The Ghost in the Back Room Mirror

The first time Damir saw the mirror fogged up, he thought the window was open. It wasn't. The small mirror in the back room of the pet shop was covered with a white cloud. It reached from the bottom edge to just above the middle.

Pertama kali Damir melihat cermin itu berembun, ia mengira jendelanya terbuka. Ternyata tidak. Cermin kecil di ruang belakang toko hewan peliharaan itu tertutup awan putih. Awan itu membentang dari tepi bawah sampai sedikit di atas bagian tengah.

By the time he had cleaned it with his sleeve, he had forgotten about it. The next morning, the same cloud was there again. So was the day after.

Pada saat ia selesai membersihkannya dengan lengan baju, ia sudah melupakannya. Keesokan paginya, awan yang sama muncul lagi. Begitu juga keesokan harinya.

"It's the cold," Fiona said on Thursday. She was the driver who brought the seed and the sawdust. Her loud laugh was the best part of Damir's week. She came into the back room with a sack on each shoulder. Then she saw the glass and stopped.

"Itu karena dingin," kata Fiona pada hari Kamis. Ia sopir yang mengantar biji-bijian dan serbuk gergaji. Tawanya yang keras adalah bagian terbaik dari minggu Damir. Ia masuk ke ruang belakang dengan sekarung di tiap bahunya. Lalu ia melihat kaca itu dan berhenti.

"It isn't cold in here," Damir said. "The heater has worked for years. And look at the shape. It's the same every day."

"Di sini tidak dingin," kata Damir. "Pemanasnya sudah bertahun-tahun berfungsi. Dan lihat bentuknya. Sama setiap hari."

Fiona put the sacks down and stood in front of the mirror with her hands on her hips. "Somebody has been breathing on this," she said.

Fiona meletakkan karung-karungnya dan berdiri di depan cermin dengan tangan di pinggang. "Ada yang menghembuskan napas ke sini," katanya.

"There's nobody here at night," Damir said. "I lock the door myself."

"Tidak ada siapa pun di sini malam hari," kata Damir. "Aku sendiri yang mengunci pintunya."

"Then you have a ghost," Fiona said. She grinned. "A very clean ghost, because it only does the mirror."

"Berarti kamu punya hantu," kata Fiona. Ia menyeringai. "Hantu yang sangat bersih, karena dia hanya mengerjai cermin."

Damir laughed, but it was not a real laugh. He had worked in the shop for two years. He had never felt nervous in the back room before. Now he caught himself checking the corners each time he went in.

Damir tertawa, tetapi itu bukan tawa sungguhan. Ia sudah bekerja di toko itu selama dua tahun. Ia belum pernah merasa gelisah di ruang belakang. Sekarang ia mendapati dirinya memeriksa sudut-sudut setiap kali masuk.

"I'll solve it," Fiona said. "I'm good at puzzles. I do the crossword in the van during my lunch break."

"Aku akan memecahkannya," kata Fiona. "Aku jago teka-teki. Aku mengisi teka-teki silang di mobil saat istirahat makan siang."

"You don't have time," Damir said.

"Kamu tidak punya waktu," kata Damir.

"I have ten minutes before my next delivery, and I have you." She took out a pen and wrote on the back of her hand. "Rule number one. A ghost leaves no clues, so if I find any, it isn't a ghost."

"Aku punya sepuluh menit sebelum pengiriman berikutnya, dan ada kamu." Ia mengeluarkan pulpen dan menulis di punggung tangannya. "Aturan nomor satu. Hantu tidak meninggalkan petunjuk, jadi kalau aku menemukan petunjuk, itu bukan hantu."

She walked slowly round the room. The back room was small and tidy. It had a sink in one corner, a shelf of cage bedding and a cold metal table. There was a low stool by the door, and a heat lamp that hung over an empty box.

Ia berjalan pelan mengelilingi ruangan. Ruang belakang itu kecil dan rapi. Ada wastafel di salah satu sudut, rak berisi alas kandang, dan meja logam yang dingin. Ada bangku rendah di dekat pintu, dan lampu pemanas yang menggantung di atas kotak kosong.

"Clue number one," Fiona said, pointing at the mirror. "Look at where the fog is. It starts at the bottom and stops at about my elbow. If a person had breathed on it, it would be at head height."

"Petunjuk nomor satu," kata Fiona sambil menunjuk cermin. "Lihat di mana embunnya. Mulai dari bawah dan berhenti kira-kira setinggi siku. Kalau orang yang menghembusnya, embunnya akan setinggi kepala."

