The Robot Who Judged the Pie

Every autumn, the town holds a pie contest. This year, the judge is a robot. It is short and round. It has a silver spoon for one hand. Its name is Tasty.

Setiap musim gugur, kota ini mengadakan lomba pai. Tahun ini, jurinya adalah seorang robot. Tubuhnya pendek dan bulat. Salah satu tangannya berupa sendok perak. Namanya Tasty.

Yuri stands in line with his pie. His hands are cold. The pie is his grandmother's apple pie. She made it every autumn. Now she lives far away, so Yuri makes it.

Yuri berdiri dalam antrean sambil membawa pai-nya. Tangannya dingin. Pai itu adalah pai apel buatan neneknya. Neneknya selalu membuatnya setiap musim gugur. Sekarang beliau tinggal jauh, jadi Yuri yang membuatnya.

Yuri is up at five this morning. He peels twelve apples. He makes the top of the pie by hand. Now he is afraid. His pie looks plain.

Yuri bangun pukul lima pagi ini. Dia mengupas dua belas apel. Dia membuat bagian atas pai dengan tangan. Sekarang dia merasa takut. Pai-nya tampak biasa saja.

Next to him stands Pedro. Pedro has a tall, beautiful pie with a gold top. "Good luck," Pedro says. "My pie is the best in town."

Di sebelahnya berdiri Pedro. Pedro membawa pai yang tinggi dan indah dengan bagian atas keemasan. "Semoga berhasil," kata Pedro. "Pai-ku yang terbaik di kota ini."

"It looks very nice," Yuri says.

"Kelihatannya bagus sekali," kata Yuri.

Pedro smiles. "I know."

Pedro tersenyum. "Aku tahu."

Tasty rolls down the table. It stops at the first pie. The spoon goes in. The robot's eyes turn blue. "Sweet: seven," it says. "Soft: eight. Smell: six. Total: twenty-one."

Tasty meluncur di sepanjang meja. Dia berhenti di pai pertama. Sendoknya masuk. Mata robot itu berubah menjadi biru. "Manis: tujuh," katanya. "Lembut: delapan. Aroma: enam. Total: dua puluh satu."

People clap. Tasty rolls to the next pie, and the next one. It says numbers every time. Nobody asks why.

Orang-orang bertepuk tangan. Tasty meluncur ke pai berikutnya, lalu berikutnya lagi. Setiap kali dia menyebutkan angka. Tidak ada yang bertanya kenapa.

Then Tasty stops at Pedro's pie. The crowd is quiet. The spoon goes in. The eyes turn blue.

Lalu Tasty berhenti di pai Pedro. Kerumunan menjadi sunyi. Sendoknya masuk. Matanya berubah biru.

"Sweet: nine. Soft: nine. Smell: nine. Total: twenty-seven," says Tasty.

"Manis: sembilan. Lembut: sembilan. Aroma: sembilan. Total: dua puluh tujuh," kata Tasty.

Pedro lifts his arms. "You see?" he says to Yuri. "The best."

Pedro mengangkat kedua tangannya. "Lihat, kan?" katanya kepada Yuri. "Yang terbaik."

Yuri looks at his own pie. It is small and a little brown. One side is not round. He wants to go home.

Yuri menatap pai miliknya. Pai itu kecil dan sedikit cokelat. Satu sisinya tidak bulat. Dia ingin pulang.

But Tasty rolls to him. The spoon goes in. Yuri closes his eyes.

Tetapi Tasty meluncur ke arahnya. Sendoknya masuk. Yuri memejamkan mata.

Nothing happens. Yuri opens his eyes. Tasty does not say a number. The robot's eyes are green, not blue.

Tidak terjadi apa-apa. Yuri membuka matanya. Tasty tidak menyebutkan angka. Mata robot itu berwarna hijau, bukan biru.

"Please wait," says Tasty. "I need another bite."

"Mohon tunggu," kata Tasty. "Saya perlu satu suapan lagi."

The spoon goes in again. Then again. People begin to whisper. Pedro frowns.

Sendoknya masuk lagi. Lalu lagi. Orang-orang mulai berbisik. Pedro mengerutkan kening.

"Error," says Tasty. "I cannot give numbers. This pie is warm. It smells like a kitchen. It tastes like a Sunday afternoon."

"Galat," kata Tasty. "Saya tidak bisa memberi angka. Pai ini hangat. Aromanya seperti dapur. Rasanya seperti sore hari di hari Minggu."

"Is that good?" Yuri asks.

"Itu bagus?" tanya Yuri.

"I do not know," says Tasty. "I only know I want more."

"Saya tidak tahu," kata Tasty. "Saya hanya tahu saya ingin lagi."

The robot eats a third bite. Then it eats a fourth. The crowd laughs. A little girl shouts, "Give him the prize!"

Robot itu makan suapan ketiga. Lalu suapan keempat. Kerumunan tertawa. Seorang gadis kecil berteriak, "Beri dia hadiahnya!"

The two other judges are bakers. They look at each other. The first baker says, "Pedro's pie has the best score."

Dua juri lainnya adalah tukang roti. Mereka saling menatap. Tukang roti pertama berkata, "Pai Pedro punya skor terbaik."

"Yes," says the second baker. "But the robot wants more of Yuri's pie. That is a new kind of score."

"Ya," kata tukang roti kedua. "Tapi robot itu mau lagi pai milik Yuri. Itu jenis skor yang baru."

They talk for a minute. Then they stand up. Pedro gets the first prize. Yuri gets a special prize. It is a small gold spoon.

Mereka berbincang semenit. Lalu mereka berdiri. Pedro mendapat hadiah pertama. Yuri mendapat hadiah khusus. Sebuah sendok emas kecil.

Pedro is quiet for a moment. Then he walks to Yuri. "May I try your pie?" he asks.

Pedro terdiam sejenak. Lalu dia berjalan menghampiri Yuri. "Boleh aku mencoba pai-mu?" tanyanya.

Yuri cuts him a piece. Pedro eats it slowly. He nods. "It tastes like my grandmother's kitchen too," he says. "Can you show me how to make it?"

Yuri memotongkan sepotong untuknya. Pedro memakannya perlahan. Dia mengangguk. "Rasanya seperti dapur nenekku juga," katanya. "Bisa tunjukkan caranya?"

"Of course," says Yuri. "Come to my house on Sunday."

"Tentu saja," kata Yuri. "Datanglah ke rumahku hari Minggu."

Pedro grins. "I will bring the apples," he says. "You bring the secret."

Pedro nyengir. "Aku bawa apelnya," katanya. "Kamu bawa rahasianya."

"There is no secret," says Yuri. "You just take your time."

"Tidak ada rahasia," kata Yuri. "Kamu hanya perlu meluangkan waktu."

Tasty rolls back to the table. It looks at the empty plate. Its eyes turn green again.

Tasty meluncur kembali ke meja. Dia menatap piring yang kosong. Matanya berubah hijau lagi.

"Please make one more pie," the robot says. "Score: infinite."

"Tolong buat satu pai lagi," kata robot itu. "Skor: tak terhingga."