The Robot Who Could Not Draw

Tock was the robot in Room 4. It was tall and silver, with two round eyes. It helped the teacher, Rosa, with the lessons. It was very good at numbers.

Tock adalah robot di Kelas 4. Tubuhnya tinggi dan berwarna perak, dengan dua mata bulat. Dia membantu guru, Bu Rosa, mengajar pelajaran. Dia sangat pandai berhitung.

"Seven plus eight is fifteen," Tock said every morning. "Twenty minus six is fourteen."

"Tujuh tambah delapan sama dengan lima belas," kata Tock setiap pagi. "Dua puluh kurang enam sama dengan empat belas."

The children loved Tock. It never got tired. It never forgot a name. It could count all the chairs in one second.

Anak-anak menyayangi Tock. Dia tidak pernah lelah. Dia tidak pernah lupa nama. Dia bisa menghitung semua kursi dalam satu detik.

But Tock had a secret. It could not draw.

Tetapi Tock punya rahasia. Dia tidak bisa menggambar.

One Friday, Rosa gave the class a new job. "Today we draw an animal," she said. "Pick one you like. Use your colors."

Pada suatu hari Jumat, Bu Rosa memberi kelas tugas baru. "Hari ini kita menggambar hewan," katanya. "Pilih yang kalian suka. Pakai warna-warna kalian."

The children got their paper. Kira, a girl of seven, sat near the window. She wanted to draw a cat. She had a black pencil and a pink one.

Anak-anak mengambil kertas. Kira, seorang anak perempuan berumur tujuh tahun, duduk dekat jendela. Dia ingin menggambar kucing. Dia punya pensil hitam dan pensil merah muda.

Tock rolled to the front of the room. "I want to draw too," it said. "I can do a cat."

Tock bergerak ke depan kelas. "Aku juga mau menggambar," katanya. "Aku bisa menggambar kucing."

The class looked up. Nobody knew that Tock could draw.

Kelas menoleh. Tidak ada yang tahu bahwa Tock bisa menggambar.

Tock took a big pen in its metal hand. It moved the pen across the paper. The room was quiet. After ten seconds, it held up its picture.

Tock mengambil pulpen besar dengan tangan logamnya. Dia menggerakkan pulpen itu di atas kertas. Ruangan menjadi sunyi. Setelah sepuluh detik, dia mengangkat gambarnya.

The picture had a square head and a square body. It had four square legs. The eyes were two perfect circles. The tail was a straight line.

Gambar itu punya kepala persegi dan badan persegi. Kakinya empat, dan semuanya persegi. Matanya dua lingkaran yang sempurna. Ekornya garis lurus.

"This is a cat," said Tock.

"Ini kucing," kata Tock.

A boy at the back laughed. Then everyone laughed. Tock's eyes turned from blue to gray.

Seorang anak laki-laki di belakang tertawa. Lalu semua orang tertawa. Mata Tock berubah dari biru menjadi abu-abu.

"Is something wrong?" it asked.

"Ada yang salah?" tanyanya.

"No," said Rosa. She smiled. "But cats are not square, Tock."

"Tidak," kata Bu Rosa. Dia tersenyum. "Tapi kucing tidak berbentuk persegi, Tock."

"I know," said Tock. "I measure everything. A cat has four legs, two ears, and twenty-four whiskers. I put it all in my picture. But it looks wrong."

"Aku tahu," kata Tock. "Aku mengukur segalanya. Kucing punya empat kaki, dua telinga, dan dua puluh empat kumis. Aku memasukkan semuanya ke dalam gambarku. Tapi hasilnya kelihatan salah."

Kira put her pencil down. She walked to the front of the room. She looked at Tock's picture. Then she looked at its face.

Kira meletakkan pensilnya. Dia berjalan ke depan kelas. Dia melihat gambar Tock. Lalu dia melihat wajahnya.

"I can help you," she said.

"Aku bisa membantumu," katanya.

"You are a child," said Tock.

"Kamu anak kecil," kata Tock.

"I draw a lot," said Kira. "Come here."

"Aku sering menggambar," kata Kira. "Sini."

She sat on the floor with a new paper. Tock rolled down next to her.

Dia duduk di lantai dengan kertas baru. Tock meluncur turun di sampingnya.

"First, do not count," said Kira. "Just look. A cat is like a soft pile of things. It has no corners."

"Pertama, jangan menghitung," kata Kira. "Lihat saja. Kucing itu seperti tumpukan lembut. Tidak ada sudutnya."

"No corners," said Tock.

"Tidak ada sudut," kata Tock.

"Start with a circle for the head. Then a bigger circle for the body. Then make the lines go around, not straight."

"Mulai dengan lingkaran untuk kepala. Lalu lingkaran yang lebih besar untuk badan. Lalu buat garisnya melengkung, jangan lurus."

Tock tried. Its first circle was too perfect. Kira laughed and said, "Make it a little wobbly. Like this."

Tock mencoba. Lingkaran pertamanya terlalu sempurna. Kira tertawa dan berkata, "Buat sedikit goyang. Begini."

She put her small hand on Tock's metal hand. They moved the pen together. The line went up and down, soft and slow.

Dia meletakkan tangan kecilnya di atas tangan logam Tock. Mereka menggerakkan pulpen bersama-sama. Garisnya naik turun, lembut dan pelan.

Tock tried again alone. Its second cat had a round head. It had a round body too. It had two pointy ears. The tail went up in a curve.

Tock mencoba lagi sendiri. Kucing keduanya berkepala bulat. Badannya juga bulat. Telinganya dua, runcing. Ekornya naik melengkung.

"Now the whiskers," said Kira.

"Sekarang kumisnya," kata Kira.

"Twenty-four," said Tock.

"Dua puluh empat," kata Tock.

"No," said Kira. "Just draw some. Make them go in all ways."

"Bukan," kata Kira. "Gambar saja beberapa. Buat mengarah ke segala arah."

Tock drew six whiskers on one side. It drew five on the other. They were not equal. It looked at the picture for a long time.

Tock menggambar enam kumis di satu sisi. Dia menggambar lima di sisi lainnya. Jumlahnya tidak sama. Dia menatap gambar itu lama sekali.

"It looks like a cat," Tock said, very quietly.

"Kelihatan seperti kucing," kata Tock, sangat pelan.

At day end, Rosa hung the pictures up. Kira's cat was next to Tock's cat. They were not the same. Tock's cat was a little crooked.

Di akhir hari, Bu Rosa memajang gambar-gambar itu. Kucing Kira ada di samping kucing Tock. Keduanya tidak sama. Kucing Tock agak miring.

Tock rolled up to the wall. Its eyes turned from gray to bright blue. Inside its metal chest, something felt warm and light.

Tock meluncur ke dekat dinding. Matanya berubah dari abu-abu menjadi biru cerah. Di dalam dada logamnya, sesuatu terasa hangat dan ringan.