The Radio That Knew Tomorrow

Stellan worked the night shift at a small radio station. He played music from ten at night to six. Only a few people listened. He liked it that way.

Stellan bekerja shift malam di sebuah stasiun radio kecil. Dia memutar musik dari pukul sepuluh malam sampai pukul enam pagi. Hanya sedikit orang yang mendengarkan. Dia menyukainya begitu.

The station had an old computer in the corner. It made a list of song requests. Listeners sent the requests by phone and by mail. Every night Stellan printed the list.

Di stasiun itu ada komputer tua di sudut ruangan. Komputer itu membuat daftar permintaan lagu. Para pendengar mengirim permintaan lewat telepon dan surat. Setiap malam Stellan mencetak daftarnya.

One Tuesday the printer made a strange sound. A long paper came out. Stellan read it and frowned. The date at the top was Wednesday.

Pada suatu Selasa, printer mengeluarkan bunyi aneh. Selembar kertas panjang keluar. Stellan membacanya dan mengerutkan kening. Tanggal di bagian atas adalah hari Rabu.

"That is wrong," he said. "Today is Tuesday."

"Ini salah," katanya. "Hari ini Selasa."

Under the date were five song requests. Some names were new to him. One said, "For Mrs. Lind, who cannot sleep." Another said, "For the bus driver on Route Nine."

Di bawah tanggal itu ada lima permintaan lagu. Beberapa namanya baru baginya. Salah satunya berbunyi, "Untuk Bu Lind, yang tidak bisa tidur." Yang lain berbunyi, "Untuk sopir bus Rute Sembilan."

Stellan put the paper on his desk. He played his usual songs. He drank his coffee. He looked at the paper again and again.

Stellan meletakkan kertas itu di mejanya. Dia memutar lagu-lagu seperti biasa. Dia minum kopinya. Berkali-kali dia melihat kertas itu lagi.

At two in the morning the phone rang.

Pukul dua dini hari, telepon berdering.

"Hello, station," said Stellan.

"Halo, stasiun radio," kata Stellan.

"Hello," said an old voice. "I am Mrs. Lind. I cannot sleep. Can you play a quiet song for me?"

"Halo," kata sebuah suara tua. "Saya Bu Lind. Saya tidak bisa tidur. Bisakah Anda memutarkan lagu yang tenang untuk saya?"

Stellan held the paper in his hand. The first line said, "For Mrs. Lind, who cannot sleep." His mouth opened.

Stellan memegang kertas itu di tangannya. Baris pertamanya berbunyi, "Untuk Bu Lind, yang tidak bisa tidur." Mulutnya ternganga.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I have a song for you."

"Ya," katanya pelan. "Saya punya lagu untuk Anda."

He played the first request on the list. It was a soft song with a piano. Mrs. Lind said thank you and hung up.

Dia memutar permintaan pertama dalam daftar. Lagu yang lembut dengan piano. Bu Lind mengucapkan terima kasih lalu menutup telepon.

Stellan sat very still. Then he looked at the second request. "For the bus driver on Route Nine."

Stellan duduk diam sekali. Lalu dia melihat permintaan kedua. "Untuk sopir bus Rute Sembilan."

At four the phone rang again. A man said, "Hi. I drive the early bus. Do you have a happy song for me?"

Pukul empat, telepon berdering lagi. Seorang pria berkata, "Hai. Saya sopir bus pagi. Ada lagu yang riang untuk saya?"

"I do," said Stellan. He played a fast, bright song with drums. The man laughed on the phone.

"Ada," kata Stellan. Dia memutar lagu yang cepat dan ceria dengan permainan drum. Pria itu tertawa di telepon.

Now Stellan was sure. The old computer knew the requests before the people called. It was a gift, or maybe a joke.

Sekarang Stellan yakin. Komputer tua itu tahu permintaan-permintaannya sebelum orangnya menelepon. Itu hadiah, atau mungkin lelucon.

He read the last request. It said, "For the night man, from the radio."

Dia membaca permintaan terakhir. Bunyinya, "Untuk si penjaga malam, dari radio."

Stellan did not understand. He played the song anyway. It was a slow song about a light at night. He listened to the whole song. Nobody called. The room was quiet. Outside, the first bird began to sing.

Stellan tidak mengerti. Dia tetap memutar lagunya. Lagu yang lambat tentang cahaya di malam hari. Dia mendengarkan lagu itu sampai habis. Tidak ada yang menelepon. Ruangan itu sunyi. Di luar, burung pertama mulai berkicau.

At six o'clock the morning man came in. His name was Gabe. He put a bag of bread on the desk.

Pukul enam, penyiar pagi datang. Namanya Gabe. Dia meletakkan sekantong roti di meja.

"You look tired," Gabe said. "Any news?"

"Kamu kelihatan lelah," kata Gabe. "Ada kabar?"

Stellan pointed to the long paper. "The computer made a list for tomorrow. Every song was right."

Stellan menunjuk kertas panjang itu. "Komputer membuat daftar untuk besok. Setiap lagunya tepat."

Gabe read the paper. He laughed. "Old machines do strange things. Maybe it just guessed."

Gabe membaca kertas itu. Dia tertawa. "Mesin tua memang suka aneh-aneh. Mungkin cuma menebak."

"Maybe," Stellan said. But he did not think so.

"Mungkin," kata Stellan. Tetapi dia tidak berpikir begitu.

The next night he came to work early. The printer sat quiet. At midnight the machine made a small sound. A new paper came out.

Malam berikutnya dia berangkat kerja lebih awal. Printer itu diam. Tengah malam, mesin itu mengeluarkan bunyi kecil. Selembar kertas baru keluar.

Stellan picked it up. The date said Thursday. There were three requests. The first one said, "For the night man, with thanks."

Stellan mengambilnya. Tanggalnya Kamis. Ada tiga permintaan. Yang pertama berbunyi, "Untuk si penjaga malam, dengan terima kasih."

He smiled. He pressed the button on the microphone.

Dia tersenyum. Dia menekan tombol di mikrofon.

"Good evening," he said. "This is your night man. Here is a song for you."

"Selamat malam," katanya. "Ini penjaga malam Anda. Ini sebuah lagu untuk Anda."