The Last Hour of the Moon Lily

At five to midnight, the college garden is dark and quiet. Only one building glows. It is the old glasshouse. Inside it, a white flower is about to open.

Pukul lima menit sebelum tengah malam, taman kampus itu gelap dan sunyi. Hanya satu bangunan yang bersinar. Itu rumah kaca tua. Di dalamnya, sekuntum bunga putih akan segera mekar.

Jasmin stands beside the plant with a small brush in her hand. She is a student, and this is her whole project. The plant is a moon lily. It blooms once every seven years, for exactly one hour, at midnight.

Jasmin berdiri di samping tanaman itu dengan sebuah kuas kecil di tangan. Ia seorang mahasiswa, dan ini seluruh proyeknya. Tanaman itu adalah lili bulan. Ia berbunga sekali setiap tujuh tahun, tepat selama satu jam, pada tengah malam.

"Tell me again," says Mabel. She sits on an upturned bucket and eats an apple. "Why does it need a second flower?"

"Ceritakan lagi," kata Mabel. Ia duduk di atas ember terbalik sambil makan apel. "Kenapa dia butuh bunga kedua?"

"One lily cannot make seeds alone," Jasmin says. "It needs pollen from another lily. And there is only one other lily in this college."

"Satu lili tidak bisa membuat biji sendirian," kata Jasmin. "Dia butuh serbuk sari dari lili lain. Dan hanya ada satu lili lain di kampus ini."

"The baby in the north glasshouse."

"Si bayi di rumah kaca utara."

"Yes. It is only three years old, but it opens tonight too. This time it is early. If they miss, both plants wait seven more years."

"Ya. Umurnya baru tiga tahun, tapi dia juga mekar malam ini. Kali ini lebih awal. Kalau mereka tidak bertemu, kedua tanaman harus menunggu tujuh tahun lagi."

Mabel stops chewing. "Seven years is a long time."

Mabel berhenti mengunyah. "Tujuh tahun itu lama."

"I will be a different person in seven years," Jasmin says. "Maybe with a different job."

"Tujuh tahun lagi aku akan jadi orang yang berbeda," kata Jasmin. "Mungkin dengan pekerjaan yang berbeda."

The lily stirs. The tight white bud shivers. A thin line of silver light shows between its petals. Jasmin holds her breath. It opens slowly, like a hand. The whole glasshouse turns pale blue.

Lili itu bergerak. Kuncup putihnya yang rapat bergetar. Sebaris tipis cahaya perak tampak di antara kelopaknya. Jasmin menahan napas. Bunga itu membuka perlahan, seperti sebuah tangan. Seluruh rumah kaca berubah biru pucat.

Pollen floats up from the centre. It glows like tiny stars. Jasmin catches it on her brush. The glow is bright, but it will not last. Moon pollen dies in ten minutes once it leaves the flower.

Serbuk sari melayang naik dari tengah bunga. Ia berpendar seperti bintang-bintang kecil. Jasmin menangkapnya dengan kuasnya. Pendarnya terang, tetapi tidak akan bertahan. Serbuk sari bulan mati dalam sepuluh menit setelah meninggalkan bunganya.

"Ten minutes," she says. "Mabel, we must go now."

"Sepuluh menit," katanya. "Mabel, kita harus pergi sekarang."

They run. The glasshouse door bangs behind them. The path to the north glasshouse crosses the whole garden. It passes the pond and the benches. It also passes a fence with an iron gate. At a fast run, it takes eight minutes.

Mereka berlari. Pintu rumah kaca membanting di belakang mereka. Jalan menuju rumah kaca utara melintasi seluruh taman. Jalan itu melewati kolam dan bangku-bangku. Jalan itu juga melewati pagar dengan gerbang besi. Dengan lari cepat, butuh delapan menit.

The brush glows in Jasmin's hand, a small star in the dark. Mabel runs beside her with a torch.

Kuas itu berpendar di tangan Jasmin, bintang kecil dalam gelap. Mabel berlari di sampingnya dengan senter.

"Faster," Mabel says.

"Lebih cepat," kata Mabel.

"I run as fast as I can!"

"Aku sudah lari secepat yang aku bisa!"

They reach the fence. The iron gate stands open. But it is a heavy gate with a spring. Every night, it swings shut by itself. It locks with a loud click. The college does this to keep strangers out. Tonight, it swings shut just as they arrive.

Mereka sampai di pagar. Gerbang besi itu terbuka. Tetapi itu gerbang berat dengan pegas. Setiap malam, ia menutup sendiri. Ia terkunci dengan klik yang keras. Kampus melakukan ini untuk menjauhkan orang asing. Malam ini, gerbang itu menutup tepat saat mereka tiba.

Click.

Klik.

Jasmin grabs the bars. The gate does not move. The lock is solid. The key is in the office, across the garden.

Jasmin mencengkeram jeruji. Gerbang itu tidak bergerak. Kuncinya kokoh. Kuncinya ada di kantor, di seberang taman.

"Four minutes left," Mabel says, looking at her watch.

"Sisa empat menit," kata Mabel sambil melihat jam tangannya.

"We can climb it."

"Kita bisa memanjatnya."

"The top has spikes, Jasmin."

"Bagian atasnya ada duri-duri, Jasmin."

"Then we go around."

"Kalau begitu kita memutar."

"The fence goes all the way to the road. That is ten minutes." Mabel turns in a slow circle, thinking hard. "Wait."

"Pagarnya memanjang sampai ke jalan raya. Itu sepuluh menit." Mabel berputar pelan, berpikir keras. "Tunggu."

"What?"

"Apa?"

"Water." Mabel points at the ground by the fence. A grey pipe comes out of the earth on this side. It goes under the iron bars. Then it comes out on the other side. It leads straight to the north glasshouse.

