The Mumbling Loudspeaker

Jude worked at the shipyard after school. It was a small yard at the edge of the bay. It had a long shed. Old boats sat on wooden stands.

Jude bekerja di galangan kapal sepulang sekolah. Galangan itu kecil, di tepi teluk. Ada satu bangsal panjang. Perahu-perahu tua berdiri di atas penyangga kayu.

His job was easy. He swept the floor, carried tools and brought coffee to the workers. On quiet evenings he sat on a box. He read his English book. He wanted to pass the big exam in June.

Pekerjaannya mudah. Ia menyapu lantai, membawakan alat, dan mengantar kopi untuk para pekerja. Pada sore yang sepi ia duduk di atas sebuah kotak. Ia membaca buku bahasa Inggrisnya. Ia ingin lulus ujian besar pada bulan Juni.

The yard also had a loudspeaker. It hung on a pole by the front gate. The boss pressed a button and spoke into a small microphone. Then the loudspeaker spoke to the whole yard. But it had a problem. It mumbled.

Galangan itu juga punya pengeras suara. Alat itu tergantung di tiang dekat gerbang depan. Si bos menekan tombol dan berbicara ke mikrofon kecil. Lalu pengeras suara itu berbicara kepada seluruh galangan. Tetapi alat itu punya masalah. Suaranya bergumam tak jelas.

"Dorfor," it said now. "Op'n. Heerm tide."

"Derpat," katanya sekarang. "Buka. Aipasang."

"What did it say?" asked a worker.

"Dia bilang apa?" tanya seorang pekerja.

"Dock four is open. The tide is high now," said Jude. He knew the words well. He heard them every day.

"Dermaga empat dibuka. Air sedang pasang," kata Jude. Ia hafal kata-kata itu. Ia mendengarnya setiap hari.

The workers went home at eight. The boss left at nine, and Jude stayed to lock the gate. He turned off the lights in the long shed. Then he heard an engine out on the water.

Para pekerja pulang pukul delapan. Si bos pergi pukul sembilan, dan Jude tinggal untuk mengunci gerbang. Ia mematikan lampu di bangsal panjang. Lalu ia mendengar suara mesin di tengah air.

It was a weak, coughing sound. Jude walked to the end of the dock. He looked into the dark. A small white sailboat came into the bay. It had one light on the boat. It moved slowly, and it moved in a strange line.

Suaranya lemah dan terbatuk-batuk. Jude berjalan ke ujung dermaga. Ia memandang ke dalam gelap. Sebuah perahu layar putih kecil memasuki teluk. Hanya ada satu lampu di perahu itu. Perahu itu bergerak pelan, dan bergerak dalam garis yang aneh.

Then the engine stopped.

Lalu mesinnya mati.

The boat did not move. Jude could see a person on the deck, waving both arms. A voice called out in a language he did not know. Then it called again, in English.

Perahu itu tidak bergerak. Jude bisa melihat seseorang di geladak, melambaikan kedua lengan. Sebuah suara berseru dalam bahasa yang tidak ia kenal. Lalu suara itu berseru lagi, dalam bahasa Inggris.

"Hello? Please! Where is the port?"

"Halo? Tolong! Di mana pelabuhannya?"

"Here!" Jude shouted. "This is the port! Wait there!"

"Di sini!" teriak Jude. "Ini pelabuhannya! Tunggu di sana!"

The person did not answer. Perhaps she could not hear him over the water. Jude ran back along the dock. He pressed the button on the wall. He spoke into the small microphone. "Dock four! Come to dock four!" The loudspeaker clicked.

Orang itu tidak menjawab. Mungkin ia tidak bisa mendengar Jude di atas air. Jude berlari kembali menyusuri dermaga. Ia menekan tombol di dinding. Ia berbicara ke mikrofon kecil. "Dermaga empat! Datang ke dermaga empat!" Pengeras suara itu berklik.

"Dorfor. Gate ent. Mmm wait," it said.

"Derpat. Gerbang tut. Mmm tunggu," katanya.

Jude put his hand on his head. Nobody could understand that. He tried the button again, and again it only mumbled.

Jude memegang kepalanya. Tak seorang pun bisa mengerti itu. Ia mencoba tombolnya lagi, dan lagi-lagi alat itu hanya bergumam.

He took a deep breath. He grabbed the big hand lamp from the hook. He ran to the small rowing boat tied below the dock. It belonged to the yard. Workers used it to look at the boats.

Ia menarik napas dalam-dalam. Ia menyambar lampu tangan besar dari kaitnya. Ia berlari ke perahu dayung kecil yang diikat di bawah dermaga. Perahu itu milik galangan. Para pekerja memakainya untuk memeriksa kapal-kapal.

He climbed in and untied the rope. His arms were not strong. But he pulled hard on the oars. The little boat went across the dark water.

Ia naik dan melepas talinya. Lengannya tidak kuat. Tetapi ia menarik dayung keras-keras. Perahu kecil itu melaju menyeberangi air yang gelap.

It was not far, but it felt long. The tide pulled the boat to the left. Jude had to fight it. Water splashed on his knees. His hands burned. He kept the lamp between his feet. He aimed the light at the white sail.

Jaraknya tidak jauh, tetapi terasa panjang. Arus pasang menarik perahu ke kiri. Jude harus melawannya. Air memercik di lututnya. Tangannya perih. Ia menaruh lampu di antara kakinya. Ia mengarahkan cahayanya ke layar putih itu.

