The Loudest Robot in Town Hall

Sade worked in the reading room at the town hall. It was the quietest room in town.

Sade bekerja di ruang baca balai kota. Itu adalah ruangan paling sunyi di kota.

A sign hung over the door. It said, "No talking. No eating. No noise."

Sebuah papan tergantung di atas pintu. Bunyinya, "Dilarang bicara. Dilarang makan. Dilarang berisik."

Sade loved the sign. She loved the hush, too. Most days, the only sound was the tick of the clock.

Sade menyukai papan itu. Ia juga menyukai keheningannya. Pada kebanyakan hari, satu-satunya suara adalah detak jam.

One morning, a man pushed the door open with his shoulder. He carried a big box.

Suatu pagi, seorang pria mendorong pintu dengan bahunya. Ia membawa kotak besar.

"Good morning," he whispered. "My name is Uriel. I come from the toy club."

"Selamat pagi," bisiknya. "Nama saya Uriel. Saya dari klub mainan."

"Good morning," Sade whispered back. "How can I help you?"

"Selamat pagi," bisik Sade balik. "Ada yang bisa saya bantu?"

"The mayor wants a gift for the children's corner," Uriel said softly. "Here it is."

"Wali kota ingin hadiah untuk pojok anak-anak," kata Uriel pelan. "Ini dia."

He opened the box with care. Inside sat a silver robot. It was as tall as a cat. It had round blue eyes and two long arms.

Ia membuka kotak itu dengan hati-hati. Di dalamnya duduk sebuah robot perak. Tingginya sebesar kucing. Matanya biru bulat dan lengannya dua, panjang.

"It is lovely," said Sade. "What can it do?"

"Lucu sekali," kata Sade. "Apa yang bisa dilakukannya?"

"It waves, it dances, and it tells stories," Uriel said. "The children come at two o'clock to meet it."

"Ia melambai, menari, dan bercerita," kata Uriel. "Anak-anak datang pukul dua untuk bertemu dengannya."

Sade looked at the wall clock. It was half past one.

Sade melihat jam dinding. Pukul setengah dua.

"Then we have thirty minutes," she said.

"Kalau begitu kita punya tiga puluh menit," katanya.

Uriel pressed the button on the robot's back. Nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing.

Uriel menekan tombol di punggung robot itu. Tidak terjadi apa-apa. Ia menekannya lagi. Tetap tidak ada.

"Oh no," he said. "The batteries are flat."

"Aduh," katanya. "Baterainya habis."

"Do you have new ones?" Sade asked.

"Anda punya yang baru?" tanya Sade.

"No. I left them at home," Uriel said. "My home is an hour away."

"Tidak. Saya meninggalkannya di rumah," kata Uriel. "Rumah saya sejam dari sini."

Sade thought for a moment. "The shop on Market Street sells batteries," she said.

Sade berpikir sejenak. "Toko di Jalan Pasar menjual baterai," katanya.

"Is it open now?" asked Uriel.

"Apa sekarang buka?" tanya Uriel.

Sade picked up the phone and called the shop. A sleepy voice said the owner was at lunch. The shop opened again at two.

Sade mengangkat telepon dan menelepon toko itu. Sebuah suara mengantuk berkata bahwa pemiliknya sedang makan siang. Toko buka lagi pukul dua.

"The shop is shut until two," Sade told Uriel. "That is too late for us."

"Toko tutup sampai pukul dua," kata Sade kepada Uriel. "Itu terlalu lambat untuk kita."

A woman at a nearby table lifted her head. She gave them a long look.

Seorang perempuan di meja terdekat mengangkat kepalanya. Ia menatap mereka lama.

"Please," she whispered. "This is a reading room."

"Tolong," bisiknya. "Ini ruang baca."

"Sorry," Sade and Uriel whispered together.

"Maaf," bisik Sade dan Uriel bersamaan.

Uriel opened a small door on the robot's back. "It needs two big round batteries," he read. "Do you have any?"

Uriel membuka pintu kecil di punggung robot. "Butuh dua baterai bulat besar," bacanya. "Anda punya?"

