The Sea Cloth

The puppet workshop smelled of glue and wet paint. Wooden heads hung from hooks on every wall. Isolde loved the room. In it, nobody asked her to talk.

Bengkel boneka itu berbau lem dan cat basah. Kepala-kepala kayu tergantung pada pengait di setiap dinding. Isolde menyukai ruangan itu. Di sana, tidak ada yang memintanya berbicara.

She came every day after school. She made small hands and sewed tiny coats. Her mother ran the theatre next door. Isolde liked the workshop better. The puppets did not ask questions. They only waited.

Ia datang setiap hari sepulang sekolah. Ia membuat tangan-tangan kecil dan menjahit mantel-mantel mungil. Ibunya mengelola teater di sebelah. Isolde lebih menyukai bengkel. Boneka-boneka tidak mengajukan pertanyaan. Mereka hanya menunggu.

Umar came too. He was fifteen, like Isolde, and he built the stage sets. He talked all the time. He talked to the saw, to the paint and to the cat. Isolde never minded. His voice filled the silence for both of them.

Umar juga datang. Usianya lima belas tahun, sama seperti Isolde, dan ia membuat dekorasi panggung. Ia bicara terus-menerus. Ia bicara kepada gergaji, kepada cat, dan kepada kucing. Isolde tidak pernah keberatan. Suaranya mengisi keheningan untuk mereka berdua.

On Friday, a school group came to the theatre at four o'clock. It was Isolde's first show as a puppet player. She had to move the old fisherman. He sat in a boat on a cloth sea. He fished for a long time. At the end, he pulled up an old coin.

Pada hari Jumat, sekelompok murid sekolah datang ke teater pukul empat. Itu pertunjukan pertama Isolde sebagai pemain boneka. Ia harus menggerakkan nelayan tua. Nelayan itu duduk di perahu di atas laut dari kain. Ia memancing lama sekali. Di akhir cerita, ia menarik naik sebuah koin tua.

"The coin is the best part," said Umar. "Everybody wants it to be real."

"Koin itu bagian terbaiknya," kata Umar. "Semua orang ingin koin itu asli."

The coin was real. That was Isolde's idea. She found it in the bottom of a drawer last spring. It was heavy and dark. On one side was a bird with long wings. On the other were curly letters that nobody could read. Isolde asked every visitor about it. Nobody knew the country.

Koin itu memang asli. Itu gagasan Isolde. Ia menemukannya di dasar sebuah laci musim semi lalu. Koin itu berat dan gelap. Di satu sisinya ada seekor burung bersayap panjang. Di sisi lainnya ada huruf-huruf melengkung yang tidak bisa dibaca siapa pun. Isolde menanyakannya kepada setiap pengunjung. Tidak ada yang tahu negara asalnya.

"It is not from here," her mother said once. "But it is a lovely thing."

"Itu bukan dari sini," kata ibunya suatu kali. "Tapi itu benda yang indah."

Isolde understood that very well. People often asked her where she was from. She never had a short answer.

Isolde sangat memahaminya. Orang-orang sering bertanya kepadanya berasal dari mana. Ia tidak pernah punya jawaban singkat.

The plan was simple. A thin thread held the coin above the stage. At the end, Isolde pulled a string. The thread slid, and the coin dropped into the fisherman's net. It shone in the lamp light. In their last practice, it worked three times.

Rencananya sederhana. Seutas benang tipis menahan koin itu di atas panggung. Di akhir, Isolde menarik sebuah tali. Benang itu meluncur, dan koin jatuh ke dalam jaring sang nelayan. Koin itu berkilau di bawah cahaya lampu. Pada latihan terakhir mereka, cara itu berhasil tiga kali.

At half past three, Isolde checked the thread one more time. She pulled it gently. It snapped.

Pukul setengah empat, Isolde memeriksa benang itu sekali lagi. Ia menariknya dengan lembut. Benang itu putus.

The coin hit the stage with a loud clink. It rolled across the boards. It stopped for one second at the edge of the boat. Then it fell into a crack between two boards and was gone.

Koin itu menghantam panggung dengan denting keras. Koin itu menggelinding melintasi papan. Koin itu berhenti satu detik di tepi perahu. Lalu jatuh ke celah di antara dua papan dan hilang.

