The Crown for the Last Hole

Basma ran the little hut at Willow Putt. It was a minigolf course by the river.

Basma mengelola pondok kecil di Willow Putt. Itu lapangan minigolf di tepi sungai.

The course had one famous rule. Anyone who sank the last hole in one shot won a crown. The crown was made of cardboard and gold paint. The winner wore it for a photo. A camera hung by the door. The photo went on the hut wall.

Lapangan itu punya satu aturan terkenal. Siapa pun yang memasukkan bola ke lubang terakhir dalam satu pukulan akan memenangkan sebuah mahkota. Mahkota itu terbuat dari karton dan cat emas. Sang pemenang memakainya untuk berfoto. Sebuah kamera tergantung di dekat pintu. Foto itu dipajang di dinding pondok.

Basma looked at that wall every morning. It was full of happy faces. A boy with no front teeth smiled at her. A woman in a long white dress waved a golf club. A man hugged his dog.

Basma memandangi dinding itu setiap pagi. Dinding itu penuh wajah-wajah bahagia. Seorang anak laki-laki yang gigi depannya ompong tersenyum padanya. Seorang perempuan bergaun putih panjang melambaikan tongkat golf. Seorang pria memeluk anjingnya.

But the newest photo was three summers old. Nobody won now. The last hole was too hard.

Tetapi foto yang terbaru sudah berumur tiga musim panas. Sekarang tak ada yang menang. Lubang terakhir terlalu sulit.

It had a high slope and a wooden windmill. The ball had to pass under the blades. Then it had to find a tiny tunnel. Most balls flew past or hit the wall.

Lubang itu punya tanjakan tinggi dan kincir angin kayu. Bola harus lewat di bawah baling-balingnya. Lalu bola harus menemukan terowongan kecil. Kebanyakan bola melesat lewat atau menabrak dinding.

"Why did we build it so hard?" asked Tomas. He was the new helper. He swept the paths and painted the fence.

"Kenapa kita membuatnya sesulit itu?" tanya Tomas. Ia pembantu baru. Ia menyapu jalan setapak dan mengecat pagar.

"A good prize needs a good game," said Basma.

"Hadiah yang bagus butuh permainan yang bagus," kata Basma.

"But nobody wins it."

"Tapi tidak ada yang memenangkannya."

"I know." Basma touched the empty space on the wall. "I want one more face up there before the season ends."

"Aku tahu." Basma menyentuh ruang kosong di dinding. "Aku ingin satu wajah lagi di atas sana sebelum musim berakhir."

Tomas said nothing. He looked at the old crown on its hook. It was thin and soft. One point was bent.

Tomas tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia memandang mahkota lama di gantungannya. Mahkota itu tipis dan lembek. Salah satu runcingnya bengkok.

That night he stayed late. He cut a new crown from a big cardboard box. He made ten sharp points. He painted them gold and left them to dry on the fence.

Malam itu ia tinggal sampai larut. Ia memotong mahkota baru dari kardus besar. Ia membuat sepuluh runcing yang tajam. Ia mengecatnya dengan warna emas dan membiarkannya mengering di pagar.

In the morning, Basma stopped at the gate. The crown shone in the early sun.

Pagi harinya, Basma berhenti di gerbang. Mahkota itu berkilau di bawah matahari pagi.

"It is beautiful," she said. "Now we only need a winner."

"Indah sekali," katanya. "Sekarang kita tinggal butuh pemenang."

"The season ends on Sunday," said Tomas.

"Musim berakhir hari Minggu," kata Tomas.

"Then we have two days, Saturday and Sunday."

"Kalau begitu kita punya dua hari, Sabtu dan Minggu."

Saturday was busy. The path was full of children. Parents carried ice cream and bags. Clubs clicked, and balls rolled, and the river was bright.

Hari Sabtu ramai. Jalan setapak penuh anak-anak. Para orang tua membawa es krim dan tas. Tongkat berdetak, bola menggelinding, dan sungai berkilau terang.

At noon, a tall young man came to the last hole. He wore a loud yellow shirt. He had a loud voice too.

Pada tengah hari, seorang pemuda tinggi datang ke lubang terakhir. Ia memakai kemeja kuning mencolok. Suaranya juga mencolok.

"Watch this," he told the crowd. "I never miss."

"Lihat ini," katanya kepada orang banyak. "Aku tidak pernah meleset."

He hit the ball hard. It struck the windmill with a crack and flew into the bushes. He hit another. It jumped over the fence. The third one went into the river.

Ia memukul bola dengan keras. Bola itu menghantam kincir angin dengan bunyi retakan dan melesat ke semak-semak. Ia memukul satu lagi. Bola itu melompati pagar. Bola ketiga masuk ke sungai.

"Bad luck," he said at last. "Your hole is broken."

"Sial," katanya akhirnya. "Lubang kalian rusak."

"It is not broken," said Tomas.

"Tidak rusak," kata Tomas.

"Then it is a trick."

"Kalau begitu ini akal-akalan."

"No trick," said Tomas. "You just hit it too hard."

"Bukan akal-akalan," kata Tomas. "Anda hanya memukulnya terlalu keras."

