The Blue Water in the Fish Tank

Ivo came to the science room early on Monday. He wanted to feed the class fish. The room was quiet.

Ivo datang ke ruang sains pagi-pagi pada hari Senin. Dia ingin memberi makan ikan kelas. Ruangan itu sunyi.

He looked at the fish tank. He stopped at the door. The water was bright blue.

Dia melihat akuarium. Dia berhenti di pintu. Airnya berwarna biru terang.

Two orange fish swam in it. They looked fine. But the water looked very strange.

Dua ikan oranye berenang di dalamnya. Mereka tampak baik-baik saja. Tapi airnya terlihat sangat aneh.

"Ivo, you are here early," said Kamal from the door.

"Ivo, kamu datang pagi sekali," kata Kamal dari pintu.

"Look at the tank," Ivo said.

"Lihat akuariumnya," kata Ivo.

Kamal walked over. His mouth opened wide.

Kamal berjalan mendekat. Mulutnya terbuka lebar.

"Wow! It was clear on Friday," he said. "Who did this?"

"Wah! Hari Jumat airnya masih bening," katanya. "Siapa yang melakukan ini?"

"I don't know," Ivo said. "Maybe someone put paint in it."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Ivo. "Mungkin ada yang menuang cat ke dalamnya."

"Paint is bad for fish," Kamal said. "But our fish are not sick. They swim and eat."

"Cat itu berbahaya untuk ikan," kata Kamal. "Tapi ikan kita tidak sakit. Mereka berenang dan makan."

"So it is not paint," Ivo said. "We need clues."

"Jadi ini bukan cat," kata Ivo. "Kita butuh petunjuk."

"Good idea. I look at the floor," Kamal said.

"Ide bagus. Aku periksa lantai," kata Kamal.

Ivo looked at the table. He saw a small box in the bin. He took it out.

Ivo memeriksa meja. Dia melihat sebuah kotak kecil di tempat sampah. Dia mengambilnya.

"Kamal, come here," he said. "This box has a picture on it."

"Kamal, kemari," katanya. "Kotak ini ada gambarnya."

"What is it?" Kamal asked.

"Gambar apa?" tanya Kamal.

"It is a toy castle for fish tanks," Ivo said. "The box is empty."

"Mainan kastil untuk akuarium," kata Ivo. "Kotaknya kosong."

"So someone put a castle in the tank," Kamal said.

"Berarti ada yang menaruh kastil di akuarium," kata Kamal.

"Yes. But I don't see a castle," Ivo said.

"Ya. Tapi aku tidak melihat kastil," kata Ivo.

They looked into the water. At the back, they saw a small tower. It was very pale blue.

Mereka menatap ke dalam air. Di bagian belakang, mereka melihat menara kecil. Warnanya biru sangat pucat.

"That is the castle," Kamal said. "It is blue, but the water is much bluer."

"Itu kastilnya," kata Kamal. "Warnanya biru, tapi airnya jauh lebih biru."

"Maybe the colour comes off the castle," Ivo said.

"Mungkin warnanya luntur dari kastil itu," kata Ivo.

"Let us test it," Kamal said. "A test shows us the answer."

"Ayo kita uji," kata Kamal. "Percobaan akan memberi kita jawabannya."

Ivo found two clear cups on the shelf. Kamal filled them with clean water from the tap.

Ivo menemukan dua gelas bening di rak. Kamal mengisinya dengan air bersih dari keran.

"We need one more castle," Ivo said.

"Kita butuh satu kastil lagi," kata Ivo.

"The box has a spare piece in it," Kamal said. He pulled out a tiny blue flag. "It is the same blue plastic."

"Di dalam kotak ada satu bagian cadangan," kata Kamal. Dia menarik keluar sebuah bendera biru kecil. "Plastiknya biru yang sama."

"Good. Put the flag in one cup," Ivo said. "Leave the other cup empty."

"Bagus. Taruh bendera itu di satu gelas," kata Ivo. "Biarkan gelas yang satunya kosong."

Kamal put the flag in the first cup. They both watched the water.

Kamal memasukkan bendera ke gelas pertama. Mereka berdua mengamati airnya.

"Nothing happens," Kamal said.

"Tidak terjadi apa-apa," kata Kamal.

"We must wait," Ivo said. "The tank was warm. Maybe this water needs to be warm too."

