The Hat on the Mirror Ball

Kamal started work at the Silver Wheel on a Monday. The Silver Wheel was a roller-disco hall with a wooden floor and a huge mirror ball. Alma had worked there for two years. She did not trust new helpers, because they usually left after a week.

Kamal mulai bekerja di Silver Wheel pada hari Senin. Silver Wheel adalah aula disko roda dengan lantai kayu dan bola cermin yang sangat besar. Alma sudah bekerja di sana selama dua tahun. Ia tidak percaya pada pembantu baru, karena mereka biasanya pergi setelah seminggu.

"Your jobs are simple," Alma said. "Sweep the floor, fill the skate boxes and check the lights."

"Tugasmu sederhana," kata Alma. "Menyapu lantai, mengisi kotak sepatu roda, dan memeriksa lampu."

"Is that everything?" Kamal asked.

"Itu saja?" tanya Kamal.

"No. There is also the hat."

"Tidak. Masih ada topi itu."

Kamal followed her pointing finger. High above the dance floor, the mirror ball turned slowly in the half dark. On top of it sat a small paper party hat, silver with blue stars. It rode round and round like a tiny captain.

Kamal mengikuti jari yang ditunjuknya. Tinggi di atas lantai dansa, bola cermin berputar pelan dalam remang. Di atasnya duduk sebuah topi pesta kertas kecil, perak dengan bintang-bintang biru. Topi itu berputar-putar seperti kapten mungil.

"Whose hat is that?" he asked.

"Topi siapa itu?" tanyanya.

"Nobody knows," said Alma. "Every morning I take it down, and every morning it is back. The owner says I must find out who does it."

"Tidak ada yang tahu," kata Alma. "Setiap pagi aku menurunkannya, dan setiap pagi topi itu kembali lagi. Pemiliknya bilang aku harus mencari tahu siapa yang melakukannya."

"Why not leave it there?"

"Kenapa tidak dibiarkan saja di sana?"

"Because the owner thinks it looks silly. Also, the hat makes the ball turn unevenly, and the motor makes a terrible noise."

"Karena pemiliknya merasa itu kelihatan konyol. Lagi pula, topi itu membuat bola berputar tidak rata, dan motornya mengeluarkan bunyi yang mengerikan."

Kamal looked at the ladder that stood against the wall. It was green, and it had only four steps. Then he looked at the ball, which hung more than three metres above the floor.

Kamal melihat tangga yang disandarkan ke dinding. Warnanya hijau, dan anak tangganya hanya empat. Lalu ia menatap bola itu, yang tergantung lebih dari tiga meter di atas lantai.

"That ladder is too short," he said.

"Tangga itu terlalu pendek," katanya.

"I know. The owner bought it for changing light bulbs. I stand on the top step and push the hat off with a broom. It takes ten minutes, and my arms hurt for an hour."

"Aku tahu. Pemiliknya membelinya untuk mengganti bola lampu. Aku berdiri di anak tangga paling atas dan mendorong topi itu dengan sapu. Butuh sepuluh menit, dan lenganku sakit selama satu jam."

"So how does anyone get the hat up there?"

"Lalu bagaimana orang bisa menaruh topi itu di atas sana?"

"That is the puzzle," Alma said. She almost smiled. "If you solve it, you can choose the music for a whole evening."

"Itulah teka-tekinya," kata Alma. Ia nyaris tersenyum. "Kalau kamu bisa memecahkannya, kamu boleh memilih musik untuk satu malam penuh."

Kamal liked puzzles. He also wanted Alma to like him. So he started at once.

Kamal suka teka-teki. Ia juga ingin Alma menyukainya. Jadi ia segera mulai.

First he tried the easy answer. He stacked three snack crates under the ball and climbed up with a torch. The tower shook like a jelly. Alma ran across the floor and held the bottom crate with both hands.

Pertama ia mencoba jawaban yang paling mudah. Ia menumpuk tiga peti makanan ringan di bawah bola dan naik dengan senter. Menara itu bergoyang seperti agar-agar. Alma berlari menyeberangi lantai dan memegangi peti paling bawah dengan kedua tangan.

"Get down!" she shouted. "You will break your neck, and then the owner will blame me."

"Turun!" teriaknya. "Kamu bisa patah leher, dan nanti pemiliknya menyalahkanku."

"I only wanted to look at the top of the ball," Kamal said from the air.

"Aku cuma ingin melihat bagian atas bola itu," kata Kamal dari udara.

"Look from the ground, like a normal person," she said.

"Lihat dari bawah, seperti orang normal," katanya.

He climbed down slowly. Alma said nothing more. She did not let go of the crate until his feet touched the floor.

Ia turun pelan-pelan. Alma tidak berkata apa-apa lagi. Ia tidak melepaskan peti itu sampai kaki Kamal menyentuh lantai.

That afternoon Kamal sat on a bench with a notebook and thought about the hat. A person on a tall ladder could put it there. But the hall had only the short ladder, and the front door was locked all night.