"Hello!" he called.

"Halo!" serunya.

"I am here!" said the voice.

"Aku di sini!" kata suara itu.

The sailboat was close now. A young woman stood at the side. She was about his age. She had short dark hair and a heavy jacket. Her face was tired, but her eyes were bright.

Perahu layar itu sudah dekat sekarang. Seorang perempuan muda berdiri di sisinya. Usianya sebaya dengannya. Rambutnya pendek dan hitam, dan ia memakai jaket tebal. Wajahnya lelah, tetapi matanya cerah.

"My engine is dead," she said slowly. "I sail alone. I come from the north, three days. The radio is broken."

"Mesinku mati," katanya pelan-pelan. "Aku berlayar sendirian. Aku datang dari utara, tiga hari. Radionya rusak."

"Do not worry," said Jude. "I will take your rope."

"Jangan khawatir," kata Jude. "Aku akan mengambil talimu."

She threw him a thick rope. He tied it to the back of his rowing boat. Then he began to pull. The sailboat was heavy, and the oars bent. For a long time they did not move at all.

Ia melemparkan tali tebal kepadanya. Jude mengikatnya di belakang perahu dayungnya. Lalu ia mulai menarik. Perahu layar itu berat, dan dayungnya melengkung. Lama sekali mereka tidak bergerak sama sekali.

"Stop," the young woman said. "It is too much for one person. I can help."

"Berhenti," kata perempuan muda itu. "Ini terlalu berat untuk satu orang. Aku bisa membantu."

She jumped into the rowing boat. It rocked, and Jude almost fell. She laughed and sat next to him. She took one oar, and he took the other.

Ia melompat ke perahu dayung. Perahu itu bergoyang, dan Jude hampir jatuh. Ia tertawa dan duduk di sebelahnya. Ia mengambil satu dayung, dan Jude mengambil yang satu lagi.

"On three," she said. "One, two, three."

"Hitungan ketiga," katanya. "Satu, dua, tiga."

They pulled together. Slowly, the sailboat followed them across the water.

Mereka menarik bersama-sama. Perlahan, perahu layar itu mengikuti mereka menyeberangi air.

"I am Roxana," she said between breaths.

"Aku Roxana," katanya di sela napasnya.

"I am Jude."

"Aku Jude."

"Where do I put my boat, Jude?"

"Di mana aku harus menaruh perahuku, Jude?"

"Dock four," he said. "It is the one with the green light. The tide is high now. We can reach it."

"Dermaga empat," katanya. "Yang ada lampu hijaunya. Air sedang pasang sekarang. Kita bisa mencapainya."

"Dock four," she repeated. She frowned. "I heard a word from the pole, I think. It sounded strange. Dorfor."

"Dermaga empat," ulangnya. Ia mengerutkan kening. "Kurasa aku mendengar satu kata dari tiang itu. Kedengarannya aneh. Derpat."

Jude laughed so hard that he almost lost his oar. "That is the loudspeaker. It always sounds like that."

Jude tertawa begitu keras sampai hampir kehilangan dayungnya. "Itu pengeras suara. Suaranya selalu begitu."

"I thought it was your name for a place."

"Kukira itu nama tempat di sini."

"No. The boss never fixes it."

"Bukan. Si bos tidak pernah memperbaikinya."

Roxana laughed too. They kept rowing, and it was easier now.

Roxana ikut tertawa. Mereka terus mendayung, dan sekarang lebih mudah.

At last they reached dock four. Jude jumped onto the wooden steps. He tied the rope to a thick post. Roxana climbed after him. For a moment she just stood still and breathed.

Akhirnya mereka sampai di dermaga empat. Jude melompat ke tangga kayu. Ia mengikat tali ke tiang tebal. Roxana memanjat menyusulnya. Sesaat ia hanya berdiri diam dan bernapas.

"Thank you," she said. "I was very afraid. I could not see the port in the dark."

"Terima kasih," katanya. "Aku sangat takut. Aku tidak bisa melihat pelabuhan dalam gelap."

"I could not do it alone," Jude said. "You were a good rower."

"Aku tidak bisa melakukannya sendirian," kata Jude. "Kamu pendayung yang bagus."

"My father has a boat. I row since I am small."

"Ayahku punya perahu. Aku mendayung sejak kecil."

Jude brought her a blanket from the shed. He brought hot water too. She sat on a box and held the cup with both hands. Behind her, the white boat floated safely.

Jude membawakan selimut dari bangsal. Ia membawa air panas juga. Roxana duduk di atas kotak dan memegang cangkir dengan kedua tangan. Di belakangnya, perahu putih itu mengapung dengan aman.

"I will call my cousin in the morning," she said. "He knows a man who fixes engines."

"Besok pagi aku akan menelepon sepupuku," katanya. "Dia kenal seorang pria yang memperbaiki mesin."

"There is also a man here who fixes engines," said Jude. "He starts at seven."

"Di sini juga ada seorang pria yang memperbaiki mesin," kata Jude. "Dia mulai bekerja pukul tujuh."

"Maybe I stay one week."

"Mungkin aku tinggal seminggu."

"Then I can show you the town."

"Kalau begitu aku bisa menunjukkan kotanya padamu."

She smiled. Then she looked up at the pole by the gate.

Ia tersenyum. Lalu ia menengadah ke tiang dekat gerbang.

"Jude," she said, "what does that loudspeaker really say?"

"Jude," katanya, "sebenarnya pengeras suara itu bilang apa?"