The Coin with the Bird

Laila ran the skewer cart at the north end of the bus terminal. She sold chicken, onions and green peppers on sticks, and she sold them hot. Her cart had a squeaky wheel, a small gas grill, and a glass tip dish by the till. Every night at closing time, she emptied that dish onto a folded cloth and counted what she found.

Laila menjalankan gerobak sate di ujung utara terminal bus. Ia menjual ayam, bawang, dan paprika hijau yang ditusuk, dan ia menjualnya panas-panas. Gerobaknya punya roda yang berdecit, panggangan gas kecil, dan piring tip kaca di samping laci uang. Setiap malam saat tutup, ia mengosongkan piring itu ke selembar kain terlipat dan menghitung isinya.

For two weeks, the same strange thing happened. Each night, at the bottom of the dish, lay one coin that did not belong to this country. It was small and heavy. It had a bird on one side and tiny letters on the other. The letters were not ours. Laila could not read them, and neither could anybody else.

Selama dua minggu, hal aneh yang sama terjadi. Setiap malam, di dasar piring, tergeletak satu koin yang bukan berasal dari negara ini. Koin itu kecil dan berat. Di satu sisinya ada gambar burung dan di sisi lainnya huruf-huruf mungil. Huruf-huruf itu bukan huruf kita. Laila tidak bisa membacanya, dan tidak ada orang lain yang bisa.

"It's a different coin every night," said Lazlo, her helper. He was twenty-two, tall, and always hungry. "Look. This one is thicker. Yesterday's was thinner."

"Setiap malam koinnya berbeda," kata Lazlo, pembantunya. Ia berusia dua puluh dua tahun, jangkung, dan selalu lapar. "Lihat. Yang ini lebih tebal. Kemarin lebih tipis."

"It is the same bird," Laila said. She turned the coin under the lamp. "The same bird, the same letters. Only the edge is different. Somebody is playing a game with us."

"Burungnya sama," kata Laila. Ia memutar koin itu di bawah lampu. "Burung yang sama, huruf yang sama. Hanya tepinya yang berbeda. Seseorang sedang mempermainkan kita."

"Maybe it's a gift from a rich traveller," said Lazlo.

"Mungkin hadiah dari seorang pelancong kaya," kata Lazlo.

"A rich traveller would leave a note," said Laila. "And this is worth nothing in any shop. I tried to spend one at the kiosk. The man laughed at me."

"Pelancong kaya akan meninggalkan catatan," kata Laila. "Dan ini tidak ada harganya di toko mana pun. Aku pernah mencoba membelanjakan satu di kios. Penjualnya menertawakanku."

She put the coin on the counter next to the others. There were fourteen of them now, in a neat line, like tiny soldiers. Lazlo looked at them for a long time.

Ia meletakkan koin itu di meja di samping yang lain. Sekarang ada empat belas, berjajar rapi, seperti prajurit-prajurit mungil. Lazlo memandanginya lama sekali.

"We have a puzzle," he said at last. "A mystery. We could solve it."

"Kita punya teka-teki," katanya akhirnya. "Sebuah misteri. Kita bisa memecahkannya."

"We have a cart and a hundred hungry people and a bus at ten past nine," said Laila. "But yes. I want to know. A coin is a small thing, but a bird that follows me every night is not."

"Kita punya gerobak dan seratus orang lapar dan sebuah bus pukul sembilan lewat sepuluh," kata Laila. "Tapi ya. Aku ingin tahu. Sebuah koin itu hal kecil, tapi burung yang mengikutiku setiap malam bukan hal kecil."

That evening, they made a plan. Lazlo would watch the tip dish from behind the grill. Laila would serve the customers and keep her ears open. They would write down everything they noticed on the back of a paper menu. Whoever solved the puzzle first would not wash the grill for a week.

Malam itu, mereka menyusun rencana. Lazlo akan mengawasi piring tip dari balik panggangan. Laila akan melayani pelanggan dan memasang telinga. Mereka akan mencatat semua yang mereka perhatikan di balik daftar menu kertas. Siapa yang lebih dulu memecahkan teka-teki itu tidak perlu mencuci panggangan selama seminggu.

The first clue came early. At nine o'clock, the coin was not yet in the dish. At half past nine, the big bus from the coast arrived. Then there were three coins in the dish. Two were from this country, and one had the bird.

Petunjuk pertama datang lebih awal. Pukul sembilan, koin itu belum ada di piring. Pukul setengah sepuluh, bus besar dari pantai tiba. Lalu ada tiga koin di piring. Dua dari negara ini, dan satu bergambar burung.

