The Bell That Could Not Wait

Mika held the wall with both hands. Her skates slid sideways, and she stopped breathing.

Mika berpegangan pada dinding dengan kedua tangannya. Sepatu luncurnya tergelincir ke samping, dan ia berhenti bernapas.

She was thirty-one years old. This was her first night on the ice.

Usianya tiga puluh satu tahun. Ini malam pertamanya di atas es.

Her sister gave her the ticket as a birthday gift. "You always say you want to try something new," the card said. Now Mika wanted to throw the card in a bin.

Kakaknya memberinya tiket itu sebagai hadiah ulang tahun. "Kamu selalu bilang ingin mencoba sesuatu yang baru," tulis kartunya. Sekarang Mika ingin melempar kartu itu ke tempat sampah.

All around her, children flew past. A small boy skated backwards and waved at her. She did not wave back. She needed both hands.

Di sekelilingnya, anak-anak melesat lewat. Seorang bocah kecil meluncur mundur dan melambai kepadanya. Ia tidak membalas lambaian itu. Ia membutuhkan kedua tangannya.

Then a loud bell rang.

Lalu sebuah lonceng berbunyi keras.

Everyone stopped. Skaters turned and looked at the door. Many of them began to leave the ice.

Semua orang berhenti. Para pemain skate menoleh dan menatap pintu. Banyak dari mereka mulai meninggalkan es.

"Wait! Please stay!" a young man shouted. He wore a yellow jacket with the word STAFF on the back. "It is not the end! I am sorry!"

"Tunggu! Tolong tetap di sini!" teriak seorang pemuda. Ia mengenakan jaket kuning dengan tulisan STAFF di punggungnya. "Ini bukan akhir! Maaf!"

Nobody listened. The skaters were already at the gate. In two minutes, the rink was almost empty.

Tak ada yang mendengarkan. Para pemain sudah berada di gerbang. Dalam dua menit, arena itu hampir kosong.

Mika stayed where she was. She did not trust her legs to go anywhere.

Mika tetap di tempatnya. Ia tidak percaya kakinya bisa membawanya ke mana pun.

The young man crossed the ice in his boots. He walked like someone crossing a river. He stopped near her and looked at the ceiling.

Pemuda itu menyeberangi es dengan sepatu botnya. Ia berjalan seperti orang menyeberangi sungai. Ia berhenti di dekat Mika dan menatap langit-langit.

"This is my first night," he said. "My name is Gaspar. The bell rang at the wrong time again."

"Ini malam pertama saya," katanya. "Nama saya Gaspar. Lonceng itu berbunyi di waktu yang salah lagi."

"Again?" Mika asked.

"Lagi?" tanya Mika.

"It rang two times before. Once in the middle of a game. Once in the middle of a song." He held his head. "The boss is away. I cannot call him."

"Sudah dua kali sebelumnya. Sekali di tengah permainan. Sekali di tengah sebuah lagu." Ia memegangi kepalanya. "Bos sedang pergi. Saya tidak bisa meneleponnya."

Mika looked at the small brass bell by the door. A rope hung from it. The rope went up to a hook on the wall.

Mika melihat lonceng kuningan kecil di dekat pintu. Seutas tali menggantung darinya. Tali itu naik ke sebuah pengait di dinding.

"Who pulls the rope?" she asked.

"Siapa yang menarik talinya?" tanyanya.

"Nobody. That is the strange part." Gaspar shook his head. "I watched it. Nobody was near it."

"Tidak ada. Itu bagian anehnya." Gaspar menggeleng. "Saya sudah mengawasinya. Tidak ada yang berada di dekatnya."

Mika did not answer. She thought hard. When you cannot move, you notice things.

Mika tidak menjawab. Ia berpikir keras. Kalau kita tidak bisa bergerak, kita jadi memperhatikan banyak hal.

For ten minutes she stood at the wall. The music was very loud. Every time the big drum played, the wall shook under her hands. She felt it in her arms.

Selama sepuluh menit ia berdiri di dinding. Musiknya sangat keras. Setiap kali drum besar berbunyi, dinding bergetar di bawah tangannya. Ia merasakannya di lengannya.

"Gaspar, can you start the music again?" she said.

"Gaspar, bisakah Anda memulai musiknya lagi?" katanya.

"But the rink is empty."

"Tapi arenanya kosong."

"I know. Please try."

"Saya tahu. Tolong coba saja."

Gaspar walked to the desk and pressed a button. A loud song began. He came back to Mika and stood next to her.

