The Bell That Stayed Quiet

The arcade by the sea opened at ten each morning. By eleven, it was loud. Beeps, music and clicking coins filled the room.

Arena permainan di tepi laut itu buka pukul sepuluh setiap pagi. Pukul sebelas, tempat itu sudah riuh. Bunyi bip, musik, dan koin yang berdenting memenuhi ruangan.

Rafe heard none of it. He lay on his back under the old strength game. He held a small lamp in his teeth. It was his third week as the arcade's mechanic. He liked to work alone.

Rafe tidak mendengar semuanya itu. Ia berbaring telentang di bawah permainan kekuatan yang tua. Ia menggigit sebuah lampu kecil. Ini minggu ketiganya sebagai montir arena itu. Ia suka bekerja sendirian.

"Are you alive down there?" a voice asked.

"Kamu masih hidup di bawah sana?" tanya sebuah suara.

Rafe slid out and looked up. Abena stood over him with two paper cups. She ran the prize counter. She knew every machine by its sound. She also laughed at him a lot.

Rafe menggeser tubuhnya keluar dan mendongak. Abena berdiri di atasnya dengan dua gelas kertas. Ia mengurus meja hadiah. Ia mengenal setiap mesin dari bunyinya. Ia juga sering menertawakan Rafe.

"I am alive," he said. "I will fix the spring."

"Aku masih hidup," katanya. "Aku akan memperbaiki pegasnya."

"You said that on Monday."

"Kamu bilang begitu hari Senin."

"It is a very tired spring." He took the cup and sat up. "Thank you."

"Pegas ini sangat lelah." Ia mengambil gelas itu dan duduk. "Terima kasih."

Abena looked at the game. It was a tall wooden tower with a big rubber hammer. A player hit a pad. A metal puck flew up and hit a stop under the bell. The bell jumped, and a clapper inside should hit its side. At the top hung a brass bell. It was round, heavy and as shiny as a coin.

Abena menatap permainan itu. Bentuknya menara kayu tinggi dengan palu karet besar. Pemain memukul sebuah bantalan. Sebuah cakram logam melesat naik dan menabrak penahan di bawah bel. Bel itu melompat, dan sebuah pemukul di dalamnya seharusnya mengenai sisinya. Di puncaknya tergantung sebuah bel kuningan. Bulat, berat, dan mengilap seperti koin.

"That bell is the problem," she said. "Look at it."

"Bel itulah masalahnya," katanya. "Lihat saja."

Rafe looked. The bell was beautiful. Someone polished it that morning. But when he leaned close, he saw the problem. The inside was empty. There was no clapper.

Rafe melihat. Bel itu indah. Seseorang telah memolesnya pagi itu. Tetapi ketika ia mendekat, ia melihat masalahnya. Bagian dalamnya kosong. Tidak ada pemukulnya.

"It never rings," Abena said. "Not once in nine years. My boss lost the clapper before I came. People hit the pad. The puck hits the stop. The bell jumps. Nothing happens. It makes them feel silly."

"Bel itu tidak pernah berbunyi," kata Abena. "Tidak sekali pun dalam sembilan tahun. Bosku menghilangkan pemukulnya sebelum aku datang. Orang-orang memukul bantalan. Cakramnya menabrak penahan. Belnya melompat. Tidak terjadi apa-apa. Itu membuat mereka merasa konyol."

"Why did nobody fix it?"

"Kenapa tidak ada yang memperbaikinya?"

"Nobody asked." She smiled. "Until I asked you. Just kidding. I am not asking."

"Tidak ada yang meminta." Ia tersenyum. "Sampai aku memintamu. Bercanda. Aku tidak meminta."

But Rafe was already thinking about it. He liked her laugh. He liked how she said his name. And he wanted, very much, to give her one small good thing.

Tetapi Rafe sudah memikirkannya. Ia suka tawa Abena. Ia suka cara Abena menyebut namanya. Dan ia sangat ingin memberinya satu hal kecil yang baik.

