The Page on Top of the Tower

Fabrice and Amit were cadets at the fire station. Every week, the cadets ran a hose race in the yard. The winner wore a gold star on his helmet.

Fabrice dan Amit adalah kadet di pos pemadam kebakaran. Setiap minggu, para kadet mengadakan lomba selang di halaman. Pemenangnya memakai bintang emas di helmnya.

Fabrice won on Monday. Amit won on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they crossed the line at the same moment. They argued about it for an hour.

Fabrice menang hari Senin. Amit menang hari Selasa. Pada hari Rabu, mereka melewati garis finis pada saat yang sama. Mereka berdebat soal itu selama satu jam.

"My foot was first," Fabrice said.

"Kakiku yang lebih dulu," kata Fabrice.

"My hose was first," said Amit. "Hoses count more than feet."

"Selangku yang lebih dulu," kata Amit. "Selang lebih penting daripada kaki."

They did not speak for the rest of the day.

Mereka tidak bicara lagi sepanjang sisa hari itu.

On Thursday, the station cook came running into the yard. She held a big green recipe book in both hands. Her face was white.

Pada hari Kamis, juru masak pos itu berlari masuk ke halaman. Ia memegang buku resep hijau besar dengan kedua tangan. Wajahnya pucat.

"Cadets!" she cried. "Stop. I need your help."

"Para kadet!" serunya. "Berhenti. Saya butuh bantuan kalian."

The cadets came close. Fabrice stood on one side of the circle. Amit stood on the other.

Para kadet mendekat. Fabrice berdiri di satu sisi lingkaran. Amit berdiri di sisi lainnya.

"Open Day starts at six," the cook said. "Many people come to visit. I must make my famous chili for all of them. But page fourteen is gone!"

"Hari Terbuka mulai pukul enam," kata juru masak. "Banyak orang datang berkunjung. Saya harus membuat chili terkenal saya untuk mereka semua. Tapi halaman empat belas hilang!"

She opened the book. Between pages thirteen and fifteen, a thin line of torn paper showed. The old page was always loose.

Ia membuka buku itu. Di antara halaman tiga belas dan lima belas, tampak garis tipis kertas yang robek. Halaman lama itu memang selalu longgar.

"I wrote that recipe forty years ago," she said. "I do not remember the numbers. How many beans? How many onions? How much spice? Only the page knows."

"Saya menulis resep itu empat puluh tahun lalu," katanya. "Saya tidak ingat angkanya. Berapa banyak kacang? Berapa banyak bawang? Berapa banyak bumbu? Hanya halaman itu yang tahu."

"When did you see it last?" asked Fabrice.

"Kapan terakhir Anda melihatnya?" tanya Fabrice.

"At breakfast," said the cook. "I left the book on the bench. The wind opened it. I went to help the captain. When I came back, the page was gone."

"Saat sarapan," kata juru masak. "Saya meninggalkan buku itu di bangku. Angin membukanya. Saya pergi membantu kapten. Ketika saya kembali, halamannya sudah hilang."

Everybody looked at the bench. It stood next to the practice tower. The cadets ate their snacks there.

Semua orang menatap bangku itu. Letaknya di samping menara latihan. Para kadet makan camilan di sana.

"Amit sat there at ten," Fabrice said.

"Amit duduk di sana pukul sepuluh," kata Fabrice.

"And you sat there at eleven," said Amit.

"Dan kamu duduk di sana pukul sebelas," kata Amit.

They began to argue again.

Mereka mulai berdebat lagi.

The captain stepped out of the station door. He was a tall man with a very quiet voice. The cadets stopped talking at once.

Kapten melangkah keluar dari pintu pos. Ia pria tinggi dengan suara yang sangat pelan. Para kadet langsung berhenti bicara.

"Here is what we will do," the captain said. "Fabrice and Amit will find the page. They will work as a pair. In my yard, nobody works alone."

"Begini yang akan kita lakukan," kata kapten. "Fabrice dan Amit akan mencari halaman itu. Mereka akan bekerja berpasangan. Di halamanku, tak seorang pun bekerja sendirian."

"With him?" said Fabrice.

"Dengan dia?" kata Fabrice.