"No," said Isolde. "No, no, no."

"Tidak," kata Isolde. "Tidak, tidak, tidak."

They both dropped to the floor. Umar put his eye to the crack. "I can see it," he said. "It is under the stage. It is on the dirt, next to a box."

Mereka berdua menjatuhkan diri ke lantai. Umar menempelkan matanya ke celah itu. "Aku bisa melihatnya," katanya. "Ada di bawah panggung. Di atas tanah, di samping sebuah kotak."

"Can we lift the boards?"

"Bisakah kita angkat papannya?"

Umar pressed on the wood with both hands. "They are nailed down. But there is a little door at the side. I can crawl under and get the coin."

Umar menekan kayu itu dengan kedua tangan. "Papannya dipaku. Tapi ada pintu kecil di samping. Aku bisa merangkak ke bawah dan mengambil koinnya."

"Then we are fine!"

"Kalau begitu kita aman!"

"No. The thread is broken, and the hook is high above the stage. We cannot fix it in thirty minutes. The coin cannot fall again."

"Tidak. Benangnya putus, dan pengaitnya jauh di atas panggung. Kita tidak bisa memperbaikinya dalam tiga puluh menit. Koinnya tidak bisa jatuh lagi."

Isolde felt cold. Through the wall, she heard children laughing in the hall. The first bus was early.

Isolde merasa dingin. Dari balik dinding, ia mendengar anak-anak tertawa di aula. Bus pertama datang lebih awal.

Isolde sat back on her feet. She wanted to run away. She wanted to go to the workshop and hide under the table. This was her one chance, and the coin was gone.

Isolde duduk bersimpuh. Ia ingin melarikan diri. Ia ingin pergi ke bengkel dan bersembunyi di bawah meja. Ini satu-satunya kesempatannya, dan koinnya hilang.

"We can use a fake coin," said Umar. "A button. A piece of paper."

"Kita bisa pakai koin palsu," kata Umar. "Sebuah kancing. Selembar kertas."

"It will not shine," said Isolde. "They will see."

"Tidak akan berkilau," kata Isolde. "Mereka akan tahu."

"Then we cut the ending."

"Kalau begitu kita potong akhir ceritanya."

"No." She said it so fast that she surprised herself. "The ending is the point. A thing from far away arrives, and everyone looks at it. I do not want to cut that."

"Tidak." Ia mengatakannya begitu cepat sampai ia sendiri terkejut. "Akhir cerita itulah intinya. Sesuatu dari tempat yang jauh tiba, dan semua orang memandanginya. Aku tidak mau memotongnya."

Umar looked at her for a moment. Then he smiled. "You talk when it matters," he said. "Good. Now I have an idea."

Umar menatapnya sejenak. Lalu ia tersenyum. "Kamu bicara saat itu penting," katanya. "Bagus. Sekarang aku punya ide."

He pointed at the floor. "I go under the stage. I crawl to the coin. You use the sea cloth, the blue one. It has a slit for the waves. I push the coin up through the slit at the right moment. The fisherman does not catch it from the sky. He catches it from the sea."

Ia menunjuk lantai. "Aku masuk ke bawah panggung. Aku merangkak ke koin itu. Kamu pakai kain laut, yang biru itu. Ada celah untuk ombaknya. Aku mendorong koin itu naik lewat celah pada saat yang tepat. Sang nelayan tidak menangkapnya dari langit. Ia menangkapnya dari laut."

Isolde thought about it. It was strange, and it was perfect. A man on a boat pulls a coin out of the water. Of course it comes from below.

Isolde memikirkannya. Gagasan itu aneh, dan sempurna. Seorang pria di perahu menarik sebuah koin dari dalam air. Tentu saja koin itu datang dari bawah.

"What if the children see your hand?" she asked.

"Bagaimana kalau anak-anak melihat tanganmu?" tanyanya.

"The cloth is thick. They only see a light." He grinned. "Besides, I am quick."

"Kainnya tebal. Mereka hanya akan melihat cahaya." Ia nyengir. "Lagi pula, aku cepat."

"How do I know when you are ready?"

"Bagaimana aku tahu kapan kamu siap?"

