The Bakery Under the Sea

Tessa has a bakery under the sea. It is a round glass room on the sea floor. It is in a small town of glass houses. Every morning, she bakes bread. The smell goes out of a small door. It fills the street.

Tessa punya toko roti di bawah laut. Itu sebuah ruangan kaca bundar di dasar laut. Letaknya di sebuah kota kecil berisi rumah-rumah kaca. Setiap pagi, dia membuat roti. Baunya keluar lewat pintu kecil. Bau itu memenuhi jalan.

Her bakery has one big window. Outside it, the water is green and calm. Every evening at six o'clock, something special happens. The fish come.

Tokonya punya satu jendela besar. Di luarnya, air berwarna hijau dan tenang. Setiap sore pukul enam, sesuatu yang istimewa terjadi. Ikan-ikan datang.

They are small and bright, orange and blue and silver. They come in a big group. They look at the warm yellow lights. Tessa gives them one small crumb of bread each. The children in town love to watch.

Ikan-ikan itu kecil dan cerah, oranye dan biru dan perak. Mereka datang dalam kelompok besar. Mereka memandangi lampu kuning yang hangat. Tessa memberi masing-masing satu remah roti kecil. Anak-anak di kota suka sekali menonton.

Nolan is eleven years old. He helps Tessa after school. His job is to sweep and count the fish. He has a notebook and a pencil.

Nolan berumur sebelas tahun. Dia membantu Tessa sepulang sekolah. Tugasnya menyapu dan menghitung ikan. Dia punya buku catatan dan pensil.

"Yesterday there were forty-two," he says.

"Kemarin ada empat puluh dua," katanya.

"And today?" asks Tessa.

"Dan hari ini?" tanya Tessa.

"Let us see."

"Kita lihat saja."

At six o'clock, they stand at the window. Nolan holds his pencil. Tessa holds a bowl of crumbs. They wait.

Pukul enam, mereka berdiri di jendela. Nolan memegang pensilnya. Tessa memegang mangkuk remah roti. Mereka menunggu.

The water is empty. Nobody comes.

Airnya kosong. Tidak ada yang datang.

"Are they late?" Nolan asks.

"Apa mereka terlambat?" tanya Nolan.

"Maybe," says Tessa.

"Mungkin," kata Tessa.

They wait ten more minutes. The street lamps come on one by one. Still there are no fish. Nolan puts his pencil down. His face gets long.

Mereka menunggu sepuluh menit lagi. Lampu-lampu jalan menyala satu per satu. Ikan-ikan tetap tidak datang. Nolan meletakkan pensilnya. Wajahnya murung.

"Where are they?" he asks.

"Ke mana mereka?" tanyanya.

"I do not know," says Tessa. She puts the bowl on the shelf. "But we can find out."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Tessa. Dia menaruh mangkuk di rak. "Tapi kita bisa mencari tahu."

She puts on her coat. Nolan puts on his boots. They go out into the street. The water outside is cold and dark. They walk past the school and the post office. The new street lamps shine on every corner.

Dia memakai mantelnya. Nolan memakai sepatu botnya. Mereka keluar ke jalan. Air di luar dingin dan gelap. Mereka berjalan melewati sekolah dan kantor pos. Lampu jalan yang baru bersinar di setiap sudut.

"Look," says Nolan. "The lamps are different."

"Lihat," kata Nolan. "Lampunya lain."

Tessa stops. She looks up. The old lamps were yellow. The new lamps are a hard, bright blue.

Tessa berhenti. Dia menengadah. Lampu yang lama berwarna kuning. Lampu yang baru berwarna biru terang yang keras.

"They put them in last week," says Nolan.

"Mereka memasangnya minggu lalu," kata Nolan.

"The fish like the yellow light," says Tessa. "It is warm. Maybe the blue is too strong."

"Ikan-ikan suka cahaya kuning," kata Tessa. "Cahayanya hangat. Mungkin yang biru terlalu kuat."

She goes to the end of the street. There is a small office with a light on. A man is inside, eating a sandwich. Tessa knocks.

Dia pergi ke ujung jalan. Ada kantor kecil dengan lampu menyala. Seorang pria di dalamnya sedang makan roti isi. Tessa mengetuk.

"Hello," she says. "I have a question about the lamps."

"Halo," katanya. "Saya mau bertanya soal lampu-lampu itu."

The man listens. He looks at Nolan's notebook. Nolan shows him the numbers for last month. Forty. Forty-two. Thirty-eight.

Pria itu mendengarkan. Dia melihat buku catatan Nolan. Nolan menunjukkan angka-angka bulan lalu. Empat puluh. Empat puluh dua. Tiga puluh delapan.

"Every night, at six," says Nolan. "Until today."

"Setiap malam, pukul enam," kata Nolan. "Sampai hari ini."

The man puts down his sandwich. "I did not know," he says. "I changed the lamps for the new building. But I can change them back. I have yellow glass in the back room."

Pria itu meletakkan roti isinya. "Saya tidak tahu," katanya. "Saya mengganti lampunya untuk gedung yang baru. Tapi saya bisa menggantinya kembali. Saya punya kaca kuning di ruang belakang."

"Can you do it tonight?" asks Tessa.

"Bisakah Anda melakukannya malam ini?" tanya Tessa.

"Yes. It is easy," he says.

"Bisa. Mudah saja," katanya.

He takes a ladder. Tessa and Nolan hold it. One by one, he puts yellow glass on the lamps. The street turns warm and gold.

Dia mengambil sebuah tangga. Tessa dan Nolan memeganginya. Satu per satu, dia memasang kaca kuning pada lampu-lampu itu. Jalan berubah menjadi hangat dan keemasan.

The next evening at six, Nolan stands at the window. He has his notebook. He does not say anything. The water outside is green. Then a small orange fish comes. Then a blue one. Then twenty more, and then fifty.

Sore berikutnya pukul enam, Nolan berdiri di jendela. Dia membawa buku catatannya. Dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Air di luar berwarna hijau. Lalu seekor ikan oranye kecil datang. Lalu yang biru. Lalu dua puluh lagi, lalu lima puluh.

"Fifty-one!" Nolan shouts.

"Lima puluh satu!" teriak Nolan.

Tessa gives out the crumbs. The children come and watch. Nobody talks. She feels light and happy. So does Nolan.

Tessa membagikan remah-remah roti. Anak-anak datang dan menonton. Tak ada yang bicara. Dia merasa ringan dan bahagia. Nolan juga.