The Hole in the Butterfly Net

For the first six weeks of term, Elan was the person who asked for help. She asked the older students where the compost bins were kept. She asked the technician how to read the humidity dials. She asked a second-year girl, twice, how the misting system worked, and twice she nodded as if she understood.

Selama enam minggu pertama semester, Elan adalah orang yang selalu meminta bantuan. Ia bertanya kepada mahasiswa senior di mana tempat sampah kompos disimpan. Ia bertanya kepada teknisi cara membaca penunjuk kelembapan. Ia bertanya dua kali kepada seorang mahasiswi tingkat dua bagaimana sistem penyemprot kabut bekerja, dan dua kali ia mengangguk seolah mengerti.

The college greenhouse was the best place on the campus, and also the most confusing. It was a long glass building with three climates under one roof. The first room was dry and sandy, and the second was cool and green. The third was a tropical house, so warm and wet that your glasses fogged the moment you stepped inside.

Rumah kaca kampus itu tempat terbaik di seluruh kampus, sekaligus yang paling membingungkan. Bangunan kaca yang panjang itu memiliki tiga iklim di bawah satu atap. Ruang pertama kering dan berpasir, dan ruang kedua sejuk dan hijau. Ruang ketiga adalah rumah tropis, begitu hangat dan lembap sehingga kacamata berembun begitu kita melangkah masuk.

On a Thursday afternoon, with the lecture hall empty and the corridors almost silent, Elan went to the tropical house to check the water trays. She was alone, which was unusual. She was also in a good mood. On Monday the technician had taught her a skill she could use: how to mend a torn net with a needle and strong green thread.

Pada suatu sore hari Kamis, ketika ruang kuliah kosong dan lorong-lorong nyaris senyap, Elan pergi ke rumah tropis untuk memeriksa nampan air. Ia sendirian, hal yang tidak biasa. Suasana hatinya juga sedang baik. Pada hari Senin teknisi mengajarinya keterampilan yang bisa ia pakai: cara menjahit jaring yang robek dengan jarum dan benang hijau yang kuat.

She had practised on a spare piece of shade cloth for an hour. The knot was a small one, a tight loop that looked like nothing and held like iron. She had been waiting for a chance to show someone, and so far nobody had asked.

Ia sudah berlatih pada sepotong kain peneduh cadangan selama satu jam. Simpulnya kecil, ikatan kencang yang tampak biasa saja tetapi kuat seperti besi. Ia sudah menunggu kesempatan untuk menunjukkannya kepada seseorang, dan sejauh ini tidak ada yang bertanya.

At the far end of the tropical house, between the banana plants and the glass wall, she found a boy she had never seen before.

Di ujung jauh rumah tropis, di antara pohon-pohon pisang dan dinding kaca, ia menemukan seorang anak laki-laki yang belum pernah ia lihat.

He was tall and thin, with a wet fringe stuck to his forehead. He was holding a long-handled net above his head like a man trying to touch the ceiling. In front of him a blue butterfly the size of a playing card drifted in lazy circles. Every time he swung, it slid sideways, and every time he missed, he said a short word in a language that Elan did not know.

Anak itu tinggi dan kurus, dengan poni basah menempel di dahinya. Ia memegang jaring bergagang panjang di atas kepalanya seperti orang yang mencoba menyentuh langit-langit. Di depannya seekor kupu-kupu biru sebesar kartu remi melayang dalam lingkaran-lingkaran malas. Setiap kali ia mengayun, kupu-kupu itu bergeser ke samping, dan setiap kali ia meleset, ia mengucapkan satu kata pendek dalam bahasa yang tidak dikenal Elan.

"Excuse me," she said. "Can I help?"

"Permisi," katanya. "Boleh aku bantu?"

"Please do not come closer," the boy said, without turning. "It is a very expensive butterfly. I mean, it is not expensive for me. It is expensive for the college. I am an exchange student, and I borrowed the net from the office. They told me this one is the last of its kind in the building."

"Tolong jangan mendekat," kata anak laki-laki itu tanpa menoleh. "Itu kupu-kupu yang sangat mahal. Maksudku, bukan mahal untukku. Mahal untuk kampus. Aku mahasiswa pertukaran, dan aku meminjam jaring ini dari kantor. Mereka bilang ini yang terakhir dari jenisnya di gedung ini."

"Then I think you should lower the net," Elan said, "and look at it."

"Kalau begitu menurutku sebaiknya kamu menurunkan jaringnya," kata Elan, "dan melihatnya."