Sore itu Kamal duduk di bangku dengan buku catatan dan memikirkan topi itu. Orang di atas tangga yang tinggi bisa menaruhnya di sana. Tetapi aula itu hanya punya tangga pendek, dan pintu depan terkunci sepanjang malam.

"Who has keys?" he asked.

"Siapa saja yang punya kunci?" tanyanya.

Alma counted on her fingers. "The owner, me, the cleaner, and the man who brings the snacks."

Alma menghitung dengan jarinya. "Pemilik, aku, tukang bersih-bersih, dan pria yang mengantar makanan ringan."

"Then I need clues, not suspects."

"Kalau begitu aku butuh petunjuk, bukan tersangka."

The next morning he arrived early and searched the hall with his torch. Alma laughed at him, but she brought him a cup of juice anyway.

Keesokan paginya ia datang lebih awal dan menyisir aula dengan senternya. Alma menertawakannya, tetapi ia tetap membawakan segelas jus.

At eight o'clock he found the first clue. It was a thin line of silver glitter on the wooden floor. The line began near the DJ booth. It stopped in the middle of the floor, under the ball.

Pada pukul delapan ia menemukan petunjuk pertama. Itu sebaris tipis glitter perak di lantai kayu. Garis itu dimulai di dekat bilik DJ. Garis itu berhenti di tengah lantai, tepat di bawah bola.

"Glitter," he said. "The hat loses it, so the hat came this way."

"Glitter," katanya. "Topinya menjatuhkannya, jadi topi itu lewat sini."

"Very clever," said Alma. "Everybody knows a glittery hat drops glitter."

"Pintar sekali," kata Alma. "Semua orang tahu topi berkilau menjatuhkan glitter."

"But it did not come from the door. It came from the DJ booth."

"Tapi topi itu tidak datang dari pintu. Ia datang dari bilik DJ."

Alma stopped smiling and came to look.

Alma berhenti tersenyum dan datang untuk melihat.

At nine o'clock he found the second clue. It was on the floor too, but you could see it only from very low down. Hundreds of tiny black marks made a wide circle around the glitter line. Each mark was a short curved scratch.

Pada pukul sembilan ia menemukan petunjuk kedua. Petunjuk itu juga ada di lantai, tetapi hanya bisa dilihat dari posisi yang sangat rendah. Ratusan bekas hitam kecil membentuk lingkaran lebar di sekeliling garis glitter. Setiap bekas adalah goresan pendek yang melengkung.

"Wheel marks," Alma said. She was lying on the floor beside him now. "But there are far too many. The cleaner wears shoes, and I never skate in the morning."

"Bekas roda," kata Alma. Ia sekarang berbaring di lantai di sampingnya. "Tapi jumlahnya jauh terlalu banyak. Tukang bersih-bersih memakai sepatu biasa, dan aku tidak pernah bermain sepatu roda di pagi hari."

"Then lots of people skated in a circle last night, and they all stopped at the same spot."

"Berarti tadi malam banyak orang bermain sepatu roda mengitari lingkaran, dan mereka semua berhenti di tempat yang sama."

"People do that when a game ends," Alma said slowly. "They stop and look at something."

"Orang memang begitu kalau sebuah permainan berakhir," kata Alma pelan. "Mereka berhenti dan memandangi sesuatu."

At ten o'clock Kamal found the third clue, and it was the best one. It was not on the floor. It was on the notice board in the owner's tiny office, next to a pizza menu. A yellow sheet said, "Evening party plan." The last line of the plan said, "9:45, Hat Toss. Prize for the winner."

Pada pukul sepuluh Kamal menemukan petunjuk ketiga, dan itu yang terbaik. Petunjuk itu tidak ada di lantai. Petunjuk itu ada di papan pengumuman di kantor kecil si pemilik, di samping menu pizza. Selembar kertas kuning bertuliskan, "Rencana pesta malam." Baris terakhir rencana itu berbunyi, "21.45, Lempar Topi. Hadiah untuk pemenang."

"Hat Toss?" said Alma. "I have never read this sheet."

"Lempar Topi?" kata Alma. "Aku belum pernah membaca lembar ini."

"You go home at eight," said Kamal. "The party host starts after that."

"Kamu pulang pukul delapan," kata Kamal. "Pembawa acara pesta mulai setelah itu."

They found the party host that evening. He was a quiet man in a purple jacket. He arrived at half past eight with a bag of paper hats. He did not seem surprised to see two people waiting for him by the DJ booth.

Mereka menemukan pembawa acara itu malam harinya. Ia pria pendiam berjaket ungu. Ia tiba pukul setengah sembilan dengan sekantong topi kertas. Ia tampak tidak terkejut melihat dua orang menunggunya di dekat bilik DJ.

"Hat Toss?" he said, when Kamal asked. "Of course. It is the best part of every party. All the children make a big circle. Then I give the youngest guest a hat, and she throws it at the ball."