"Three taps," said Umar. "I knock three times on the floor. After the third one, you lift the net."

"Tiga ketukan," kata Umar. "Aku mengetuk lantai tiga kali. Setelah ketukan ketiga, kamu angkat jaringnya."

He opened the little door at the side of the stage. It was dark and small inside, and it smelled of dust. Umar took a torch. He went down on his knees and crawled in. The door closed behind him, and Isolde was alone on the stage.

Ia membuka pintu kecil di samping panggung. Di dalamnya gelap dan sempit, dan berbau debu. Umar mengambil senter. Ia berlutut dan merangkak masuk. Pintu menutup di belakangnya, dan Isolde sendirian di panggung.

At four o'clock, the lamps came on. The children sat on the floor in rows. Some of them were very small. A girl in the front row held a toy rabbit. Behind the curtain, Isolde held the fisherman's two sticks. Her hands were wet.

Pukul empat, lampu-lampu menyala. Anak-anak duduk di lantai berbaris-baris. Beberapa di antaranya sangat kecil. Seorang gadis di barisan depan memegang boneka kelinci. Di balik tirai, Isolde memegang dua tongkat sang nelayan. Tangannya basah.

She moved the old man a little. He lifted his arm. He dropped his line into the blue cloth. A child laughed. The fisherman waited. He sighed. He waited some more.

Ia menggerakkan si lelaki tua sedikit. Nelayan itu mengangkat lengannya. Ia menjatuhkan kailnya ke dalam kain biru. Seorang anak tertawa. Sang nelayan menunggu. Ia menghela napas. Ia menunggu lagi.

In the show, this part took four minutes. Isolde counted every one. The fisherman fell asleep. He woke up. He looked at the sky and shook his head. Then she heard it, under her feet. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Dalam pertunjukan, bagian ini berlangsung empat menit. Isolde menghitung setiap menitnya. Sang nelayan tertidur. Ia terbangun. Ia menatap langit dan menggeleng. Lalu ia mendengarnya, di bawah kakinya. Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

Isolde lifted the net.

Isolde mengangkat jaringnya.

Something rose from the sea cloth. It was small and bright, and it came up very slowly. The lamp touched it, and it turned from dark to gold. The coin climbed out of the blue like a little moon. The fisherman bent his head and looked at it.

Sesuatu naik dari kain laut itu. Benda itu kecil dan terang, dan naik sangat perlahan. Cahaya lampu menyentuhnya, dan benda itu berubah dari gelap menjadi emas. Koin itu memanjat keluar dari biru seperti bulan kecil. Sang nelayan menundukkan kepalanya dan memandanginya.

Nobody in the hall made a sound. Then the girl with the rabbit spoke in a clear voice. "Where is it from?"

Tidak seorang pun di aula bersuara. Lalu gadis dengan boneka kelinci itu berbicara dengan suara jernih. "Itu dari mana?"

Isolde did not answer from behind the curtain. The fisherman only held the coin up high. He showed it to the whole room. The children clapped and clapped.

Isolde tidak menjawab dari balik tirai. Sang nelayan hanya mengangkat koin itu tinggi-tinggi. Ia menunjukkannya kepada seisi ruangan. Anak-anak bertepuk tangan dan terus bertepuk tangan.

After the show, the hall was empty. Umar came out of the little door. He had dust on his knees and his face. He held out his hand. The coin lay in his palm.

Setelah pertunjukan, aula itu kosong. Umar keluar dari pintu kecil. Ada debu di lutut dan wajahnya. Ia mengulurkan tangannya. Koin itu terletak di telapak tangannya.

"My arm is asleep," he said. "But it worked."

"Lenganku mati rasa," katanya. "Tapi berhasil."

Isolde took the coin. It was warm now. She walked to the workshop and found the small wooden box. She put the coin inside and picked up a pencil. On the lid, in her smallest writing, she wrote: Not from here. Still ours.

Isolde mengambil koin itu. Sekarang koin itu hangat. Ia berjalan ke bengkel dan menemukan kotak kayu kecil. Ia memasukkan koin itu ke dalamnya dan mengambil sebuah pensil. Di tutupnya, dengan tulisannya yang paling kecil, ia menulis: Bukan dari sini. Tetap milik kita.