"A short person," Damir said.

"Orang yang pendek," kata Damir.

"A very short person," Fiona said. "Or something close to the floor."

"Orang yang sangat pendek," kata Fiona. "Atau sesuatu yang dekat dengan lantai."

Damir bent down. The fog was thickest in the lower corner. In the white mist, someone had drawn a tiny curve, like the beginning of a smile.

Damir membungkuk. Embunnya paling tebal di sudut bawah. Di dalam kabut putih itu, seseorang telah menggambar lengkungan kecil, seperti awal sebuah senyuman.

"Clue number two," Fiona said. She had moved to the sink. "Look at the tiles."

"Petunjuk nomor dua," kata Fiona. Ia sudah pindah ke wastafel. "Lihat ubin-ubinnya."

Damir followed her. On the grey floor, a faint line of small damp marks ran from the sink to the door. They were round, and each one was about the size of a coin. Each one was a little apart from the next.

Damir mengikutinya. Di lantai abu-abu, deretan samar bekas basah kecil membentang dari wastafel ke pintu. Bentuknya bulat, dan masing-masing seukuran koin. Masing-masing berjarak sedikit dari yang berikutnya.

"Footprints," Damir whispered.

"Jejak kaki," bisik Damir.

"Very small footprints," Fiona said. "And whoever made them was in no hurry. Look how far apart they are. It was walking, not running."

"Jejak kaki yang sangat kecil," kata Fiona. "Dan siapa pun yang membuatnya tidak sedang terburu-buru. Lihat betapa jauh jaraknya. Dia berjalan, bukan berlari."

"Why would a ghost walk slowly?" Damir asked.

"Kenapa hantu berjalan pelan?" tanya Damir.

"Because it isn't a ghost," Fiona said. She looked at her watch. "I have to go. But think about it. And by Friday, I want clue number three."

"Karena itu bukan hantu," kata Fiona. Ia melirik jam tangannya. "Aku harus pergi. Tapi pikirkan baik-baik. Dan pada hari Jumat, aku mau petunjuk nomor tiga."

She picked up her keys, winked at him and went out. The van door banged outside. Damir stood alone in the back room, feeling both nervous and strangely cheerful.

Ia mengambil kuncinya, mengedipkan mata kepadanya, dan keluar. Pintu mobil berdebam di luar. Damir berdiri sendirian di ruang belakang, merasa gelisah sekaligus anehnya gembira.

That evening, he turned the whole room over. He looked behind the shelves and under the table. He opened every drawer. He found two broken pens, a ball of string and a tin of dog biscuits. Nothing explained the fog. Then he went to the sink to wash his hands. As he reached for the tap, he saw something small and green lying near the drain.

Malam itu, ia membongkar seluruh ruangan. Ia mencari di balik rak dan di bawah meja. Ia membuka setiap laci. Ia menemukan dua pulpen rusak, segulung tali, dan sekaleng biskuit anjing. Tidak ada yang menjelaskan embun itu. Lalu ia pergi ke wastafel untuk mencuci tangan. Saat ia meraih keran, ia melihat sesuatu yang kecil dan hijau tergeletak di dekat saluran pembuangan.

It was a lettuce leaf, dry and curled at the edges.

Itu selembar daun selada, kering dan menggulung di tepinya.

Damir stared at it. He had no lettuce in the shop. He fed the rabbits with pellets and dried grass, never with leaves.

Damir menatapnya. Ia tidak punya selada di toko. Ia memberi makan kelinci dengan pelet dan rumput kering, tidak pernah dengan dedaunan.

At six o'clock on Friday morning, he stood in front of the shop. He held a coffee in each hand. Fiona's van pulled up, and she climbed out with a smile.

Pukul enam pagi hari Jumat, ia berdiri di depan toko. Ia memegang secangkir kopi di masing-masing tangan. Mobil Fiona berhenti, dan ia turun sambil tersenyum.

"You came early," she said. "You've got something."

"Kamu datang pagi," katanya. "Kamu menemukan sesuatu."

"I have clue number three," Damir said. He held out the lettuce leaf in a paper bag. "I found it beside the sink."

"Aku punya petunjuk nomor tiga," kata Damir. Ia menyodorkan daun selada dalam kantong kertas. "Aku menemukannya di samping wastafel."

"So," Fiona said slowly. "A fog low on the mirror, small damp footprints, and a lettuce leaf." She took the coffee and drank half of it. "It sounds like somebody has been giving a bath to a very polite, very hungry visitor."