"Lempar Topi?" katanya, ketika Kamal bertanya. "Tentu saja. Itu bagian terbaik dari setiap pesta. Semua anak membuat lingkaran besar. Lalu saya memberi tamu termuda sebuah topi, dan dia melemparnya ke bola itu."

"And it stays up there?" Alma asked.

"Dan topinya tetap di atas sana?" tanya Alma.

"Always. The ball has a little sticky tape around the middle, from an old decoration. The hat lands on it, and the children shout. Then they wave goodbye to it, like a ship."

"Selalu. Di tengah bola itu ada sedikit lakban lengket, sisa dekorasi lama. Topinya mendarat di situ, dan anak-anak bersorak. Lalu mereka melambaikan tangan pada topi itu, seperti pada kapal."

"Every night?"

"Setiap malam?"

"Every night, for six years," the man said. "The owner invented the game himself. He said the hat should stay up there all night. That makes the children excited to come back."

"Setiap malam, selama enam tahun," kata pria itu. "Pemiliknya sendiri yang menciptakan permainan ini. Katanya topi itu harus tetap di atas sana sepanjang malam. Itu membuat anak-anak bersemangat untuk datang lagi."

Alma sat down on the nearest bench. She looked at the ceiling, and then she started to laugh. She laughed so hard that she had to wipe her eyes.

Alma duduk di bangku terdekat. Ia menatap langit-langit, lalu mulai tertawa. Ia tertawa begitu keras sampai harus menyeka matanya.

"Six years," she said at last. "For two of them I have pushed that hat off with a broom. And the owner told me to find out who did it."

"Enam tahun," katanya akhirnya. "Selama dua tahun di antaranya aku mendorong topi itu dengan sapu. Dan pemiliknya menyuruhku mencari tahu siapa pelakunya."

"Maybe he forgot," Kamal said.

"Mungkin dia lupa," kata Kamal.

"Of course he forgot. He is the only person who never reads his own notice board."

"Tentu saja dia lupa. Dia satu-satunya orang yang tidak pernah membaca papan pengumumannya sendiri."

The owner came in the next morning, still holding his coffee. Alma showed him the yellow sheet and said nothing at all. He read the last line twice. Then he put his hand over his mouth.

Si pemilik datang keesokan paginya, masih memegang kopinya. Alma menunjukkan lembar kuning itu dan tidak mengatakan apa-apa. Ia membaca baris terakhir dua kali. Lalu ia menutup mulutnya dengan tangan.

"Oh," he said. "That was my idea, wasn't it? And then I said the ball sounded bad."

"Oh," katanya. "Itu ideku, kan? Lalu aku bilang bola itu bunyinya jelek."

"So what do we do now?" the owner asked. "The game is good. The noise is bad."

"Jadi sekarang bagaimana?" tanya si pemilik. "Permainannya bagus. Bunyinya jelek."

Alma thought about it for a moment. "We buy a ladder with six steps," she said. "And one person takes the hat down gently every morning, before the motor starts. It will take two minutes, not ten."

Alma berpikir sejenak. "Kita beli tangga dengan enam anak tangga," katanya. "Dan satu orang menurunkan topi itu dengan lembut setiap pagi, sebelum motornya menyala. Hanya butuh dua menit, bukan sepuluh."

"And who is that person?"

"Dan siapa orangnya?"

"Kamal," said Alma. "He climbs crates. He is already brave."

"Kamal," kata Alma. "Dia berani memanjat peti. Dia sudah pemberani."

The owner agreed, and the next week a tall orange ladder stood by the wall. Kamal climbed it every morning and lifted the hat from the ball like a fisherman lifting a fish.

Si pemilik setuju, dan minggu berikutnya sebuah tangga oranye yang tinggi berdiri di dekat dinding. Kamal menaikinya setiap pagi dan mengangkat topi itu dari bola seperti nelayan mengangkat ikan.

Alma kept her promise too. On Friday she let him choose the music for the whole night. The skaters rolled in long circles under the turning lights.

Alma juga menepati janjinya. Pada hari Jumat ia membiarkan Kamal memilih musik untuk satu malam penuh. Para pemain sepatu roda meluncur dalam lingkaran panjang di bawah lampu-lampu yang berputar.

At a quarter to ten, the host called the youngest guest into the middle of the floor. She was a girl of about five, in a yellow helmet. She held a silver hat in both hands and stared up at the ball.

Pada pukul sepuluh kurang seperempat, pembawa acara memanggil tamu termuda ke tengah lantai. Ia seorang gadis berusia sekitar lima tahun, berhelm kuning. Ia memegang topi perak dengan kedua tangan dan menatap bola itu.

"Ready?" said the host.

"Siap?" tanya pembawa acara.

Alma stood beside Kamal at the edge of the floor. Neither of them said a word. The girl swung her arm back and threw as hard as she could.

Alma berdiri di samping Kamal di tepi lantai. Tidak seorang pun dari mereka berkata sepatah kata pun. Gadis itu mengayunkan lengannya ke belakang dan melempar sekuat tenaga.

Thwump.

Thwump.