"Air." Mabel menunjuk tanah di dekat pagar. Sebuah pipa abu-abu keluar dari tanah di sisi ini. Pipa itu masuk ke bawah jeruji besi. Lalu keluar di sisi seberang. Ia mengarah lurus ke rumah kaca utara.

Jasmin stares at it. "That is the garden water pipe."

Jasmin menatapnya. "Itu pipa air taman."

"It feeds both glasshouses from one tank. You told me that on the first day."

"Dia mengaliri kedua rumah kaca dari satu tangki. Kamu bilang begitu di hari pertama."

"Yes. But what has water to do with—"

"Ya. Tapi apa hubungan air dengan—"

She stops. Her eyes go wide. "A moon lily drinks through its roots," she says. "Last year I put pollen in the water of a small plant. It worked."

Ia berhenti. Matanya membelalak. "Lili bulan minum lewat akarnya," katanya. "Tahun lalu aku memasukkan serbuk sari ke dalam air tanaman kecil. Berhasil."

"Mabel, you are very smart."

"Mabel, kamu pintar sekali."

"I know," says Mabel. "Tell me what to do."

"Aku tahu," kata Mabel. "Bilang saja apa yang harus kulakukan."

"The tank is behind the pond. Open the big wheel and let the water run. I will put the pollen in the pipe."

"Tangkinya di belakang kolam. Putar roda besarnya dan biarkan airnya mengalir. Aku akan memasukkan serbuk sarinya ke dalam pipa."

They run back along the fence. The tank sits beside a wall. It is a round metal drum with a wheel on its side. Mabel turns the wheel with both hands. The pipe gives a deep groan. Cold water rushes along it, under the fence, toward the north glasshouse.

Mereka berlari kembali menyusuri pagar. Tangki itu berada di samping sebuah dinding. Sebuah drum logam bundar dengan roda di sisinya. Mabel memutar roda itu dengan kedua tangan. Pipa itu mengerang dalam. Air dingin menderu di sepanjang pipa, di bawah pagar, menuju rumah kaca utara.

Jasmin kneels by the pipe. There is a small door where the gardener adds plant food. She opens it and holds her brush over the dark water.

Jasmin berlutut di dekat pipa. Ada pintu kecil tempat tukang kebun menambahkan pupuk tanaman. Ia membukanya dan menahan kuasnya di atas air yang gelap.

The glow grows weak. It is a pale yellow now, like a tired candle.

Pendarnya melemah. Kini berwarna kuning pucat, seperti lilin yang lelah.

"Two minutes," Mabel whispers.

"Dua menit," bisik Mabel.

Jasmin shakes the brush. The last bits of pollen fall into the stream. For a moment, they shine like sparks. Then the water carries them away. The silver light races down the pipe and under the fence.

Jasmin mengibaskan kuas itu. Sisa-sisa serbuk sari terakhir jatuh ke aliran air. Sesaat, mereka bersinar seperti percikan api. Lalu air membawa mereka pergi. Cahaya perak itu melesat di sepanjang pipa dan di bawah pagar.

The two of them stand still. Nothing happens.

Keduanya berdiri diam. Tak ada yang terjadi.

"Did it work?" Mabel asks.

"Berhasil?" tanya Mabel.

"I do not know. We cannot see inside."

"Aku tidak tahu. Kita tidak bisa melihat ke dalam."

"Then let us go and look."

"Kalau begitu ayo kita lihat."

"The gate is locked."

"Gerbangnya terkunci."

A light comes along the path. It is the night guard. He has the gate key on a long chain. He listens to them for a moment. Then he sighs and opens the gate without a word.

Sebuah cahaya datang menyusuri jalan setapak. Itu penjaga malam. Ia membawa kunci gerbang pada rantai panjang. Ia mendengarkan mereka sejenak. Lalu ia menghela napas dan membuka gerbang tanpa sepatah kata.

Together, they run the last stretch. They reach the north glasshouse twelve minutes after they left.

Bersama-sama, mereka berlari di sisa jalan. Mereka sampai di rumah kaca utara dua belas menit setelah berangkat.

Inside, the young lily is alone in the dark. Its bud is tight and silent.

Di dalam, lili muda itu sendirian dalam gelap. Kuncupnya rapat dan sunyi.

"It is too late," says Jasmin. Her voice is very small.

"Sudah terlambat," kata Jasmin. Suaranya sangat kecil.

Then the leaves begin to shake. Far below, in the pot, a line of light appears. It shines in the soil. It climbs the stem like a slow flame. Then it reaches the bud. The petals open one by one. Soon the flower is as white as milk.

Lalu dedaunan mulai bergetar. Jauh di bawah, di dalam pot, sebaris cahaya muncul. Ia bersinar di dalam tanah. Ia memanjat batang seperti api yang lambat. Lalu ia mencapai kuncupnya. Kelopak-kelopaknya membuka satu per satu. Segera bunga itu seputih susu.

The glasshouse fills with soft blue light. Pollen drifts up from the centre, and it glows.

Rumah kaca dipenuhi cahaya biru yang lembut. Serbuk sari melayang naik dari tengah bunga, dan ia berpendar.

Mabel sits down on the floor. She is out of breath. She smiles. Jasmin sits beside her. Neither of them speaks.

Mabel duduk di lantai. Ia kehabisan napas. Ia tersenyum. Jasmin duduk di sampingnya. Tak seorang pun berbicara.

Outside, the iron gate sways in the night air. It makes one last small sound, then settles. Inside, two moon lilies glow in two buildings. The garden between them is quiet.

Di luar, gerbang besi itu bergoyang dalam udara malam. Ia mengeluarkan satu bunyi kecil terakhir, lalu diam. Di dalam, dua lili bulan bersinar di dua bangunan. Taman di antara mereka sunyi.