The Room That Was Not on the Floor

Mei visited a small museum in an old stone house. She had a paper map from the front desk. It showed five rooms. Each room had a number.

Mei mengunjungi sebuah museum kecil di rumah batu tua. Ia membawa peta kertas dari meja depan. Peta itu menunjukkan lima ruangan. Setiap ruangan punya nomor.

Room One was full of old coins. Room Two had paintings of the harbor. Room Three had a big model of a ship. Room Four had masks from many countries. Mei walked through all four rooms. She read every sign.

Ruang Satu penuh dengan koin kuno. Ruang Dua berisi lukisan-lukisan pelabuhan. Ruang Tiga punya model kapal yang besar. Ruang Empat menyimpan topeng dari banyak negara. Mei berjalan melewati keempat ruangan itu. Ia membaca setiap papan keterangan.

Then she looked at the map again. "Room Five," she said. "Where is Room Five?"

Lalu ia melihat peta itu lagi. "Ruang Lima," katanya. "Di mana Ruang Lima?"

She walked back down the hall. There was a door to the garden. There was a door to the toilets. There was a door to a staff room. There was no door with a five on it.

Ia berjalan kembali menyusuri lorong. Ada pintu ke taman. Ada pintu ke toilet. Ada pintu ke ruang staf. Tidak ada pintu yang bertuliskan angka lima.

She went upstairs. The upstairs was only a short hall with a window. She went down again and counted the doors. Room One, Two, Three, Four. Nothing else.

Ia naik ke lantai atas. Lantai atas hanya berupa lorong pendek dengan satu jendela. Ia turun lagi dan menghitung pintu-pintunya. Ruang Satu, Dua, Tiga, Empat. Tidak ada yang lain.

A young guide stood near the coins. He wore a green jacket. His name tag said "Nico." Mei walked over to him.

Seorang pemandu muda berdiri di dekat koin-koin itu. Ia memakai jaket hijau. Papan namanya bertuliskan "Nico." Mei menghampirinya.

"Excuse me," she said. "I cannot find Room Five."

"Permisi," katanya. "Saya tidak bisa menemukan Ruang Lima."

Nico smiled in a strange way. "Ah," he said. "Many people ask me that."

Nico tersenyum dengan cara yang aneh. "Ah," katanya. "Banyak orang menanyakan itu."

"Is it closed?"

"Apa ruangannya ditutup?"

"No. It is open all day. But it is hard to find."

"Tidak. Ruangannya buka sepanjang hari. Tapi susah dicari."

"Is it on the first floor?"

"Apa ada di lantai satu?"

"Yes. And no." He laughed. "Look at your map again."

"Ya. Dan tidak." Ia tertawa. "Lihat lagi peta Anda."

Mei studied the map. Room Five was a small box at the back. Next to it, the map said, "Please be quiet."

Mei mengamati petanya. Ruang Lima berupa kotak kecil di bagian belakang. Di sebelahnya, peta itu bertuliskan, "Harap tenang."

"Quiet?" she said.

"Tenang?" katanya.

"Yes. That is the clue." Nico leaned closer. "Which room is the quietest?"

"Ya. Itulah petunjuknya." Nico mencondongkan badan lebih dekat. "Ruangan mana yang paling tenang?"

Mei thought for a while. Room One was quiet, but a clock ticked loudly there. The ship room had a video with sound. The masks room had a fan that hummed. The harbor room had a bench and no noise.

Mei berpikir sebentar. Ruang Satu tenang, tapi sebuah jam berdetak keras di sana. Ruang kapal punya video dengan suara. Ruang topeng punya kipas yang berdengung. Ruang pelabuhan punya bangku dan tidak ada bunyi apa pun.

"Room Two?" she said.

"Ruang Dua?" katanya.

"Good guess. Go in and look at the back wall."

"Tebakan bagus. Masuklah dan lihat dinding belakangnya."

Mei went into Room Two. It was cool and still. The paintings hung in a line. At the back stood a tall bookcase of old books. She looked at it for a long time. Then she saw something odd. One book was not a book. It was a small brass handle.

Mei masuk ke Ruang Dua. Ruangan itu sejuk dan sunyi. Lukisan-lukisan tergantung berjajar. Di bagian belakang berdiri rak buku tinggi berisi buku-buku tua. Ia memandanginya lama sekali. Lalu ia melihat sesuatu yang janggal. Satu buku bukanlah buku. Itu sebuah gagang kuningan kecil.

She pulled the handle. The bookcase moved. Behind it, there was a narrow door.

Ia menarik gagang itu. Rak buku itu bergeser. Di baliknya ada sebuah pintu sempit.

Mei took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Mei menarik napas dalam-dalam dan mendorong pintu itu hingga terbuka.

The room behind it was very small. It had one window and two chairs. There was a little table. A jug of water stood on the table. Outside the window, the harbor shone in the afternoon sun. The only sound was the soft noise of the sea.

Ruangan di baliknya sangat kecil. Ada satu jendela dan dua kursi. Ada meja kecil. Sebuah teko air berdiri di atas meja. Di luar jendela, pelabuhan berkilau di bawah matahari sore. Satu-satunya bunyi adalah desir lembut laut.

On the wall, a card said, "Room Five. A room for rest. Sit. Look. Do not hurry."

Di dinding, sebuah kartu bertuliskan, "Ruang Lima. Ruang untuk beristirahat. Duduklah. Lihatlah. Jangan terburu-buru."

Mei sat down. She walked for two hours that day. Her feet hurt. She poured herself a glass of water. For ten minutes, she did nothing at all. A small boat went across the harbor. A bird sat on the window and flew away.

Mei duduk. Hari itu ia berjalan selama dua jam. Kakinya sakit. Ia menuang segelas air untuk dirinya sendiri. Selama sepuluh menit, ia tidak melakukan apa-apa sama sekali. Sebuah perahu kecil melintasi pelabuhan. Seekor burung hinggap di jendela lalu terbang pergi.

When she came out, Nico stood by the bookcase.

Ketika ia keluar, Nico berdiri di dekat rak buku.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Bagaimana?" tanyanya.

"It was the best room," Mei said. "Why is it hidden?"

"Itu ruangan terbaik," kata Mei. "Kenapa disembunyikan?"

"The old owner built it for his wife," said Nico. "She liked to sit and watch the boats. He did not want visitors to disturb her. So he hid the door. Now it is a secret for careful people."

"Pemilik lamanya membangun ruangan itu untuk istrinya," kata Nico. "Istrinya suka duduk dan melihat perahu-perahu. Ia tidak mau pengunjung mengganggunya. Jadi ia menyembunyikan pintunya. Sekarang itu menjadi rahasia bagi orang-orang yang teliti."

"And the other visitors?"

"Dan pengunjung lain?"

"Most of them never find it. They look for a door with a five. There is none."

"Kebanyakan tidak pernah menemukannya. Mereka mencari pintu dengan angka lima. Padahal tidak ada."

Mei looked at the paper map in her hand. She took a pen from her bag. She drew a star next to Room Five.

Mei menatap peta kertas di tangannya. Ia mengambil pulpen dari tasnya. Ia menggambar sebuah bintang di sebelah Ruang Lima.

"Please do not tell anyone," she said. "I want my friend to find it herself."

"Tolong jangan beri tahu siapa pun," katanya. "Saya ingin teman saya menemukannya sendiri."

Nico put his finger on his lips and winked.

Nico menaruh jarinya di bibir dan mengedipkan mata.