"I will make a clapper," he said. "It will ring by Saturday."

"Aku akan membuat pemukul," katanya. "Hari Sabtu belnya akan berbunyi."

"You do not have to."

"Kamu tidak harus melakukannya."

"I want to."

"Aku mau."

That night, Rafe worked in his small flat. He found a brass bolt and a short piece of wire. He tied the bolt to the wire. He hung it from a hook. He shook it, and it rang with a clear, sweet note. He smiled for a long time.

Malam itu, Rafe bekerja di flat kecilnya. Ia menemukan sebuah baut kuningan dan sepotong kawat pendek. Ia mengikat baut itu pada kawat. Ia menggantungkannya pada sebuah pengait. Ia menggoyangkannya, dan terdengar nada yang jernih dan manis. Ia tersenyum lama sekali.

On Saturday morning, he arrived early. He climbed the ladder and fixed the new clapper inside the bell. Then he stood back to look at his work.

Pada Sabtu pagi, ia tiba lebih awal. Ia memanjat tangga dan memasang pemukul baru itu di dalam bel. Lalu ia mundur untuk melihat hasil kerjanya.

It looked perfect. He felt very proud.

Tampak sempurna. Ia merasa sangat bangga.

The arcade filled up by noon. A line of people waited at the strength game. Abena watched from the prize counter. Rafe stood close by, hands in his pockets.

Arena itu penuh menjelang siang. Antrean orang menunggu di permainan kekuatan. Abena memperhatikan dari meja hadiah. Rafe berdiri di dekatnya, tangan di saku.

A tall man stepped up first. He lifted the hammer, and the crowd went quiet.

Seorang pria jangkung maju lebih dulu. Ia mengangkat palu, dan kerumunan menjadi hening.

Crack! The puck flew up the tower. It hit the stop with a heavy knock. The bell jumped.

Krak! Cakram itu melesat naik ke menara. Ia menghantam penahan dengan bunyi berat. Bel itu melompat.

Nothing rang.

Tidak ada yang berbunyi.

The man frowned. The crowd waited. Somebody coughed. A child said, loudly, "Is it broken?"

Pria itu mengerutkan kening. Kerumunan menunggu. Seseorang terbatuk. Seorang anak berkata, keras-keras, "Rusak ya?"

Rafe's stomach dropped. He looked at the bell and saw the problem at once. The wire was too short. The bolt hung in the middle of the bell. It was far from the wall. It swung and swung, and it touched nothing.

Perut Rafe serasa jatuh. Ia menatap bel itu dan langsung melihat masalahnya. Kawatnya terlalu pendek. Bautnya menggantung di tengah bel. Jauh dari dinding. Ia berayun dan berayun, dan tidak menyentuh apa-apa.

He tested the clapper in his flat. But he never tested it inside the bell.

Ia menguji pemukul itu di flatnya. Tetapi ia tidak pernah mengujinya di dalam bel.

"Sorry!" Rafe shouted. "One moment, please. The game is closed for ten minutes."

"Maaf!" teriak Rafe. "Sebentar, ya. Permainan ini ditutup sepuluh menit."

He climbed the ladder. He tied a string across the front of the game. The line groaned and walked away. Rafe stood alone under the quiet bell. He felt very small.

Ia memanjat tangga. Ia mengikat seutas tali melintang di depan permainan. Antrean itu mengeluh dan bubar. Rafe berdiri sendirian di bawah bel yang diam. Ia merasa sangat kecil.

Abena came over. She did not laugh. She only looked at the tower and then at him.

Abena datang menghampiri. Ia tidak tertawa. Ia hanya menatap menara itu lalu menatap Rafe.

"It was my mistake," he said. "I made the wire too short. I am sorry."

"Itu kesalahanku," katanya. "Aku membuat kawatnya terlalu pendek. Maaf."

"You tried," she said.

"Kamu sudah mencoba," kata Abena.

"I tried the wrong way." He rubbed his neck. "I wanted it to work for you."

