The Mirror in the Thrift Shop

Jory is nineteen. He lives in a small room at college. The room is plain. It has a bed, a desk, and a window. It has no mirror.

Jory berusia sembilan belas tahun. Ia tinggal di kamar kecil di asrama kampus. Kamarnya sederhana. Ada tempat tidur, meja, dan jendela. Tidak ada cermin.

On Saturday he goes to a thrift shop. The shop is full of old things. There are cups, lamps, chairs, and books. It smells like dust and tea.

Hari Sabtu ia pergi ke toko barang bekas. Toko itu penuh barang tua. Ada cangkir, lampu, kursi, dan buku. Baunya seperti debu dan teh.

At the back he sees a tall mirror. The frame is dark wood. Small leaves are cut into the wood. A paper tag hangs from the corner. It says eight dollars.

Di bagian belakang ia melihat cermin tinggi. Bingkainya dari kayu gelap. Ada daun-daun kecil terukir di kayunya. Sebuah label kertas tergantung di sudutnya. Tertulis delapan dolar.

Jory stands in front of the mirror. He sees his face. He sees his brown coat and his tired eyes. Everything looks normal.

Jory berdiri di depan cermin itu. Ia melihat wajahnya. Ia melihat mantel cokelatnya dan matanya yang lelah. Semuanya tampak biasa.

Then something moves. The Jory in the mirror smiles. But the real Jory does not smile. His mouth is closed.

Lalu sesuatu bergerak. Jory di dalam cermin tersenyum. Tetapi Jory yang asli tidak tersenyum. Mulutnya tertutup.

Jory steps back. The face in the mirror opens its mouth. It looks like a person who sings. Jory hears no sound. But the mouth moves, slowly and sweetly, like a song.

Jory mundur selangkah. Wajah di cermin itu membuka mulutnya. Ia tampak seperti orang yang sedang bernyanyi. Jory tidak mendengar suara apa pun. Tetapi mulut itu bergerak, pelan dan merdu, seperti sebuah lagu.

"Hello," says a thin old man. He stands next to Jory. He has round glasses and a grey scarf.

"Halo," kata seorang lelaki tua yang kurus. Ia berdiri di samping Jory. Ia memakai kacamata bulat dan syal abu-abu.

"Your mirror is broken," says Jory. His voice is small.

"Cermin Bapak rusak," kata Jory. Suaranya kecil.

"It is not broken," says the old man. "It shows what you keep inside."

"Tidak rusak," kata lelaki tua itu. "Cermin ini menunjukkan apa yang kamu simpan di dalam hatimu."

Jory feels his face turn red. It is true. He loves to sing. He sings in the shower. He sings on the bus when he wears headphones. But he never sings for other people. He is too shy.

Jory merasa wajahnya memerah. Itu benar. Ia suka bernyanyi. Ia bernyanyi di kamar mandi. Ia bernyanyi di bus saat memakai headphone. Tetapi ia tidak pernah bernyanyi di depan orang lain. Ia terlalu pemalu.

"Eight dollars," says the old man. "It is a good price."

"Delapan dolar," kata lelaki tua itu. "Harga yang bagus."

Jory thinks for a long minute. Then he takes the money from his pocket.

Jory berpikir lama. Lalu ia mengambil uang dari sakunya.

He carries the mirror back to college. It is heavy, and his arms hurt. His roommate helps him hang it on the wall.

Ia membawa cermin itu pulang ke kampus. Cermin itu berat, dan lengannya sakit. Teman sekamarnya membantunya menggantungnya di dinding.

"Nice mirror," says the roommate. "It is very old."

"Cermin yang bagus," kata teman sekamarnya. "Tua sekali."

"Yes," says Jory. He does not say more.

"Ya," kata Jory. Ia tidak berkata lebih banyak.

The next morning, Jory looks in the mirror. The other Jory sings again. This time Jory can hear a little sound. It is very soft, like a voice in another room. The song is slow and warm.

Keesokan paginya, Jory bercermin. Jory yang satunya bernyanyi lagi. Kali ini Jory bisa mendengar sedikit suara. Suaranya sangat lembut, seperti suara dari kamar lain. Lagunya pelan dan hangat.

On the third morning, the sound is a bit louder. Jory stands very still. Then he opens his mouth. He sings one line, very quietly, with the mirror. His voice shakes.

Pada pagi ketiga, suaranya sedikit lebih keras. Jory berdiri diam sekali. Lalu ia membuka mulutnya. Ia menyanyikan satu baris, pelan sekali, bersama cermin itu. Suaranya bergetar.

The face in the mirror smiles at him. It looks glad.

Wajah di cermin tersenyum kepadanya. Tampaknya ia senang.

On the fifth morning, he sings two lines. On the sixth, he sings the whole song. He forgets to be afraid. The song fills the small room.

Pada pagi kelima, ia menyanyikan dua baris. Pada pagi keenam, ia menyanyikan seluruh lagu. Ia lupa merasa takut. Lagu itu memenuhi kamar kecilnya.

Then the door opens. His roommate stands there with a towel in his hand.

Lalu pintu terbuka. Teman sekamarnya berdiri di sana dengan handuk di tangan.

"Jory!" he says. "Was that you?"

"Jory!" katanya. "Itu tadi kamu?"

Jory stops. His face is hot. "Sorry," he says. "I thought you were at the gym."

Jory berhenti. Wajahnya terasa panas. "Maaf," katanya. "Kukira kamu di tempat gym."

"Do not say sorry," says his roommate. "That was beautiful. Why do you hide it?"

"Jangan minta maaf," kata teman sekamarnya. "Tadi itu indah. Kenapa kamu menyembunyikannya?"

"I do not know," says Jory. "I am afraid people will laugh."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Jory. "Aku takut orang-orang akan menertawakanku."

"Nobody will laugh," says his roommate. "There is a choir in the music building. They meet on Thursday at six o'clock. You must come."

"Tidak akan ada yang tertawa," kata teman sekamarnya. "Ada paduan suara di gedung musik. Mereka berkumpul hari Kamis jam enam. Kamu harus datang."

"I am not good enough," says Jory.

"Aku belum cukup bagus," kata Jory.

His roommate points at the mirror. "Ask him," he says.

Teman sekamarnya menunjuk cermin itu. "Tanya saja dia," katanya.

Jory looks. The Jory in the mirror nods. It is a small nod. But it is very clear.

Jory melihat. Jory di dalam cermin mengangguk. Anggukan kecil. Tetapi sangat jelas.

On Thursday at six, Jory stands by the music room. He can hear voices behind the door. His hands are cold. He sees his reflection in the door glass.

Hari Kamis jam enam, Jory berdiri di dekat ruang musik. Ia bisa mendengar suara-suara di balik pintu. Tangannya dingin. Ia melihat bayangannya di kaca pintu.

It smiles.

Bayangan itu tersenyum.

Jory takes a deep breath. He opens the door and walks in.

Jory menarik napas dalam-dalam. Ia membuka pintu dan melangkah masuk.