Gaspar berjalan ke meja dan menekan sebuah tombol. Sebuah lagu yang keras mulai berkumandang. Ia kembali ke Mika dan berdiri di sampingnya.

The drum played. The wall shook. Mika counted under her breath. "One, two, three, four."

Drum berbunyi. Dinding bergetar. Mika menghitung dengan berbisik. "Satu, dua, tiga, empat."

On the fourth beat, the bell rang.

Pada ketukan keempat, lonceng itu berbunyi.

Gaspar's mouth opened. "It is the music?"

Mulut Gaspar ternganga. "Jadi itu musiknya?"

"The bell hangs on the same wall as the speaker," Mika said. "The drum shakes the wall. The wall shakes the rope."

"Lonceng itu tergantung di dinding yang sama dengan pengeras suara," kata Mika. "Drum menggetarkan dinding. Dinding menggetarkan tali."

"But it did not ring in the first hour."

"Tapi tadi tidak berbunyi pada jam pertama."

"In the first hour, the music was quiet." Mika pointed with one finger, then grabbed the wall again. "Look. Somebody turned the sound up."

"Pada jam pertama, musiknya pelan." Mika menunjuk dengan satu jari, lalu memegang dinding lagi. "Lihat. Seseorang menaikkan volumenya."

Gaspar looked at the desk. He made a small, sad noise. "That was me. I wanted the skaters to feel happy."

Gaspar menatap meja. Ia mengeluarkan bunyi kecil yang sedih. "Itu saya. Saya ingin para pemain merasa senang."

Mika laughed. It was her first laugh of the night, and it felt good. Her hands shook less.

Mika tertawa. Itu tawa pertamanya malam itu, dan rasanya menyenangkan. Tangannya jadi tidak terlalu gemetar.

"So how do we fix it?" Gaspar asked.

"Jadi bagaimana kita memperbaikinya?" tanya Gaspar.

"Move the rope," Mika said. "Put the bell on a wall that does not shake."

"Pindahkan talinya," kata Mika. "Pasang lonceng itu di dinding yang tidak bergetar."

Gaspar looked around the rink. There was one quiet wall by the clock, far from the speakers. It was a plain wall with a single hook.

Gaspar memandang berkeliling arena. Ada satu dinding yang tenang di dekat jam, jauh dari pengeras suara. Dinding polos dengan sebuah pengait.

"I need to carry the bell there," he said. "But I cannot leave you alone. You will fall."

"Saya perlu membawa lonceng itu ke sana," katanya. "Tapi saya tidak bisa meninggalkan Anda sendirian. Anda akan jatuh."

"I will not fall," Mika said. A second later, her feet slid forward. She held the wall with a great effort and stayed up. "Maybe I will fall. Go. I am a wall expert now."

"Saya tidak akan jatuh," kata Mika. Sedetik kemudian, kakinya meluncur ke depan. Dengan susah payah ia berpegangan pada dinding dan tetap berdiri. "Mungkin saya akan jatuh. Pergilah. Saya sekarang ahli dinding."

Gaspar ran to the door. He took the bell down. He walked across the ice slowly, with the bell in both hands. Mika watched him. Without her hands on the wall, she felt strangely alone.

Gaspar berlari ke pintu. Ia menurunkan lonceng itu. Ia berjalan melintasi es dengan pelan, membawa lonceng itu dengan kedua tangan. Mika memperhatikannya. Tanpa tangannya di dinding, ia merasa aneh dan sendirian.

The music played. Gaspar stood on a chair. He hung the bell on the hook near the clock. He pulled the rope once to test it. The bell gave a clear, bright sound.

Musik terus berputar. Gaspar berdiri di atas sebuah kursi. Ia menggantung lonceng itu di pengait dekat jam. Ia menarik tali sekali untuk mengujinya. Lonceng itu mengeluarkan bunyi yang jernih dan cerah.

"That is the right sound," he said. "But now it is too quiet."

"Itu bunyi yang benar," katanya. "Tapi sekarang terlalu pelan."

"What do you mean?"

"Maksud Anda?"

"Now it rings only when I pull it. I forget to pull it. Last week, I forgot to feed the cat."

"Sekarang ia hanya berbunyi kalau saya menariknya. Saya lupa menariknya. Minggu lalu, saya lupa memberi makan kucing."

Mika smiled. "Then ask the clock to remind you."

Mika tersenyum. "Kalau begitu minta jam itu mengingatkan Anda."