"With him?" said Amit.

"Dengan dia?" kata Amit.

"With him," said the captain. "You have two hours. After that, the cook starts from nothing. She will not be happy."

"Dengan dia," kata kapten. "Kalian punya dua jam. Setelah itu, juru masak memulai dari nol. Beliau tidak akan senang."

The two cadets stood side by side. They looked at the empty bench. They did not look at each other.

Kedua kadet itu berdiri berdampingan. Mereka memandang bangku kosong itu. Mereka tidak saling memandang.

"Let us start with facts," Amit said at last. "The page was white. It was thin. It could fly."

"Mari kita mulai dengan fakta," kata Amit akhirnya. "Halaman itu putih. Tipis. Bisa terbang."

"Or it could stick," said Fabrice. He bent down and touched the bench. The wood was wet. "Look. Someone sprayed water here."

"Atau bisa menempel," kata Fabrice. Ia membungkuk dan menyentuh bangku. Kayunya basah. "Lihat. Ada yang menyemprotkan air di sini."

"The hose crew did the drill at eleven thirty," said Amit slowly. "They pulled the wet hose across this bench. The wind pulled out the loose page. The wet hose took it. Then they hung the hose up to dry."

"Tim selang melakukan latihan pukul sebelas tiga puluh," kata Amit pelan. "Mereka menarik selang basah melintasi bangku ini. Angin menarik keluar halaman yang longgar itu. Selang basah itu membawanya. Lalu mereka menggantung selang itu untuk dikeringkan."

"Where?" asked Fabrice.

"Di mana?" tanya Fabrice.

They both turned and looked up at the practice tower. A long fire hose hung from the top rail. It was three floors up. It moved a little in the air, like a very long snake.

Keduanya berbalik dan menengadah ke menara latihan. Sebuah selang pemadam panjang tergantung dari pagar teratas. Letaknya tiga lantai di atas. Selang itu bergerak sedikit di udara, seperti ular yang sangat panjang.

Amit pointed. "I see something white on it," he said.

Amit menunjuk. "Aku melihat sesuatu yang putih di situ," katanya.

Fabrice shaded his eyes. "That is a page," he said. "That is our page."

Fabrice menaungi matanya. "Itu selembar halaman," katanya. "Itu halaman kita."

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then both ran to the ladder. Both tried to climb it together. They pushed and pulled in the narrow space.

Sesaat, tak satu pun dari mereka bergerak. Lalu keduanya berlari ke tangga. Keduanya mencoba memanjatnya bersamaan. Mereka saling dorong dan tarik di ruang yang sempit.

"I go first," said Fabrice.

"Aku yang pertama," kata Fabrice.

"I am taller," said Amit. "I can reach the top rail."

"Aku lebih tinggi," kata Amit. "Aku bisa menjangkau pagar teratas."

"I am faster."

"Aku lebih cepat."

"The captain said we work as a pair," said Amit. He stopped pulling. "One climbs and one holds the ladder. That is the rule."

"Kapten bilang kita bekerja berpasangan," kata Amit. Ia berhenti menarik. "Satu memanjat dan satu memegangi tangga. Itu aturannya."

Fabrice looked at him. Then he looked at the ladder, which shook a little.

Fabrice menatapnya. Lalu ia menatap tangga, yang bergoyang sedikit.

"You climb," he said. "I will hold. I am heavier, and I hold better."

"Kamu yang memanjat," katanya. "Aku yang memegang. Aku lebih berat, dan peganganku lebih kuat."

Amit blinked. It was the first kind thing Fabrice said all week.

Amit berkedip. Itu kata-kata baik pertama dari Fabrice sepanjang minggu ini.

"Thank you," he said. He put on a safety belt. Then he began to climb.

"Terima kasih," katanya. Ia memasang sabuk pengaman. Lalu ia mulai memanjat.

Fabrice stood at the bottom and held the ladder with both arms. He called out advice. "Left hand now. Not that step, the next one. Do not look down."

Fabrice berdiri di bawah dan memegangi tangga dengan kedua lengannya. Ia berteriak memberi saran. "Tangan kiri sekarang. Bukan anak tangga itu, yang berikutnya. Jangan lihat ke bawah."