He lowered the net. The butterfly floated down gently and settled on a leaf, its wings opening and closing like a slow book. In the middle of the net, where the mesh should have been, there was a hole about the size of a coin.

Ia menurunkan jaring itu. Kupu-kupu itu melayang turun dengan lembut dan hinggap di sehelai daun, sayapnya membuka dan menutup seperti buku yang lambat. Di tengah jaring, tempat seharusnya ada anyaman, terdapat lubang sebesar koin.

"Oh," the boy said.

"Oh," kata anak laki-laki itu.

"It went straight through it," Elan said. "Twice. I watched from the door."

"Dia lewat langsung melalui lubang itu," kata Elan. "Dua kali. Aku melihat dari pintu."

He looked at the hole. Then he looked at her, and she saw that he was trying very hard not to laugh.

Ia memandang lubang itu. Lalu ia memandang Elan, dan Elan melihat bahwa ia berusaha keras untuk tidak tertawa.

"My name is Hendrik," he said. "I was told it would be an easy job."

"Namaku Hendrik," katanya. "Aku diberi tahu ini pekerjaan yang mudah."

"I am Elan," she said. "And I know exactly how to fix that."

"Aku Elan," katanya. "Dan aku tahu persis cara memperbaikinya."

It was a strange sentence for her to say. She had never said anything like it in this building. She felt her voice rise a little at the end, as if she were asking a question, and she tried to straighten it.

Itu kalimat yang aneh untuk ia ucapkan. Ia belum pernah mengatakan hal seperti itu di gedung ini. Ia merasakan suaranya naik sedikit di akhir, seolah ia bertanya, dan ia berusaha meluruskannya.

"Hold the net still," she said, and she took the needle and thread from the pocket of her apron.

"Pegang jaringnya diam-diam," katanya, dan ia mengambil jarum dan benang dari saku apronnya.

Hendrik held the net as if it were a sleeping animal. Elan worked at the edge of the hole, drawing the loose mesh together with quick small stitches. She showed him how each knot closed on itself and locked. He leaned in to watch. His shoulder was a few centimetres from hers, and she noticed that he smelled faintly of rubber boots and oranges.

Hendrik memegang jaring itu seolah itu hewan yang sedang tidur. Elan bekerja di tepi lubang, menarik anyaman yang longgar bersama-sama dengan jahitan kecil yang cepat. Ia menunjukkan padanya bagaimana setiap simpul menutup pada dirinya sendiri dan terkunci. Hendrik mencondongkan badan untuk melihat. Bahunya hanya beberapa sentimeter dari bahu Elan, dan Elan menyadari bahwa ia samar-samar berbau sepatu bot karet dan jeruk.

"You are very fast," he said.

"Kamu cepat sekali," katanya.

"I am very new," she said. "I learned this on Monday. Before that, I could not have mended a sock."

"Aku sangat baru," katanya. "Aku belajar ini hari Senin. Sebelumnya, aku bahkan tidak bisa menjahit kaus kaki."

"Then you are the best teacher I have ever had," Hendrik said. "And you have taught me for two minutes."

"Kalau begitu kamu guru terbaik yang pernah kupunya," kata Hendrik. "Dan kamu mengajariku baru dua menit."

She bent her head so that he could not see her face, and she pulled the last knot tight. When she bit the thread, it made a tiny, satisfying click.

Ia menundukkan kepala agar Hendrik tidak melihat wajahnya, dan ia menarik simpul terakhir hingga kencang. Ketika ia menggigit benangnya, terdengar bunyi klik kecil yang memuaskan.

"There," she said. "It will hold."

"Nah," katanya. "Ini akan bertahan."

But the butterfly had moved while they worked. It was resting on a high stem now, well out of reach. It fanned its blue wings in the glow of the lamps with the calm of a creature that had nowhere to be.

Tetapi kupu-kupu itu sudah berpindah selama mereka bekerja. Kini ia bertengger di batang yang tinggi, jauh di luar jangkauan. Ia mengipasi sayap birunya dalam cahaya lampu dengan ketenangan makhluk yang tidak harus berada di mana pun.

"Now what?" Hendrik asked. "I can jump, but I will probably fall into the banana plant."

"Sekarang bagaimana?" tanya Hendrik. "Aku bisa melompat, tapi mungkin aku akan jatuh ke pohon pisang."

"We do not chase it," Elan said. "Chasing makes it nervous. The technician told me that butterflies come for sweet things." She looked around the room, then pointed to his jacket. "You have an orange in your pocket. I can smell it."