"Aku mencobanya dengan cara yang salah." Ia mengusap tengkuknya. "Aku ingin itu berhasil untukmu."

"For me?" she asked softly.

"Untukku?" tanyanya pelan.

Rafe looked at the floor. "For you. And for the people who win."

Rafe menatap lantai. "Untukmu. Dan untuk orang-orang yang menang."

Abena was quiet for a moment. Then she took a ball of thin wire from her apron. "I keep this for the prize bags," she said. "There is a lot of it. Can you use it?"

Abena terdiam sejenak. Lalu ia mengambil segulung kawat tipis dari celemeknya. "Aku menyimpan ini untuk kantong hadiah," katanya. "Banyak sekali. Bisa kamu pakai?"

"Yes," said Rafe. "I can."

"Ya," kata Rafe. "Bisa."

They did not open the game again that day. After the last visitor left, Abena turned off the music. The arcade became very still. Only the sea sounded outside, with its slow breathing.

Mereka tidak membuka permainan itu lagi hari itu. Setelah pengunjung terakhir pergi, Abena mematikan musik. Arena itu menjadi sangat sunyi. Hanya laut yang terdengar di luar, dengan napasnya yang lambat.

Rafe climbed the ladder, and Abena held it steady. He took the old wire out of the bell. He measured a new piece against the inside wall. Then he cut it longer. This time he checked it twice.

Rafe memanjat tangga, dan Abena memegangi tangga itu agar stabil. Ia mengeluarkan kawat lama dari bel. Ia mengukur sepotong baru pada dinding bagian dalam. Lalu ia memotongnya lebih panjang. Kali ini ia memeriksanya dua kali.

"Longer," Abena said from below. "Longer than that. The bolt has to touch the side."

"Lebih panjang," kata Abena dari bawah. "Lebih panjang lagi. Bautnya harus menyentuh sisinya."

"I know," said Rafe. "I can do it."

"Aku tahu," kata Rafe. "Aku bisa."

"You do it slowly."

"Pelan-pelan saja."

"A tired spring teaches me to wait."

"Pegas yang lelah mengajariku untuk menunggu."

She laughed then, and he felt the whole room grow lighter. He tied the knot and pulled it tight. Then he came down and stood next to her.

Abena tertawa saat itu, dan Rafe merasa seluruh ruangan menjadi lebih terang. Ia mengikat simpul dan menariknya kencang. Lalu ia turun dan berdiri di sampingnya.

"You hit it," he said. "Not me. It should be you."

"Kamu yang memukul," katanya. "Bukan aku. Harus kamu."

Abena took the big rubber hammer. She was not very strong, but she swung it with both arms. The puck flew up the tower and hit the stop. The bell jumped.

Abena mengambil palu karet besar itu. Ia tidak terlalu kuat, tetapi ia mengayunkannya dengan kedua lengan. Cakram itu melesat naik ke menara dan menghantam penahan. Bel itu melompat.

Ding.

Ding.

The sound was clear and sweet, and it filled the empty arcade. It went on and on, a bright circle in the dark. Abena put her hand over her mouth.

Suaranya jernih dan manis, dan memenuhi arena yang kosong. Suara itu bertahan lama, lingkaran terang di dalam gelap. Abena menutup mulutnya dengan tangan.

"Nine years," she whispered.

"Sembilan tahun," bisiknya.

Rafe said nothing. He watched her face.

Rafe tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia memandangi wajahnya.

They stood there until the sound faded. The bell kept swinging for a long time after it stopped. Outside, a light from the sea moved across the glass doors. Abena's hand found Rafe's hand. The little bell swung quietly over their heads.

Mereka berdiri di sana sampai suaranya memudar. Bel itu terus berayun lama setelah suaranya berhenti. Di luar, seberkas cahaya dari laut bergerak melintasi pintu kaca. Tangan Abena menemukan tangan Rafe. Bel kecil itu berayun pelan di atas kepala mereka.