"I do not look down," said Amit. "I look at you. Your hands shake."

"Aku tidak melihat ke bawah," kata Amit. "Aku melihat kamu. Tanganmu gemetar."

"They are not," said Fabrice. "It is the ladder."

"Tidak," kata Fabrice. "Itu tangganya."

Amit climbed three floors. It felt like thirty. At the top, he reached out and found the page. It was wet and soft. The ink ran across the paper in blue lines. He folded it carefully and put it inside his shirt.

Amit memanjat tiga lantai. Rasanya seperti tiga puluh. Di puncak, ia mengulurkan tangan dan menemukan halaman itu. Basah dan lembek. Tintanya meleleh di atas kertas dalam garis-garis biru. Ia melipatnya hati-hati dan menyelipkannya ke dalam bajunya.

On the ground, the two cadets sat down and opened the page. They looked sad.

Di tanah, kedua kadet itu duduk dan membuka halaman itu. Mereka tampak sedih.

"The numbers are unclear," said Fabrice. "I can see a three, or maybe an eight."

"Angkanya tidak jelas," kata Fabrice. "Aku bisa melihat angka tiga, atau mungkin delapan."

"I see one cup of something," said Amit. "Or is it one carrot?"

"Aku melihat satu cangkir sesuatu," kata Amit. "Atau itu satu wortel?"

They put the page in the sun and held it flat. Fabrice read the left side. Amit read the right side. They shouted the numbers to each other. When one was not sure, the other leaned close. Together they decided.

Mereka menaruh halaman itu di bawah matahari dan menahannya rata. Fabrice membaca sisi kiri. Amit membaca sisi kanan. Mereka saling meneriakkan angka. Ketika yang satu tidak yakin, yang lain mendekat. Bersama-sama mereka memutuskan.

"Eight onions," said Fabrice.

"Delapan bawang," kata Fabrice.

"Two spoons of spice," said Amit. "No, three."

"Dua sendok bumbu," kata Amit. "Tidak, tiga."

"The cook always makes it hot," said Fabrice. "Three."

"Juru masak selalu membuatnya pedas," kata Fabrice. "Tiga."

After half an hour, they had a whole recipe on clean paper. They carried it to the cook. She sat on the steps with her head in her hands.

Setelah setengah jam, mereka punya seluruh resep di atas kertas bersih. Mereka membawanya kepada juru masak. Ia duduk di tangga dengan kepala di tangannya.

She read the list. She read it again. Then she jumped up and hugged them both. Their helmets fell off.

Ia membaca daftar itu. Ia membacanya lagi. Lalu ia melompat dan memeluk mereka berdua. Helm mereka jatuh.

"You saved Open Day!" she said. "Oh, this is exactly right. Come inside. You must help me cook."

"Kalian menyelamatkan Hari Terbuka!" katanya. "Oh, ini persis benar. Masuklah. Kalian harus membantu saya memasak."

For hours, the two cadets chopped onions and stirred the pot. Fabrice cut the onions. Amit counted out the spice. The chili smelled wonderful. Their eyes watered, but they laughed.

Selama berjam-jam, kedua kadet itu memotong bawang dan mengaduk panci. Fabrice memotong bawang. Amit menakar bumbu. Chili itu berbau lezat. Mata mereka berair, tetapi mereka tertawa.

At last, the cook looked at the bottom of the old page. One line of her own writing was still clear. She read it out loud.

Akhirnya, juru masak melihat bagian bawah halaman lama itu. Satu baris tulisannya sendiri masih jelas. Ia membacanya keras-keras.

"Serves a big crowd. Whoever loses this page must wash the pot."

"Untuk banyak orang. Siapa pun yang menghilangkan halaman ini harus mencuci pancinya."

The kitchen went quiet. The pot was as big as a bathtub.

Dapur menjadi hening. Panci itu sebesar bak mandi.

The cook smiled and held out one small sponge.

Juru masak tersenyum dan mengulurkan satu spons kecil.

"There is only one sponge," Amit said.

"Hanya ada satu spons," kata Amit.

"I know," said the cook.

"Saya tahu," kata juru masak.