The Piano at Night

Tuli walked home late from basketball practice. The street was dark and quiet. Her bag was heavy.

Tuli berjalan pulang larut dari latihan basket. Jalanan gelap dan sepi. Tasnya berat.

She passed the school. The gate was shut, and the windows were dark. But Tuli heard music. Someone played a piano.

Ia melewati sekolah. Gerbangnya tertutup, dan jendela-jendelanya gelap. Tetapi Tuli mendengar musik. Seseorang memainkan piano.

The song was slow and soft. It stopped. It started again. It stopped at the same place again.

Lagunya pelan dan lembut. Lalu berhenti. Mulai lagi. Berhenti lagi di tempat yang sama.

Tuli stood still for a long time. Who was inside? Nobody was at school at this hour. She went home, but she could not sleep.

Tuli berdiri diam lama sekali. Siapa yang ada di dalam? Pada jam seperti ini tidak ada siapa pun di sekolah. Ia pulang, tetapi tidak bisa tidur.

The next evening, Tuli went back. She came at the same time. The music started again.

Keesokan malamnya, Tuli kembali ke sana. Ia datang pada jam yang sama. Musik itu mulai lagi.

This time she walked to the side door. It was open a little. She looked inside.

Kali ini ia berjalan ke pintu samping. Pintu itu terbuka sedikit. Ia mengintip ke dalam.

In the music room, the cleaner sat at the piano. His cart stood by the wall. He had a book of notes in front of him. He pressed the keys very slowly.

Di ruang musik, petugas kebersihan duduk di depan piano. Keretanya berdiri di dekat dinding. Di depannya ada buku not. Ia menekan tuts-tuts itu dengan sangat pelan.

He made the same mistake again. He shook his head and tried again. Tuli did not move.

Ia membuat kesalahan yang sama lagi. Ia menggeleng dan mencoba lagi. Tuli tidak bergerak.

At last he played the whole song. It was beautiful. Tuli clapped her hands. The man jumped and then laughed.

Akhirnya ia memainkan seluruh lagu. Indah sekali. Tuli bertepuk tangan. Pria itu terlonjak, lalu tertawa.

"I clean this school," he said. "But I want to learn the piano."

"Saya membersihkan sekolah ini," katanya. "Tapi saya ingin belajar piano."

"Please play it again," Tuli said. She sat down on the floor and listened.

"Tolong mainkan lagi, Pak," kata Tuli. Ia duduk di lantai dan mendengarkan.