The young man laughed and walked away. A few people clapped. Others tried the hole after him. They were strong, and they were fast, and every ball missed.

Pemuda itu tertawa dan berjalan pergi. Beberapa orang bertepuk tangan. Yang lain mencoba lubang itu setelahnya. Mereka kuat, mereka cepat, dan setiap bola meleset.

Basma watched from the hut. She did not say a word. But in her head, she made a wish.

Basma menonton dari pondok. Ia tidak mengucapkan sepatah kata pun. Tetapi dalam kepalanya, ia membuat sebuah permintaan.

Let someone win today, she thought. Let it be a clever player. Someone who knows what to do.

Biarlah seseorang menang hari ini, pikirnya. Biarlah ia pemain yang cerdik. Seseorang yang tahu apa yang harus dilakukan.

She pictured a tall champion with a steady arm. She pictured the photo on the wall.

Ia membayangkan seorang juara tinggi dengan lengan yang mantap. Ia membayangkan foto di dinding itu.

The afternoon grew slow. The shadows grew long. Tomas swept the same path three times.

Sore menjadi lambat. Bayang-bayang memanjang. Tomas menyapu jalan setapak yang sama tiga kali.

Then a very small girl walked up to the last hole. She was about five. Her club was taller than she was. Her father stood behind her and held a pink bag.

Lalu seorang gadis yang sangat kecil berjalan ke lubang terakhir. Usianya sekitar lima tahun. Tongkatnya lebih tinggi daripada dirinya. Ayahnya berdiri di belakangnya dan memegang tas merah muda.

The girl did not know the rule. She did not know about the crown. She only knew it was the last hole. She wanted to finish.

Gadis itu tidak tahu aturannya. Ia tidak tahu tentang mahkota. Ia hanya tahu itu lubang terakhir. Ia ingin menyelesaikannya.

She put her ball down. She looked at the windmill for a long time. Then she tapped the ball, very gently.

Ia menaruh bolanya. Ia memandang kincir angin itu lama sekali. Lalu ia mengetuk bola itu, sangat pelan.

It rolled up the slope like a sleepy beetle. Everyone stopped to watch. Halfway up, the ball almost stopped. It crept to the top. It waited there.

Bola itu menggelinding menaiki tanjakan seperti kumbang yang mengantuk. Semua orang berhenti untuk menonton. Di tengah tanjakan, bola itu hampir berhenti. Ia merayap sampai puncak. Ia menunggu di sana.

"Come on," whispered Tomas.

"Ayo," bisik Tomas.

The ball rolled forward. The windmill blade lifted just in time. The ball slid under it and turned toward the tunnel.

Bola itu menggelinding maju. Baling-baling kincir terangkat tepat pada waktunya. Bola itu meluncur di bawahnya dan berbelok menuju terowongan.

It went in.

Bola itu masuk.

For one second, nobody moved. Then, from inside the tunnel, came a small sound.

Selama satu detik, tak ada yang bergerak. Lalu, dari dalam terowongan, terdengar bunyi kecil.

"Clunk."

"Klunk."

The crowd shouted. The girl's father dropped the pink bag. A boy jumped on the bench. Somebody whistled, and the whole course cheered.

Orang banyak berteriak. Ayah gadis itu menjatuhkan tas merah muda. Seorang anak laki-laki melompat ke atas bangku. Seseorang bersiul, dan seluruh lapangan bersorak.

The girl looked at her ball in the hole. "Is that good?" she asked.

Gadis itu memandang bolanya di dalam lubang. "Itu bagus?" tanyanya.

"That is very good," said Basma. Her eyes were wet, and she laughed. "That is the best thing that happened here in three years."

"Itu sangat bagus," kata Basma. Matanya basah, dan ia tertawa. "Itu hal terbaik yang terjadi di sini dalam tiga tahun."

Tomas ran to the hut. He came back with the new crown. It was far too big. He placed it on the girl's head. It slid down to her nose.

Tomas berlari ke pondok. Ia kembali dengan mahkota baru. Mahkota itu jauh terlalu besar. Ia memasangnya di kepala gadis itu. Mahkota itu merosot sampai ke hidungnya.

She pushed it up with both hands. It slid down again. Everyone laughed, and the girl laughed loudest of all.

Gadis itu mendorongnya naik dengan kedua tangan. Mahkota itu merosot lagi. Semua orang tertawa, dan gadis itu tertawa paling keras.

Basma stood and looked at her. She wished for a tall champion with a steady arm. She got a small girl with a tiny tap.

Basma berdiri dan memandangnya. Ia menginginkan juara tinggi dengan lengan yang mantap. Ia mendapat gadis kecil dengan ketukan mungil.

It was better. She knew it at once.

Itu lebih baik. Ia langsung tahu.

"Smile," said Tomas. He lifted the camera.

"Senyum," kata Tomas. Ia mengangkat kamera.

The girl pushed up the crown again. She held it with both hands.

Gadis itu mendorong mahkotanya naik lagi. Ia memegangnya dengan kedua tangan.

The camera flashed, and the crown stayed where it was.

Kamera berkilat, dan mahkota itu tetap di tempatnya.