"Kita tidak mengejarnya," kata Elan. "Mengejar membuatnya gugup. Teknisi bilang kupu-kupu datang untuk hal-hal yang manis." Ia memandang sekeliling ruangan, lalu menunjuk jaket Hendrik. "Ada jeruk di sakumu. Aku bisa menciumnya."

Hendrik pulled out the fruit as if he were surprised to find it there. "It was my lunch," he said. "I forgot to eat it."

Hendrik mengeluarkan buah itu seolah terkejut menemukannya di sana. "Itu makan siangku," katanya. "Aku lupa memakannya."

"Good. Cut it in half."

"Bagus. Potong jadi dua."

They laid the two halves on a clean saucer from the staff cupboard and set it on the bench beside the water trays. Then they stood back, side by side, and waited. The room was quiet except for the dripping of the leaves. Elan kept the net low and steady in her hand. To her surprise, Hendrik stayed completely still, his arms folded and his eyes on the saucer.

Mereka meletakkan kedua belahannya di atas lepek bersih dari lemari staf dan menaruhnya di bangku di samping nampan-nampan air. Lalu mereka mundur, berdampingan, dan menunggu. Ruangan itu sunyi kecuali tetesan dari dedaunan. Elan memegang jaring rendah dan mantap di tangannya. Yang mengejutkannya, Hendrik tetap diam sepenuhnya, lengannya terlipat dan matanya tertuju pada lepek itu.

It took four minutes. The blue butterfly lifted from its stem, circled once, twice, and dropped lightly onto the orange. Its long tongue uncurled like a tiny watch spring. Elan raised the net slowly, with the patience of someone who had learned from a boy's mistake. She brought it down over the saucer in a single soft movement.

Butuh empat menit. Kupu-kupu biru itu terangkat dari batangnya, berputar satu kali, dua kali, dan jatuh ringan di atas jeruk. Belalainya yang panjang terurai seperti pegas jam kecil. Elan mengangkat jaring perlahan, dengan kesabaran seseorang yang telah belajar dari kesalahan seorang anak laki-laki. Ia menurunkannya di atas lepek itu dalam satu gerakan yang lembut.

The butterfly rose inside the mesh and bumped against it, and the mended hole stayed closed.

Kupu-kupu itu naik di dalam anyaman dan membentur jaring, dan lubang yang sudah dijahit tetap tertutup.

"We did it," Hendrik said. He covered his mouth with his hand, and she saw that his eyes were bright. "We did it. You did it."

"Kita berhasil," kata Hendrik. Ia menutup mulutnya dengan tangan, dan Elan melihat matanya berbinar. "Kita berhasil. Kamu berhasil."

"We," Elan said firmly. "You held the net."

"Kita," kata Elan tegas. "Kamu yang memegang jaringnya."

They carried the net carefully to the display cage at the end of the room. Hendrik opened the little door, and the butterfly slipped inside. It circled the plants, found a branch and settled. They both leaned on the glass, shoulder to shoulder, and watched it for a long time.

Mereka membawa jaring itu dengan hati-hati ke kandang pajangan di ujung ruangan. Hendrik membuka pintu kecilnya, dan kupu-kupu itu menyelinap masuk. Ia mengitari tanaman-tanaman, menemukan sebuah ranting, dan hinggap. Keduanya bersandar di kaca, bahu bertemu bahu, dan mengamatinya lama sekali.

"Nobody has ever thanked me for anything here," Elan said at last. She was surprised to hear herself say it. "I am the one who always asks."

"Belum pernah ada yang berterima kasih padaku untuk apa pun di sini," kata Elan akhirnya. Ia terkejut mendengar dirinya mengatakannya. "Akulah yang selalu meminta."

"Then I will thank you properly," Hendrik said. "I will tell the office that the net was broken before I borrowed it, and that the student who fixed it is a genius."

"Kalau begitu aku akan berterima kasih dengan layak," kata Hendrik. "Aku akan memberi tahu kantor bahwa jaringnya sudah rusak sebelum aku meminjamnya, dan bahwa mahasiswi yang memperbaikinya adalah seorang jenius."

"I am not a genius. I only know one knot."

"Aku bukan jenius. Aku cuma tahu satu simpul."

"It is a very good knot." He glanced at the thread in her hand, then back at her. He smiled the slow, lopsided smile of someone who had just remembered something funny. "You know, it is a good thing the net had a hole."

"Itu simpul yang sangat bagus." Ia melirik benang di tangan Elan, lalu kembali menatapnya. Ia tersenyum, senyum lambat yang miring dari seseorang yang baru saja teringat sesuatu yang lucu. "Kamu tahu, untung saja jaringnya berlubang."