih tidur," katanya.

"Good. Stay asleep. Come and walk with me."

"Bagus. Tetaplah tidur. Ayo berjalan denganku."

He put on his boots without another word. Nuala pinned the badge to her coat. They took the left path first.

Ia memakai sepatu botnya tanpa berkata apa-apa lagi. Nuala menyematkan tanda pengenal itu di mantelnya. Mereka mengambil jalan kiri lebih dulu.

The pines opened above them like a high roof. Glass cases stood between the trunks. A soft light shone on old clay pots and silver coins. Nuala stood in the middle of it, and she knew this place. It was the museum.

Pinus-pinus membuka di atas mereka seperti atap yang tinggi. Etalase-etalase kaca berdiri di antara batang-batang pohon. Cahaya lembut menyinari periuk tanah liat tua dan koin-koin perak. Nuala berdiri di tengahnya, dan ia mengenali tempat ini. Itu museum.

People walked past her in a slow line. A man asked about a clay pot. Nuala knew the answer. A girl asked where the coins came from. Nuala knew that answer too. Her coat was neat. Her voice was calm. She did everything well.

Orang-orang berjalan melewatinya dalam barisan yang lambat. Seorang pria bertanya tentang sebuah periuk tanah liat. Nuala tahu jawabannya. Seorang gadis bertanya dari mana koin-koin itu berasal. Nuala tahu jawaban itu juga. Mantelnya rapi. Suaranya tenang. Ia mengerjakan semuanya dengan baik.

But she looked at the clock on the wall again and again. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. At day's end, she looked at the clock one last time. She smiled. The smile said, finally.

Tetapi ia melihat jam di dinding berulang kali. Sepuluh menit. Dua puluh menit. Di akhir hari, ia memandang jam itu untuk terakhir kalinya. Ia tersenyum. Senyum itu berkata, akhirnya.

Then the glass cases melted away. They were only pines again.

Lalu etalase-etalase kaca itu mencair. Semuanya hanya pinus lagi.

"That was a good day," Nuala said.

"Itu hari yang baik," kata Nuala.

"You were a very good guide," said Viktor. He was awake now, and his voice was small. "But you counted the minutes."

"Kamu pemandu yang sangat bagus," kata Viktor. Ia sudah terjaga sekarang, dan suaranya kecil. "Tapi kamu menghitung menit."

"Did I?"

"Benarkah?"

"All day. Like a person waiting for a bus."

"Sepanjang hari. Seperti orang yang menunggu bus."

Nuala frowned. She said nothing.

Nuala mengerutkan kening. Ia tidak berkata apa-apa.

They walked back to the step and took the right path. It went down through wet grass to the stream. A garden grew beside the water. There were long beds of beans and an old shed. A dozen children ran between the rows with muddy hands.

Mereka berjalan kembali ke undakan dan mengambil jalan kanan. Jalan itu turun melewati rumput basah menuju sungai. Sebuah kebun tumbuh di samping air. Ada petak-petak panjang kacang dan sebuah gubuk tua. Selusin anak berlarian di antara barisan tanaman dengan tangan berlumpur.

Nuala was in the middle of it. A small boy gave her a worm. She held it up and laughed out loud. A girl asked her a hard question about snails. Nuala did not know the answer. She said so, and they looked it up together under a tree.

Nuala berada di tengahnya. Seorang anak lelaki kecil memberinya seekor cacing. Ia mengangkatnya dan tertawa keras. Seorang gadis mengajukan pertanyaan sulit tentang siput. Nuala tidak tahu jawabannya. Ia mengatakannya, dan mereka mencarinya bersama-sama di bawah sebuah pohon.

Her coat was dirty. Her hair was full of leaves. Somewhere in that long day, the badge fell into her pocket. She never noticed. When the last bell rang, she was still sitting in the dirt. Nobody minded that she was late.

Mantelnya kotor. Rambutnya penuh daun. Di suatu saat dalam hari yang panjang itu, tanda pengenalnya jatuh ke sakunya. Ia tidak pernah menyadarinya. Ketika lonceng terakhir berbunyi, ia masih duduk di tanah. Tidak ada yang keberatan bahwa ia terlambat.

Then the garden melted away. The trees came back, and the stream sounded very loud.

Lalu kebun itu mencair. Pepohonan kembali, dan suara sungai terdengar sangat keras.

Nuala felt in her pocket. The badge was there. It was warm.

Nuala meraba sakunya. Tanda pengenal itu ada di sana. Hangat.

"That one was messy," she said.

"Yang tadi berantakan," katanya.

"That one was loud," Viktor said. "You did not look at a clock once."

"Yang tadi ramai," kata Viktor. "Kamu tidak sekali pun melihat jam."

They climbed back to the cabin. The fox waited on the step, and the sky turned pale.

Mereka mendaki kembali ke pondok. Si rubah menunggu di undakan, dan langit memucat.

"Now choose," said the fox. "The badge can only say one name."

"Sekarang pilihlah," kata si rubah. "Tanda pengenal itu hanya bisa menyebut satu nama."

Nuala sat down on the step. She held the badge in both hands. Both days were good. The museum paid more. It was safe and clean, and everybody liked it. The garden paid less. It was muddy. The shed was old. The work was hard.

Nuala duduk di undakan. Ia memegang tanda pengenal itu dengan kedua tangan. Kedua hari itu baik. Museum membayar lebih. Aman dan bersih, dan semua orang menyukainya. Sekolah kebun membayar lebih sedikit. Berlumpur. Gubuknya tua. Pekerjaannya berat.

"Everyone says the museum is the smart choice," she said.

"Semua orang bilang museum adalah pilihan yang cerdas," katanya.

"Which day did you want to finish?" Viktor asked.

"Hari mana yang ingin kamu selesaikan?" tanya Viktor.

Nuala thought about it. "The museum day. A little."

Nuala memikirkannya. "Hari museum. Sedikit."

"And which day did you want to keep?"

"Dan hari mana yang ingin kamu pertahankan?"

She looked at the badge. She did not need to answer. Viktor smiled, and the fox yawned.

Ia memandang tanda pengenal itu. Ia tidak perlu menjawab. Viktor tersenyum, dan si rubah menguap.

Nuala turned the card over. The letters moved. FIRST DAY slid away, like water running off a window. New letters came in their place. They said: NUALA, GARDEN SCHOOL.

Nuala membalik kartu itu. Huruf-hurufnya bergerak. HARI PERTAMA meluncur pergi, seperti air yang mengalir dari jendela. Huruf-huruf baru muncul menggantikannya. Bunyinya: NUALA, SEKOLAH KEBUN.

The badge glowed one last time. Then it went dark and plain.

Tanda pengenal itu berpendar untuk terakhir kalinya. Lalu ia menjadi gelap dan polos.

"Well," said the fox. "That is done." It stepped off the step and walked into the ferns. Its tail was the last thing to go.

"Nah," kata si rubah. "Selesai." Ia melompat turun dari undakan dan berjalan masuk ke antara pakis. Ekornya adalah bagian terakhir yang menghilang.

Nuala stayed on the step for a while. The first birds started to sing. She felt light, and a little afraid, and very awake.

Nuala tetap di undakan beberapa saat. Burung-burung pertama mulai berkicau. Ia merasa ringan, sedikit takut, dan sangat terjaga.

Viktor sat down next to her. He pulled his coat over his knees.

Viktor duduk di sebelahnya. Ia menarik mantelnya menutupi lututnya.

"So," he said. "Who calls the museum? Who makes breakfast?"

"Jadi," katanya. "Siapa yang menelepon museum? Siapa yang membuat sarapan?"