The Milking Robot Stops

Tala works on her uncle's dairy farm. She wakes up at five every morning. The sky is still dark. The cows wait in the barn.

Tala bekerja di peternakan sapi perah milik pamannya. Ia bangun pukul lima setiap pagi. Langit masih gelap. Sapi-sapi menunggu di kandang.

The farm has a new machine. It is a milking robot. It is tall and white. It has one long arm. Tala calls it Bell. It rings a small bell after each cow.

Peternakan itu punya mesin baru. Mesin itu robot pemerah susu. Tinggi dan berwarna putih. Robot itu punya satu lengan panjang. Tala menamainya Bell. Robot itu membunyikan lonceng kecil setelah setiap sapi.

Every cow knows the way to Bell. A cow walks in. The arm moves slowly. Bell takes the milk and rings the bell. Then the cow walks out. Tala watches the screen and writes numbers in a book.

Setiap sapi tahu jalan menuju Bell. Seekor sapi masuk. Lengan itu bergerak pelan. Bell mengambil susunya dan membunyikan lonceng. Lalu sapi itu berjalan keluar. Tala memperhatikan layar dan menulis angka-angka di buku.

"Good morning, Bell," she says. "Are you ready?"

"Selamat pagi, Bell," katanya. "Sudah siap?"

The screen shows a green light. That means yes.

Layar menunjukkan lampu hijau. Itu berarti ya.

Today the first six cows go in and out. Ding, ding, ding. Tala drinks her tea and smiles. It is a calm morning.

Hari ini enam sapi pertama masuk dan keluar. Ting, ting, ting. Tala meminum tehnya dan tersenyum. Pagi yang tenang.

Then Bell stops. A brown cow called Pepper stands inside the machine. The long arm does not move. The light on the screen is red.

Lalu Bell berhenti. Seekor sapi cokelat bernama Pepper berdiri di dalam mesin. Lengan panjang itu tidak bergerak. Lampu di layar berwarna merah.

Tala runs to the robot. "What is wrong, Bell?" she asks.

Tala berlari ke robot itu. "Ada apa, Bell?" tanyanya.

She reads the screen. It says, "Very low milk. Please check this cow." Tala looks at Pepper. Pepper is always the first cow in the line. She is loud and hungry every morning. Today she stands very still. Her eyes look sad.

Ia membaca layar. Tulisannya, "Susu sangat sedikit. Tolong periksa sapi ini." Tala memandang Pepper. Pepper selalu menjadi sapi pertama dalam antrean. Setiap pagi ia ribut dan lapar. Hari ini ia berdiri sangat diam. Matanya tampak sedih.

Tala touches Pepper's nose. It is hot and dry. A healthy cow has a cool, wet nose. This is not normal.

Tala menyentuh hidung Pepper. Hidungnya panas dan kering. Sapi yang sehat punya hidung yang dingin dan basah. Ini tidak normal.

"Uncle!" she calls. "Come to the barn! Pepper is sick!"

"Paman!" panggilnya. "Datanglah ke kandang! Pepper sakit!"

Her uncle comes fast. He has a small thermometer in his pocket. He checks Pepper and looks worried.

Pamannya datang dengan cepat. Ia membawa termometer kecil di sakunya. Ia memeriksa Pepper dan tampak khawatir.

"She has a fever," he says. "We must call the vet. You saw this early, Tala. That is very good."

"Dia demam," katanya. "Kita harus memanggil dokter hewan. Kamu melihatnya lebih awal, Tala. Itu bagus sekali."

"I did not see it," Tala says. "Bell did."

"Bukan aku yang melihatnya," kata Tala. "Bell yang melihatnya."

Her uncle laughs. "Then Bell is a good worker."

Pamannya tertawa. "Kalau begitu Bell pekerja yang baik."

The vet comes at seven. She is a tall woman with a blue bag. She looks at Pepper's eyes and listens to her chest. Then she gives her some medicine.

Dokter hewan datang pukul tujuh. Ia seorang perempuan tinggi yang membawa tas biru. Ia memeriksa mata Pepper dan mendengarkan dadanya. Lalu ia memberinya obat.

"Pepper needs rest and water," the vet says. "She will be fine in two days."

"Pepper butuh istirahat dan air," kata dokter hewan. "Dua hari lagi dia akan sehat."

Tala makes a soft straw bed in a stall. She brings fresh water in a big bucket. Pepper drinks a little. Then she closes her eyes.

Tala membuat alas jerami yang empuk di sebuah bilik. Ia membawa air segar dalam ember besar. Pepper minum sedikit. Lalu ia memejamkan mata.

"Sleep well," Tala says.

"Tidur yang nyenyak," kata Tala.

The other cows still come to Bell. Ding, ding, ding. The morning goes on. But Tala looks at the small stall again and again.

Sapi-sapi lain tetap datang ke Bell. Ting, ting, ting. Pagi terus berjalan. Tetapi Tala berkali-kali menoleh ke bilik kecil itu.

At noon her uncle sits with her on the fence. He opens the robot's book on his phone.

Pada siang hari, pamannya duduk bersamanya di atas pagar. Ia membuka buku catatan robot itu di ponselnya.

"Look at the numbers," he says. "Every cow gives a little different milk each day. Bell remembers all of them. If one number goes down, Bell stops. Then it tells us."

"Lihat angka-angkanya," katanya. "Setiap sapi menghasilkan susu yang sedikit berbeda setiap hari. Bell mengingat semuanya. Kalau satu angka turun, Bell berhenti. Lalu dia memberi tahu kita."

"So Bell knows which cow is sick," Tala says.

"Jadi Bell tahu sapi mana yang sakit," kata Tala.

"Yes," her uncle says. "But Bell cannot sit with her. Bell cannot bring her water."

"Ya," kata pamannya. "Tapi Bell tidak bisa menemaninya. Bell tidak bisa membawakan air untuknya."

"I can do that," says Tala.

"Aku bisa melakukannya," kata Tala.

That afternoon she checks Pepper every hour. In the evening Pepper stands up. She eats a little hay. Her nose is cooler now.

Sore itu ia memeriksa Pepper setiap jam. Malam harinya Pepper berdiri. Ia makan sedikit jerami kering. Hidungnya sekarang lebih dingin.

The next day Pepper walks to the machine. Tala stands beside her. The long arm moves. Bell takes the milk. The numbers on the screen go up.

Keesokan harinya Pepper berjalan ke mesin. Tala berdiri di sampingnya. Lengan panjang itu bergerak. Bell mengambil susunya. Angka-angka di layar naik.

"Look, Bell," Tala says. "She is back."

"Lihat, Bell," kata Tala. "Dia sudah kembali."

The light turns green.

Lampu berubah menjadi hijau.

That night Tala writes in the book: "Pepper is better." Then she walks to the robot in the dark barn. She pats its long white arm.

Malam itu Tala menulis di buku, "Pepper sudah lebih baik." Lalu ia berjalan ke robot itu di kandang yang gelap. Ia menepuk lengan putihnya yang panjang.

"Thank you," she says.

"Terima kasih," katanya.

Ding.

Ting.