Sade opened every drawer in her desk. She found pens, paper clips, and a ruler. She found one old sock.

Sade membuka setiap laci di mejanya. Ia menemukan pulpen, klip kertas, dan penggaris. Ia menemukan sebuah kaus kaki tua.

"Why do you keep a sock in your desk?" Uriel asked.

"Kenapa Anda menyimpan kaus kaki di meja?" tanya Uriel.

"It is a long story," Sade said. "The sock does not like to talk about it."

"Ceritanya panjang," kata Sade. "Kaus kakinya tidak suka membicarakannya."

Uriel laughed, then put a hand over his mouth. Three readers looked up and frowned.

Uriel tertawa, lalu menutup mulut dengan tangan. Tiga pembaca menengadah dan mengerutkan kening.

Sade turned to the drawer again. Then she looked up at the wall. The big clock ticked above the door. It had a round white face and a thick black frame.

Sade berbalik ke laci itu lagi. Lalu ia menengadah ke dinding. Jam besar berdetak di atas pintu. Wajahnya bulat putih dan bingkainya hitam tebal.

"Wait," she said. "That clock uses two big round batteries."

"Tunggu," katanya. "Jam itu memakai dua baterai bulat besar."

"Then the clock will stop," said Uriel.

"Kalau begitu jamnya akan berhenti," kata Uriel.

"Yes, it will stop," Sade said. "But the robot will work. I can buy new batteries after lunch."

"Ya, akan berhenti," kata Sade. "Tapi robotnya akan bekerja. Saya bisa membeli baterai baru setelah makan siang."

Uriel looked at the clock. He looked at the robot. "Is that allowed?" he asked.

Uriel melihat jam itu. Ia melihat robotnya. "Apa itu boleh?" tanyanya.

"No," said Sade. "But the children come soon."

"Tidak," kata Sade. "Tapi anak-anak sebentar lagi datang."

She dragged a chair to the wall and climbed up. The clock was heavier than it looked. She lifted it down and carried it to her desk.

Ia menyeret kursi ke dinding dan memanjat. Jam itu lebih berat daripada kelihatannya. Ia mengangkatnya turun dan membawanya ke mejanya.

Sade opened the back of the clock. She took out the two batteries and gave them to Uriel. The ticking stopped. For the first time, the room was truly silent.

Sade membuka bagian belakang jam. Ia mengeluarkan kedua baterai dan memberikannya kepada Uriel. Detak itu berhenti. Untuk pertama kalinya, ruangan itu benar-benar hening.

The hands of the clock said 1:36. They did not move.

Jarum jam menunjukkan pukul 1:36. Jarum itu tidak bergerak.

Uriel slid the batteries into the robot. He closed the little door. He took a deep breath and pressed the button.

Uriel memasukkan baterai ke dalam robot. Ia menutup pintu kecil itu. Ia menarik napas dalam dan menekan tombol.

The robot's eyes lit up blue. Its long arms rose into the air. Then it spoke.

Mata robot menyala biru. Lengan-lengannya yang panjang terangkat ke udara. Lalu ia berbicara.

"HELLO, FRIENDS! IT IS STORY TIME!"

"HALO, TEMAN-TEMAN! SAATNYA BERCERITA!"

The voice was as loud as a fire bell. The woman at the table jumped. A man dropped his book on the floor. A pile of newspapers slid off a chair.

Suaranya sekeras bel kebakaran. Perempuan di meja itu terlonjak. Seorang pria menjatuhkan bukunya ke lantai. Setumpuk koran merosot dari kursi.

"Shh!" Sade said. She put a finger to her lips.

"Ssst!" kata Sade. Ia menempelkan jari ke bibirnya.

"SHH! SHH!" the robot said. It waved both arms. "SHH! SHH! SHH!"

"SSST! SSST!" kata robot itu. Ia melambaikan kedua lengannya. "SSST! SSST! SSST!"

"Turn it down!" Uriel cried. He forgot to whisper.

"Kecilkan!" seru Uriel. Ia lupa berbisik.