"It came after the coast bus," Lazlo said, writing quickly. "Clue number one. Not before. Only after."

"Datangnya setelah bus pantai," kata Lazlo sambil menulis cepat. "Petunjuk nomor satu. Bukan sebelumnya. Hanya sesudahnya."

"Maybe a passenger from the coast puts it there," said Laila.

"Mungkin seorang penumpang dari pantai yang menaruhnya," kata Laila.

"But every night? Always from the coast?" Lazlo shook his head. "That's too tidy. Tourists would pay with all kinds of coins, not one kind."

"Tapi setiap malam? Selalu dari pantai?" Lazlo menggeleng. "Terlalu rapi. Turis akan membayar dengan segala macam koin, bukan satu jenis."

The second clue came the next night. Laila started to look closely at the people who paid in cash. Most paid with paper money, and they took their change without looking. Some left a coin in the dish, and some did not. She noticed that one type of customer always left coins: the people whose hands were wet.

Petunjuk kedua datang pada malam berikutnya. Laila mulai memperhatikan dengan saksama orang-orang yang membayar tunai. Kebanyakan membayar dengan uang kertas, dan mereka mengambil kembaliannya tanpa melihat. Sebagian meninggalkan koin di piring, sebagian tidak. Ia memperhatikan bahwa satu jenis pelanggan selalu meninggalkan koin: orang-orang yang tangannya basah.

"Wet hands," she said, and she tapped the menu with her pen. "Clue number two. Look at that man. He has just washed his hands. He drops the coin in the dish with the water still on his fingers."

"Tangan basah," katanya, dan ia mengetuk menu itu dengan pulpennya. "Petunjuk nomor dua. Lihat pria itu. Ia baru saja mencuci tangan. Ia menjatuhkan koin ke piring dengan air masih di jarinya."

"The washroom is behind the ticket hall," said Lazlo. He frowned. "Maybe someone in the washroom is giving out coins. A cleaner? A guard?"

"Toiletnya ada di belakang aula tiket," kata Lazlo. Ia mengerutkan dahi. "Mungkin ada orang di toilet yang membagikan koin. Petugas kebersihan? Satpam?"

"Why would a guard give out foreign coins?"

"Kenapa satpam membagikan koin asing?"

"For luck?" he suggested. "For a joke? Or maybe the guard is a spy."

"Untuk keberuntungan?" usulnya. "Untuk lelucon? Atau mungkin satpamnya mata-mata."

Laila looked at him for a moment. "Lazlo. A spy would choose a better place than a skewer cart."

Laila memandangnya sejenak. "Lazlo. Mata-mata akan memilih tempat yang lebih baik daripada gerobak sate."

On the third night, the clue came from a very small customer. A girl of about six stood at the edge of the cart, holding her father's hand. The father paid for two skewers with a large note. Laila gave him his change, and the girl looked at the coins in her father's palm.

Pada malam ketiga, petunjuk datang dari seorang pelanggan yang sangat kecil. Seorang gadis berusia sekitar enam tahun berdiri di tepi gerobak, menggandeng tangan ayahnya. Sang ayah membayar dua tusuk sate dengan uang kertas besar. Laila memberikan kembaliannya, dan si gadis memandangi koin-koin di telapak tangan ayahnya.

"Daddy," the girl said loudly, "you got a bird again."

"Ayah," kata gadis itu dengan lantang, "Ayah dapat burung lagi."

"I know, sweetheart," said the father. He looked slightly embarrassed. "It came out of the machine. It always does."

"Ayah tahu, Sayang," kata sang ayah. Ia tampak sedikit malu. "Keluar dari mesin. Selalu begitu."

"Which machine?" Laila asked, as casually as she could.

"Mesin yang mana?" tanya Laila, sesantai yang ia bisa.

"The turnstile," the father said. "At the washroom. It costs a coin to go in. I never have the exact amount, so I put in a note. The machine gives me change."

"Pintu putar," kata sang ayah. "Di toilet. Masuknya bayar satu koin. Saya tidak pernah punya uang pas, jadi saya masukkan uang kertas. Mesinnya memberi kembalian."

He held up the bird coin, a little sadly.

Ia mengangkat koin burung itu, agak sedih.

"It's always this one. Nobody here can spend it. So I drop it in your tip dish. I hope that's all right. It's the nearest place."

"Selalu yang ini. Tidak ada yang bisa membelanjakannya di sini. Jadi saya jatuhkan ke piring tip Anda. Semoga tidak apa-apa. Itu tempat yang paling dekat."

Laila stared at him. Behind her, Lazlo made a small noise, like a kettle.

