The Machine That Knew Best

Selin worked in a small office. A vending machine stood in the hall. It was old and very loud.

Selin bekerja di sebuah kantor kecil. Sebuah mesin penjual otomatis berdiri di lorong. Mesin itu tua dan sangat berisik.

One morning, Selin was hungry. She put a coin in the slot. She pressed B4. B4 was a chocolate bar.

Suatu pagi, Selin merasa lapar. Ia memasukkan koin ke lubangnya. Ia menekan B4. B4 adalah cokelat batangan.

The machine shook. Something dropped into the tray. Selin looked inside. It was a small blue pen.

Mesin itu bergetar. Sesuatu jatuh ke nampan. Selin melihat ke dalam. Isinya sebuah pulpen biru kecil.

"I wanted chocolate," she said. "Not a pen."

"Aku minta cokelat," katanya. "Bukan pulpen."

Her coworker Wren walked into the hall with his cup. He looked at the pen and smiled.

Rekan kerjanya, Wren, berjalan ke lorong sambil membawa cangkir. Ia melihat pulpen itu dan tersenyum.

"Oh, that machine is strange," Wren said. "It gives you what you need."

"Oh, mesin itu memang aneh," kata Wren. "Dia memberimu apa yang kamu butuhkan."

"I do not need a pen," said Selin.

"Aku tidak butuh pulpen," kata Selin.

"Wait and see," said Wren.

"Tunggu saja," kata Wren.

Selin went back to her desk. She had a form to sign. Her own pen was dry. She signed the form with the new blue pen. It worked very well.

Selin kembali ke mejanya. Ia harus menandatangani sebuah formulir. Pulpennya sendiri sudah kering. Ia menandatangani formulir itu dengan pulpen biru yang baru. Pulpen itu berfungsi sangat baik.

Selin ran back to the hall. Wren was there again. He put a coin in the machine and pressed A2. A2 was a bag of cheese crackers.

Selin berlari kembali ke lorong. Wren ada di sana lagi. Ia memasukkan koin ke mesin dan menekan A2. A2 adalah sebungkus keju kerupuk.

A small box dropped into the tray. It was a box of tissues.

Sebuah kotak kecil jatuh ke nampan. Isinya sekotak tisu.

"Hmm," said Wren. Then he sneezed three times. His nose was full.

"Hmm," kata Wren. Lalu ia bersin tiga kali. Hidungnya tersumbat.

"You need that box," said Selin.

"Kamu butuh kotak itu," kata Selin.

"Yes, I do," said Wren. He took a tissue.

"Ya, benar," kata Wren. Ia mengambil selembar tisu.

Selin wanted to try again. She put in a coin and pressed C1. C1 was a cola. The machine gave her a bottle of cold water.

Selin ingin mencoba lagi. Ia memasukkan koin dan menekan C1. C1 adalah kola. Mesin itu memberinya sebotol air dingin.

Selin drank it fast. She was very thirsty. She did not know that before.

Selin meminumnya dengan cepat. Ia sangat haus. Sebelumnya ia tidak menyadarinya.

"This machine is better than me," she said.

"Mesin ini lebih tahu daripada aku," katanya.

"It is better than all of us," said Wren.

"Dia lebih tahu daripada kita semua," kata Wren.

The next day, Selin came to work early. Her boss, Inge, stood by her desk.

Keesokan harinya, Selin datang ke kantor lebih awal. Atasannya, Inge, berdiri di dekat mejanya.

"Selin, we have a big meeting at noon," said Inge. "Please show the new plan to everyone."

"Selin, kita ada rapat besar jam dua belas siang," kata Inge. "Tolong presentasikan rencana baru itu kepada semua orang."

"Yes, of course," said Selin.

"Baik, tentu saja," kata Selin.

She opened her bag. Her notes were not there. Now she knew the problem. She put the notes in her desk drawer last night. The drawer was locked. The key was at home.

Ia membuka tasnya. Catatannya tidak ada di sana. Sekarang ia tahu masalahnya. Semalam ia menaruh catatan itu di laci mejanya. Laci itu terkunci. Kuncinya ada di rumah.

Selin pulled the drawer. It did not move. She pulled again. Nothing happened.

Selin menarik laci itu. Laci itu tidak bergerak. Ia menarik lagi. Tidak terjadi apa-apa.

It was a quarter to twelve. The meeting room was down the hall. Selin had no time to go home. She looked at the clock. Then she looked at the hall.

Waktu menunjukkan pukul sebelas empat puluh lima. Ruang rapat ada di ujung lorong. Selin tidak punya waktu untuk pulang. Ia memandang jam. Lalu ia memandang lorong.

She ran to the machine. She put in a coin. She pressed B4 very hard.

Ia berlari ke mesin itu. Ia memasukkan koin. Ia menekan B4 dengan sangat keras.

The old machine hummed and rattled. Something small dropped into the tray.

Mesin tua itu berdengung dan berderak. Sesuatu yang kecil jatuh ke nampan.

It was a silver key.

Itu sebuah kunci perak.

Selin held the key in her hand. She did not understand. Then she did. It was small and cold. She ran back to her desk. She pushed the key into the lock. It turned.

Selin memegang kunci itu di tangannya. Ia tidak mengerti. Lalu ia mengerti. Kunci itu kecil dan dingin. Ia berlari kembali ke mejanya. Ia memasukkan kunci itu ke lubang. Kunci itu berputar.

The drawer opened. Her notes were inside.

Laci terbuka. Catatannya ada di dalam.

"Thank you, machine," Selin said. She took the notes and ran to the meeting room.

"Terima kasih, mesin," kata Selin. Ia mengambil catatan itu dan berlari ke ruang rapat.

Inge was at the door. She looked at the clock and then at Selin.

Inge sudah berada di pintu. Ia memandang jam, lalu memandang Selin.

"You are on time," said Inge.

"Kamu tepat waktu," kata Inge.

Selin gave her plan to everyone. She spoke slowly and clearly. Wren nodded at every page. The meeting was short. It went well.

Selin memaparkan rencananya kepada semua orang. Ia berbicara dengan pelan dan jelas. Wren mengangguk di setiap halaman. Rapat itu singkat. Semuanya berjalan lancar.

"Good work," said Inge. "Now go and eat something."

"Kerja bagus," kata Inge. "Sekarang pergilah makan sesuatu."

After the meeting, Selin went back to the hall. She was very hungry now. She put in a coin and pressed B4.

Setelah rapat, Selin kembali ke lorong. Sekarang ia sangat lapar. Ia memasukkan koin dan menekan B4.

The tray clicked. A chocolate bar dropped into the tray. Selin opened it and took a big bite.

Nampan berbunyi klik. Sebatang cokelat jatuh ke dalamnya. Selin membukanya dan menggigit besar.