He turned the robot over. Under its arm, he found a small wheel for the sound. It was stuck at the top. He pushed it with his thumb. He pulled it with two fingers. The wheel did not move.

Ia membalik robot itu. Di bawah lengannya, ia menemukan roda kecil untuk suara. Roda itu macet di paling atas. Ia mendorongnya dengan ibu jari. Ia menariknya dengan dua jari. Roda itu tidak bergerak.

"I need a screwdriver," he said. "Do you have one?"

"Saya butuh obeng," katanya. "Anda punya?"

"No!" Sade said. Her eyes went to the open drawer. They stopped on the sock.

"Tidak!" kata Sade. Matanya beralih ke laci yang terbuka. Dan berhenti pada kaus kaki itu.

She grabbed it. She pulled it over the little round speaker on the robot's chest. She tied it there with a paper clip.

Ia menyambarnya. Ia menariknya menutupi pengeras suara bundar kecil di dada robot. Ia mengikatnya di sana dengan klip kertas.

"Hello, friends," the robot said. "It is story time."

"Halo, teman-teman," kata robot itu. "Saatnya bercerita."

Now its voice was small and soft, as if under a blanket. The room went still.

Kini suaranya kecil dan lembut, seperti dari bawah selimut. Ruangan itu menjadi tenang.

The woman at the table looked at the robot. Then she smiled. "That is better," she whispered. "I like him."

Perempuan di meja itu memandang robot. Lalu ia tersenyum. "Begini lebih baik," bisiknya. "Saya suka dia."

Two readers began to clap, very quietly. Their hands made almost no sound at all.

Dua pembaca mulai bertepuk tangan, sangat pelan. Tangan mereka nyaris tidak menimbulkan suara sama sekali.

At two o'clock, the children came. There were twelve of them. They walked in a line. A girl at the front pointed at the robot.

Pukul dua, anak-anak datang. Jumlah mereka dua belas. Mereka berjalan berbaris. Seorang anak perempuan di depan menunjuk robot itu.

"It whispers!" she said, in the smallest voice she had.

"Dia berbisik!" katanya, dengan suara terkecil yang ia punya.

"Hello, robot," all twelve children whispered together.

"Halo, robot," bisik kedua belas anak itu bersamaan.

The robot waved. It danced in a slow circle on the carpet. Then it told a story about a button and a coin.

Robot itu melambai. Ia menari dalam lingkaran lambat di atas karpet. Lalu ia bercerita tentang sebuah kancing dan sekeping koin.

The children sat on the floor and listened. Nobody shouted. Nobody ran. One boy laughed so hard that he rolled over. He made no sound at all.

Anak-anak duduk di lantai dan mendengarkan. Tak seorang pun berteriak. Tak seorang pun berlari. Seorang anak laki-laki tertawa begitu keras sampai berguling. Ia tidak mengeluarkan suara sama sekali.

Sade stood by the wall and watched. Uriel stood next to her, with a big smile.

Sade berdiri di dekat dinding dan memperhatikan. Uriel berdiri di sampingnya, dengan senyum lebar.

"I think the sock likes its new job," he whispered.

"Kurasa kaus kaki itu menyukai pekerjaan barunya," bisiknya.

"I think the sock is the best worker here," Sade whispered back.

"Kurasa kaus kaki itu pekerja terbaik di sini," bisik Sade balik.

When the story ended, the children clapped with their fingertips. Then they went to look at the picture books.

Ketika cerita berakhir, anak-anak bertepuk tangan dengan ujung jari. Lalu mereka pergi melihat buku-buku bergambar.

The clock lay on Sade's desk. Its hands still said 1:36. Nobody looked at it.

Jam itu tergeletak di meja Sade. Jarumnya masih menunjukkan 1:36. Tak seorang pun melihatnya.

The robot lifted one arm. In its soft voice, it asked, "Does anyone know the time?"

Robot itu mengangkat satu lengan. Dengan suaranya yang lembut, ia bertanya, "Adakah yang tahu jam berapa sekarang?"