Gaspar looked at the clock. Then he looked at the rope. "At nine, I pull. At nine, the session ends." He wrote a big note on his hand with a pen. NINE.

Gaspar menatap jam. Lalu ia menatap tali itu. "Pukul sembilan, saya menarik. Pukul sembilan, sesinya berakhir." Ia menulis catatan besar di tangannya dengan pulpen. SEMBILAN.

Now the music was loud. The wall by the door shook, but nothing rang. The skaters waited at the gate. Some of them looked in through the glass. A girl pointed at Mika.

Sekarang musiknya keras. Dinding di dekat pintu bergetar, tetapi tidak ada yang berbunyi. Para pemain menunggu di gerbang. Beberapa dari mereka mengintip lewat kaca. Seorang gadis menunjuk Mika.

"Please come back," Gaspar called to them. "The bell is fixed! A woman fixed it!"

"Silakan kembali," seru Gaspar kepada mereka. "Lonceng sudah diperbaiki! Seorang perempuan memperbaikinya!"

A few people came back first. Then more. Soon the ice was full again.

Beberapa orang kembali lebih dulu. Lalu lebih banyak lagi. Segera es itu penuh lagi.

The small boy skated up to Mika. "Why are you holding the wall?" he asked.

Bocah kecil itu meluncur menghampiri Mika. "Kenapa Tante berpegangan pada dinding?" tanyanya.

"I am a beginner," Mika said.

"Saya masih pemula," kata Mika.

"I can teach you," the boy said. "It is easy. Just go."

"Aku bisa mengajari Tante," kata bocah itu. "Gampang kok. Tinggal meluncur saja."

"That is what I am afraid of," said Mika.

"Itu justru yang saya takutkan," kata Mika.

Gaspar came back to her. His boots were still wet from the ice. "Let me thank you properly. I will walk with you. Tonight, for free."

Gaspar kembali kepadanya. Sepatu botnya masih basah karena es. "Izinkan saya berterima kasih dengan layak. Saya akan menemani Anda berjalan. Malam ini, gratis."

"You can barely walk on the ice."

"Anda hampir tidak bisa berjalan di atas es."

"True. We can fall together." He gave her his arm. "Let go of the wall. Hold me instead."

"Benar. Kita bisa jatuh bersama." Ia mengulurkan lengannya. "Lepaskan dinding. Pegang saya saja."

Mika took a deep breath. She let go of the wall. She took his arm, and she took one slow, tiny step. Then another. The ice felt wide and cold under her feet. For the first time that night, she did not look down.

Mika menarik napas dalam-dalam. Ia melepaskan dinding. Ia memegang lengan Gaspar, dan ia melangkah satu langkah kecil yang lambat. Lalu satu lagi. Es terasa luas dan dingin di bawah kakinya. Untuk pertama kalinya malam itu, ia tidak menunduk.

Ten minutes later, she could move across the whole rink. She was slow, but she moved. Gaspar walked next to her in his boots. Sometimes he grabbed her sleeve to stay up.

Sepuluh menit kemudian, ia sudah bisa bergerak melintasi seluruh arena. Ia lambat, tetapi ia bergerak. Gaspar berjalan di sampingnya dengan sepatu bot. Kadang ia menarik lengan baju Mika agar tidak jatuh.

"You are a natural," he lied.

"Anda berbakat alami," dustanya.

"I am not," Mika said. "But thank you."

"Tidak," kata Mika. "Tapi terima kasih."

They passed the clock. It was one minute to nine. Gaspar looked up and gasped.

Mereka melewati jam. Tinggal satu menit menuju pukul sembilan. Gaspar mendongak dan tersentak.

"The bell!" he said. "I must pull the rope!"

"Lonceng!" katanya. "Saya harus menarik talinya!"

He let go of her arm and ran for the wall. Mika wobbled alone for two seconds. Her skates went one way. Her body went the other.

Ia melepaskan lengan Mika dan berlari ke dinding. Mika terhuyung sendirian selama dua detik. Sepatu luncurnya ke satu arah. Tubuhnya ke arah lain.

At the same moment, the bell rang, loud and clear. Mika sat down on the ice with a bump.

Pada saat yang sama, lonceng itu berbunyi, keras dan jernih. Mika terduduk di atas es dengan bunyi bruk.

Gaspar checked the clock. He looked at Mika. "Good news," he said. "The bell is on time. And so are you."

Gaspar memeriksa jam. Ia menatap Mika. "Kabar baik," katanya. "Lonceng itu tepat waktu. Anda juga."