The Clock That Ran Fast

Hector was always late. He was late for work. He was late for dinner. He was even late for his own birthday party.

Hector selalu terlambat. Dia terlambat ke kantor. Dia terlambat makan malam. Dia bahkan terlambat ke pesta ulang tahunnya sendiri.

One Saturday he went to a thrift shop. He wanted a lamp. But he saw a tall clock in the corner. It was made of dark wood. It had a round white face and gold hands.

Pada suatu hari Sabtu, dia pergi ke toko barang bekas. Dia ingin membeli sebuah lampu. Tetapi dia melihat sebuah jam tinggi di sudut. Jam itu terbuat dari kayu gelap. Wajahnya bulat putih, dengan jarum emas.

"How much is the clock?" he asked.

"Berapa harga jam ini?" tanyanya.

"Twelve dollars," said the woman at the desk. "It works well. But it is a little strange."

"Dua belas dolar," kata perempuan di meja kasir. "Jamnya berfungsi dengan baik. Tapi agak aneh."

"Strange how?" asked Hector.

"Aneh bagaimana?" tanya Hector.

"Just see," she said, and she smiled.

"Lihat saja nanti," katanya, lalu tersenyum.

Hector paid and took the clock home. It was heavy. He put it in the hall, next to the door. He liked the soft tick, tick, tick.

Hector membayar dan membawa jam itu pulang. Jam itu berat. Dia menaruhnya di lorong, di samping pintu. Dia menyukai bunyi tik, tik, tik yang lembut.

The next morning he woke up at seven. He looked at his phone. It said 7:30. Then he looked at the clock. It said 7:40.

Keesokan paginya dia bangun pukul tujuh. Dia melihat ponselnya. Tertulis 7:30. Lalu dia melihat jam itu. Tertulis 7:40.

"Hmm," said Hector. "Ten minutes fast." He opened the glass door and moved the hands back. Now the clock and the phone said the same time.

"Hmm," kata Hector. "Lebih cepat sepuluh menit." Dia membuka pintu kaca dan memundurkan jarumnya. Sekarang jam dan ponselnya menunjukkan waktu yang sama.

The next day the clock was fast again. Ten minutes fast, one more time. Hector moved the hands back again.

Hari berikutnya jam itu cepat lagi. Lebih cepat sepuluh menit, sekali lagi. Hector memundurkan jarumnya lagi.

On the third day it was ten minutes fast again. "This is a bad clock," he said. "It is broken." He was cross, but he did not take it back. He liked the wood and the gold hands.

Pada hari ketiga jam itu cepat sepuluh menit lagi. "Ini jam yang buruk," katanya. "Jam ini rusak." Dia kesal, tetapi tidak mengembalikannya. Dia menyukai kayunya dan jarum emasnya.

That night he looked at the clock more closely. He opened the little door at the back. Inside the box, there was a piece of paper. It was old and yellow. Someone stuck it to the wood with tape.

Malam itu dia mengamati jam itu lebih dekat. Dia membuka pintu kecil di bagian belakang. Di dalam kotaknya, ada selembar kertas. Kertas itu tua dan menguning. Seseorang menempelkannya ke kayu dengan selotip.

Hector read the paper. It said:

Hector membaca kertas itu. Isinya:

"This clock is ten minutes fast. Please do not fix it. It is for my daughter. She is always late. With this clock, she is never late."

"Jam ini lebih cepat sepuluh menit. Tolong jangan diperbaiki. Jam ini untuk putriku. Dia selalu terlambat. Dengan jam ini, dia tidak pernah terlambat."

Hector laughed. He read the note again. Then he laughed more.

Hector tertawa. Dia membaca catatan itu lagi. Lalu dia tertawa lebih keras.

"I am the same," he said to the clock. "I am always late too."

"Aku sama saja," katanya kepada jam itu. "Aku juga selalu terlambat."

Who was the daughter? He did not know. Maybe she was a grandmother now. Maybe the clock worked for her very well. He put the paper back. He closed the little door.

Siapa putri itu? Dia tidak tahu. Mungkin sekarang dia sudah menjadi seorang nenek. Mungkin jam itu sangat berguna baginya. Hector menaruh kertas itu kembali. Dia menutup pintu kecil itu.

On Monday morning he looked at the clock. It said 7:40. He looked at his phone. It said 7:30.

Pada Senin pagi dia melihat jam itu. Tertulis 7:40. Dia melihat ponselnya. Tertulis 7:30.

"You are a smart clock," said Hector. This time he did not move the hands.

"Kamu jam yang pintar," kata Hector. Kali ini dia tidak memundurkan jarumnya.

He ate his breakfast fast. He found his keys at once. He put on his coat. "It is late," he said to himself. "I must go now!"

Dia makan sarapan dengan cepat. Dia langsung menemukan kuncinya. Dia mengenakan mantelnya. "Sudah siang," katanya kepada dirinya sendiri. "Aku harus berangkat sekarang!"

He ran out of the door. He caught the early bus. It was not full. He found a good seat by the window.

Dia berlari keluar pintu. Dia mendapat bus pagi. Bus itu tidak penuh. Dia mendapat tempat duduk yang bagus di dekat jendela.

He came to the office at 8:40. His work started at nine. The hall was empty. Even the cleaner was not there yet.

Dia tiba di kantor pukul 8:40. Pekerjaannya mulai pukul sembilan. Lorongnya kosong. Bahkan petugas kebersihan belum datang.

At 8:55 his boss came in. She saw Hector at his desk. He had a cup of tea and a big smile.

Pukul 8:55 atasannya masuk. Dia melihat Hector duduk di mejanya. Hector memegang secangkir teh dan tersenyum lebar.

"Hector!" she said. "You are early. What happened?"

"Hector!" katanya. "Kamu datang lebih awal. Apa yang terjadi?"

"I have a new clock," said Hector.

"Saya punya jam baru," kata Hector.

"It must be a good clock," said his boss.

"Pasti jam yang bagus," kata atasannya.

"It is the best," said Hector. "But it is a secret. Please do not tell my clock."

"Jam terbaik," kata Hector. "Tapi ini rahasia. Tolong jangan beri tahu jam saya."