"Kita harus menunggu," kata Ivo. "Air akuarium tadi hangat. Mungkin air ini juga harus hangat."

Kamal ran to the sink. He filled a cup with warm water. He put the flag in it. Ivo looked at the clock.

Kamal berlari ke wastafel. Dia mengisi satu gelas dengan air hangat. Dia memasukkan bendera ke dalamnya. Ivo melihat jam.

Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed.

Lima menit berlalu. Sepuluh menit berlalu.

"Look!" Ivo said. "There is a blue cloud around the flag."

"Lihat!" kata Ivo. "Ada awan biru di sekitar bendera."

The water in the warm cup turned pale blue. The water in the cold cup stayed clear.

Air di gelas yang hangat berubah jadi biru pucat. Air di gelas yang dingin tetap bening.

"The warm water pulls the colour out," Kamal said. "That is the answer."

"Air hangat menarik warnanya keluar," kata Kamal. "Itu jawabannya."

"But who put the castle in the tank?" Ivo asked.

"Tapi siapa yang menaruh kastil di akuarium?" tanya Ivo.

"We have a second clue," Kamal said. "Look at the floor."

"Kita punya petunjuk kedua," kata Kamal. "Lihat lantainya."

On the floor, there were small blue drops. They went from the sink to the tank. A blue hand mark was on the chair too.

Di lantai ada tetesan-tetesan biru kecil. Tetesan itu mengarah dari wastafel ke akuarium. Ada juga bekas tangan biru di kursi.

"Someone with blue fingers stood on this chair," Ivo said.

"Seseorang yang jarinya biru berdiri di atas kursi ini," kata Ivo.

"Who has blue fingers on Monday?" Kamal asked.

"Siapa yang jarinya biru pada hari Senin?" tanya Kamal.

Just then, the door opened. Joss came in with his bag. He looked at the tank, and his eyes got big.

Tepat saat itu, pintu terbuka. Joss masuk membawa tasnya. Dia melihat akuarium, dan matanya membesar.

"Oh no," he said. "It worked too well."

"Aduh," katanya. "Berhasilnya terlalu bagus."

"What did you do?" Ivo asked.

"Apa yang kamu lakukan?" tanya Ivo.

"I bought the castle on Sunday," Joss said. "The fish had no house. I put it in the tank in the evening."

"Aku membeli kastil itu hari Minggu," kata Joss. "Ikan-ikan itu tidak punya rumah. Aku menaruhnya di akuarium sore harinya."

"Look at your hands," Kamal said.

"Lihat tanganmu," kata Kamal.

Joss held up his hands. His fingers were bright blue.

Joss mengangkat tangannya. Jari-jarinya biru terang.

"I washed them two times," he said. "The colour does not go away."

"Sudah kucuci dua kali," katanya. "Warnanya tidak mau hilang."

"The castle did that to the water, too," Ivo said. "The tank is warm. The blue plastic gives its colour to the water."

"Kastil itu juga melakukan hal yang sama pada air," kata Ivo. "Akuariumnya hangat. Plastik biru itu melepaskan warnanya ke air."

"Is it bad for the fish?" Joss asked.

"Apa ini berbahaya untuk ikan?" tanya Joss.

"They look fine," Ivo said. "But we must take the castle out. We must change the water."

"Mereka kelihatan baik-baik saja," kata Ivo. "Tapi kita harus mengeluarkan kastilnya. Kita harus mengganti airnya."

"Let me help you," Joss said. "I am sorry."

"Biar aku bantu," kata Joss. "Maafkan aku."

"It was a nice idea," Kamal said. "But the castle is not a good one."

"Idenya bagus," kata Kamal. "Tapi kastil itu bukan kastil yang cocok."

Ivo took the net from the shelf. Joss took a clean bucket from under the sink. Kamal opened the tank lid.

Ivo mengambil jaring dari rak. Joss mengambil ember bersih dari bawah wastafel. Kamal membuka tutup akuarium.

One orange fish swam up. It looked at them.

Seekor ikan oranye berenang ke atas. Ikan itu menatap mereka.

"Do not worry," Ivo told the fish. "You get a clear home again."

"Jangan khawatir," kata Ivo kepada ikan itu. "Kamu akan punya rumah yang bening lagi."