Laila menatapnya. Di belakangnya, Lazlo mengeluarkan suara kecil, seperti teko.

"The machine gives you change," Laila said slowly.

"Mesinnya memberi Anda kembalian," kata Laila pelan.

"Yes. It's been broken for months. It only gives back this coin."

"Ya. Sudah rusak berbulan-bulan. Hanya mengeluarkan koin ini."

"Thank you," said Laila. "You have been very helpful."

"Terima kasih," kata Laila. "Anda sangat membantu."

When the father and the girl walked away, Lazlo put down his pen. "Clue number three," he said. "The turnstile. It gives out the foreign coins. And everybody with a note gets one. Everybody with wet hands, because they are all coming from the washroom."

Ketika sang ayah dan si gadis berjalan pergi, Lazlo meletakkan penanya. "Petunjuk nomor tiga," katanya. "Pintu putar. Ia mengeluarkan koin-koin asing itu. Dan setiap orang yang membayar dengan uang kertas mendapatkannya. Setiap orang yang tangannya basah, karena mereka semua datang dari toilet."

"And then everybody drops it in my dish," said Laila, "because it is the nearest place."

"Lalu semua orang menjatuhkannya ke piringku," kata Laila, "karena itu tempat yang paling dekat."

She started to laugh. She laughed until she had to hold the edge of the cart.

Ia mulai tertawa. Ia tertawa sampai harus berpegangan pada tepi gerobak.

"For two weeks, we looked for a spy and a rich traveller. And it was the toilet."

"Selama dua minggu, kita mencari mata-mata dan pelancong kaya. Ternyata toilet."

"It's the most ordinary answer in the world," Lazlo said, wiping his eyes. "It is almost too ordinary to be true."

"Jawaban paling biasa di dunia," kata Lazlo sambil menyeka matanya. "Hampir terlalu biasa untuk jadi kenyataan."

"Who loads the machine with change?" Laila asked, once she could speak again.

"Siapa yang mengisi mesin itu dengan uang kembalian?" tanya Laila, setelah ia bisa bicara lagi.

"Somebody who made a mistake a long time ago," said Lazlo. "And nobody has ever checked."

"Seseorang yang membuat kesalahan dulu sekali," kata Lazlo. "Dan tidak pernah ada yang memeriksanya."

They went and looked at the machine after the last bus. It stood at the back of the ticket hall, grey and square. It had a slot for coins and a slot for notes. A sign above it said "Exact coins preferred." A small drawer at the bottom held the change. Lazlo pressed a button, and a bird coin rolled out into his hand.

Mereka pergi melihat mesin itu setelah bus terakhir. Mesin itu berdiri di belakang aula tiket, kelabu dan persegi. Ada celah untuk koin dan celah untuk uang kertas. Sebuah tanda di atasnya berbunyi "Utamakan uang pas." Sebuah laci kecil di bagian bawah menampung kembalian. Lazlo menekan sebuah tombol, dan sebuah koin burung bergulir keluar ke tangannya.

"It's fifteen now," he said. "We have fifteen."

"Sekarang lima belas," katanya. "Kita punya lima belas."

"I know the manager of the terminal," said Laila. "He buys a skewer every evening. I will tell him tomorrow."

"Aku kenal manajer terminal," kata Laila. "Ia membeli sate setiap sore. Besok kuberi tahu."

"Tell him tonight," said Lazlo. "Look at the queue."

"Beri tahu dia malam ini," kata Lazlo. "Lihat antrean itu."

A line of five tired people had formed behind them. A woman at the front held a coin in her hand and glared at the slot. Her face said that she had waited long enough.

Barisan lima orang yang kelelahan telah terbentuk di belakang mereka. Seorang perempuan di depan memegang koin di tangannya dan melotot ke celah mesin. Wajahnya berkata bahwa ia sudah cukup lama menunggu.

Laila looked at the bird in her palm. It had been in her tip dish for two weeks, and it had never done anything useful. She smiled at the woman. Then she stepped forward, pushed the coin into the slot, and heard a small, satisfying click. The turnstile swung open.

Laila memandang burung di telapak tangannya. Koin itu sudah dua minggu berada di piring tipnya, dan tidak pernah berguna sama sekali. Ia tersenyum kepada perempuan itu. Lalu ia melangkah maju, memasukkan koin itu ke celah, dan mendengar bunyi klik kecil yang memuaskan. Pintu putar itu berayun terbuka.

"Please go ahead," Laila said, and she held the gate for the woman until she was through.

"Silakan, Bu," kata Laila, dan ia menahan pintu untuk perempuan itu sampai ia lewat.