The Lamp That Counts Noise

The university library has a new lamp. It sits in the middle of the group study table. It is round and white. A sign says: "Green is good. Red is loud."

Perpustakaan universitas punya lampu baru. Lampu itu berada di tengah meja belajar kelompok. Bentuknya bulat dan putih. Sebuah tulisan berbunyi: "Hijau itu baik. Merah itu berisik."

Yoon, Dmitri, and Uma take the table on Tuesday. They have a big test on Friday. They open their books.

Yoon, Dmitri, dan Uma memakai meja itu pada hari Selasa. Mereka punya ujian besar hari Jumat. Mereka membuka buku.

The lamp is green.

Lampunya hijau.

"Easy," says Dmitri in a loud voice.

"Gampang," kata Dmitri dengan suara keras.

The lamp turns yellow.

Lampu berubah kuning.

Uma puts a finger on her lips. "Quiet," she whispers. "The lamp hears you."

Uma menaruh jari di bibirnya. "Pelan-pelan," bisiknya. "Lampunya mendengarmu."

Yoon laughs, but he covers his mouth. The lamp stays yellow for a moment. Then it goes green again.

Yoon tertawa, tapi ia menutup mulutnya. Lampu itu tetap kuning sesaat. Lalu kembali hijau.

They study for ten minutes. Uma reads a question. Dmitri thinks. Yoon writes the answer on a card. Nobody talks too much. The room feels calm and warm.

Mereka belajar selama sepuluh menit. Uma membaca sebuah soal. Dmitri berpikir. Yoon menulis jawabannya di kartu. Tidak ada yang bicara terlalu banyak. Ruangan terasa tenang dan hangat.

Then Dmitri finds a funny picture in his book. It shows a man with a very big nose. Dmitri starts to laugh. He cannot stop.

Lalu Dmitri menemukan gambar lucu di bukunya. Gambar itu menunjukkan seorang pria dengan hidung yang sangat besar. Dmitri mulai tertawa. Ia tidak bisa berhenti.

The lamp turns red. A tiny sound plays. Beep, beep.

Lampu berubah merah. Sebuah bunyi kecil terdengar. Bip, bip.

A student at the next table looks up. Dmitri says "sorry" with his hands over his face.

Seorang mahasiswa di meja sebelah mendongak. Dmitri berkata "maaf" dengan kedua tangan menutupi wajahnya.

"New rule," Uma whispers. "Funny pictures are for after the test."

"Aturan baru," bisik Uma. "Gambar lucu untuk setelah ujian."

Yoon has an idea. "Let us make a game," he says. "We keep the lamp green for ten minutes. Then we eat a snack."

Yoon punya ide. "Ayo kita buat permainan," katanya. "Kita jaga lampu tetap hijau selama sepuluh menit. Lalu kita makan camilan."

"What snack?" asks Dmitri.

"Camilan apa?" tanya Dmitri.

"An orange," says Uma. "I have three in my bag."

"Jeruk," kata Uma. "Aku punya tiga di tasku."

They agree. They use hand signs for yes and no. Uma points at a page. Yoon nods. Dmitri writes. The lamp stays green for five minutes. Then eight. Then ten.

Mereka setuju. Mereka memakai isyarat tangan untuk ya dan tidak. Uma menunjuk sebuah halaman. Yoon mengangguk. Dmitri menulis. Lampu tetap hijau selama lima menit. Lalu delapan. Lalu sepuluh.

Uma gives each boy an orange. They peel them very slowly. But peeling is a loud job. The lamp turns yellow again.

Uma memberi masing-masing temannya satu jeruk. Mereka mengupasnya pelan-pelan sekali. Tapi mengupas jeruk itu pekerjaan yang berisik. Lampu berubah kuning lagi.

"The orange is the enemy," Yoon whispers. They all shake with silent laughter.

"Jeruk itu musuhnya," bisik Yoon. Mereka bertiga gemetar menahan tawa tanpa suara.

After the snack, they play again. This time, they write notes on paper. Dmitri draws a small face on his note. It says, "Is this answer right?" Uma writes back, "Yes. Good job." Yoon draws a small star.

Setelah camilan, mereka bermain lagi. Kali ini mereka menulis pesan di kertas. Dmitri menggambar wajah kecil di catatannya. Isinya, "Jawaban ini benar?" Uma membalas, "Ya. Bagus." Yoon menggambar bintang kecil.

The lamp stays green for twenty minutes. Then it stays green for thirty.

Lampu tetap hijau selama dua puluh menit. Lalu tetap hijau selama tiga puluh menit.

A girl from the next table comes over. She has a stack of books. "Can I sit here?" she whispers. "Your table is so quiet. My table is always red."

Seorang gadis dari meja sebelah datang menghampiri. Ia membawa setumpuk buku. "Boleh aku duduk di sini?" bisiknya. "Mejamu tenang sekali. Mejaku selalu merah."

"Come in," Uma whispers. "But no oranges."

"Silakan," bisik Uma. "Tapi jangan ada jeruk."

The girl laughs without a sound. Uma gives her a pencil. She sits down and opens her book.

Gadis itu tertawa tanpa suara. Uma memberinya sebuah pensil. Ia duduk dan membuka bukunya.

The group works for two more hours. They learn six chapters. Dmitri says the lamp is a strict teacher. It never gets tired. Uma says it is more like a friend.

Kelompok itu belajar dua jam lagi. Mereka menyelesaikan enam bab. Dmitri bilang lampu itu guru yang ketat. Lampu itu tidak pernah lelah. Uma bilang lampu itu lebih mirip seorang teman.

On Friday, they take the test. The hall is very quiet. Dmitri looks at Yoon and smiles. Quiet is easy now.

Hari Jumat, mereka mengikuti ujian. Aula sangat sunyi. Dmitri menatap Yoon dan tersenyum. Sekarang diam itu mudah.

After the test, the friends walk back to the library. It is late, and the room is empty. The lamp sits in the middle of the table. It is green.

Setelah ujian, ketiga sahabat itu berjalan kembali ke perpustakaan. Hari sudah larut, dan ruangan kosong. Lampu itu berada di tengah meja. Warnanya hijau.

Yoon takes the last orange from his bag. He puts it next to the lamp.

Yoon mengambil jeruk terakhir dari tasnya. Ia menaruhnya di samping lampu.

"For the hero," he says.

"Untuk sang pahlawan," katanya.

The lamp stays green.

Lampu itu tetap hijau.