"Jadi," kata Fiona perlahan. "Embun rendah di cermin, jejak basah kecil, dan selembar daun selada." Ia mengambil kopi dan meminum separuhnya. "Kedengarannya ada yang memandikan tamu yang sangat sopan dan sangat lapar."

"A bath?"

"Memandikan?"

"Warm water makes steam," Fiona said. "Steam makes fog on a cold mirror. We don't need a ghost, we need someone who likes warm water, walks slowly and eats lettuce."

"Air hangat menghasilkan uap," kata Fiona. "Uap membuat embun di cermin yang dingin. Kita tidak butuh hantu, kita butuh seseorang yang suka air hangat, berjalan pelan, dan makan selada."

They unlocked the door together. The shop was dark and still, and the back room was in shadow. Damir opened the door slowly, and they both stopped.

Mereka membuka kunci pintu bersama-sama. Toko itu gelap dan sunyi, dan ruang belakang berada dalam bayangan. Damir membuka pintu pelan-pelan, dan mereka berdua berhenti.

The room was warm and full of mist. On the metal table sat a plastic washing-up bowl full of steaming water. In the bowl sat a very old tortoise. Her long neck was stretched out, and her eyes were half closed.

Ruangan itu hangat dan penuh kabut. Di atas meja logam ada baskom plastik berisi air yang mengepul. Di dalam baskom duduk seekor kura-kura yang sangat tua. Lehernya yang panjang terjulur, dan matanya setengah terpejam.

Behind her, a man in a dressing gown stood with a small towel over one arm. He looked at Damir, then at Fiona. He had the look of a person caught doing something silly.

Di belakangnya, seorang pria berjubah mandi berdiri dengan handuk kecil tersampir di satu lengan. Ia memandang Damir, lalu Fiona. Ia tampak seperti orang yang tertangkap basah melakukan sesuatu yang konyol.

"Ah," he said. "Good morning."

"Ah," katanya. "Selamat pagi."

"You're the owner," Damir said. "I have only met you twice."

"Anda pemiliknya," kata Damir. "Saya baru dua kali bertemu Anda."

"I live upstairs," the man said. "She has a warm bath every morning at six. The vet said it was good for her shell. But I didn't think the shop assistant should have to worry about it, so I never mentioned it."

"Saya tinggal di lantai atas," kata pria itu. "Dia mandi air hangat setiap pagi pukul enam. Dokter hewan bilang itu bagus untuk tempurungnya. Tapi saya pikir pegawai toko tidak perlu dibuat khawatir soal itu, jadi saya tidak pernah menyebutkannya."

"I thought the shop was haunted," Damir said.

"Saya kira toko ini berhantu," kata Damir.

"Haunted?" The man looked worried. "By whom?"

"Berhantu?" Pria itu tampak cemas. "Oleh siapa?"

"By whoever fogs up the mirror," Fiona said. She pointed at the tortoise. "We have found her. She seems quite pleased with herself."

"Oleh siapa pun yang mengembunkan cermin," kata Fiona. Ia menunjuk kura-kura itu. "Kami sudah menemukannya. Dia tampak cukup puas dengan dirinya sendiri."

The tortoise opened one eye. She looked at them as if they were the strangest creatures she had ever seen. Then she closed it again.

Kura-kura itu membuka satu mata. Ia memandang mereka seolah mereka makhluk paling aneh yang pernah dilihatnya. Lalu ia menutupnya lagi.

"She does like the mirror," the man admitted. "I hold her up in front of it every morning, so she can see her own face. She seems to enjoy it."

"Dia memang suka cermin itu," pria itu mengakui. "Setiap pagi saya mengangkatnya di depan cermin, supaya dia bisa melihat wajahnya sendiri. Dia tampaknya menikmatinya."

Damir looked at the mirror, then at Fiona, and then he began to laugh. This time, it was a real laugh. Fiona joined him until she had to lean on the table.

Damir memandang cermin itu, lalu Fiona, dan kemudian ia mulai tertawa. Kali ini, itu tawa sungguhan. Fiona ikut tertawa sampai harus bersandar pada meja.

"Mystery solved," she said, wiping her eyes. "The ghost is a tortoise."

"Misteri terpecahkan," katanya sambil menyeka mata. "Hantunya seekor kura-kura."

"A very old tortoise," Damir said. "And she still spends longer in the bathroom than I do."

"Kura-kura yang sangat tua," kata Damir. "Dan dia masih lebih lama di kamar mandi daripada aku."