The Silver Wrap and the Griffin Chick

At twenty past four, Una opened the first-aid kit. There was a gap where the silver wrap should be.

Pukul empat lewat dua puluh, Una membuka kotak P3K. Ada celah kosong di tempat pembalut perak seharusnya berada.

She checked the box twice. The bandages were there. So were the scissors, the blue ointment and the little jar of crushed moonroot. But the roll of silver wrap was gone. Only that roll could hold a griffin's broken wing in place.

Ia memeriksa kotak itu dua kali. Perbannya ada. Gunting, salep biru, dan toples kecil akar bulan tumbuk juga ada. Tetapi gulungan pembalut perak itu hilang. Hanya gulungan itu yang bisa menahan sayap griffin yang patah di tempatnya.

"Valerio," she called. "Come here, please."

"Valerio," panggilnya. "Tolong ke sini."

Valerio came out of the feed store with a bucket in each hand. He was twenty-two and had worked at the Hollow Lane Zoo for only five weeks. He still walked around the paths like a visitor who was afraid to touch things.

Valerio keluar dari toko pakan sambil membawa satu ember di setiap tangan. Usianya dua puluh dua tahun dan baru lima minggu bekerja di Kebun Binatang Hollow Lane. Ia masih berjalan di jalan setapak seperti pengunjung yang takut menyentuh apa pun.

"Did you move the silver wrap?" Una asked.

"Kamu memindahkan pembalut perak itu?" tanya Una.

"No. I have not touched the kit." He put down the buckets. "Is it important?"

"Tidak. Aku belum menyentuh kotak itu." Ia meletakkan ember-embernya. "Apakah itu penting?"

"It is the most important thing in the zoo this week."

"Itu hal paling penting di kebun binatang ini minggu ini."

The zoo was small. It had two otters, a family of long-armed monkeys and a sleepy bear. It also had two lamp owls whose eyes glowed gold after dark. But its true treasure lived in the stone pen at the back. It was a young griffin with a torn wing and a temper like a kettle.

Kebun binatang itu kecil. Isinya dua berang-berang, sekeluarga monyet berlengan panjang, dan seekor beruang yang mengantuk. Ada juga dua burung hantu lampu yang matanya berpendar keemasan setelah gelap. Tetapi hartanya yang sejati tinggal di kandang batu di bagian belakang. Seekor anak griffin dengan sayap robek dan perangai seperti ketel.

The griffin had arrived eleven days earlier in a crate. It was the size of a large dog. It had a sharp curved beak, a lion's back legs and feathers the colour of wet sand. For three days it refused to eat anything at all.

Griffin itu tiba sebelas hari lalu dalam sebuah peti. Ukurannya sebesar anjing besar. Ia punya paruh melengkung yang tajam, kaki belakang singa, dan bulu berwarna pasir basah. Selama tiga hari ia menolak makan apa pun.

On the fourth evening, Una had sat down on a stool in front of the pen. She had lit her old brass lantern. Then she had read the feeding log aloud, in a slow, ordinary voice. The chick had watched her with one angry eye. Then it had walked to the bowl and eaten every piece of meat.

Pada malam keempat, Una duduk di atas bangku kecil di depan kandang itu. Ia menyalakan lentera kuningan tuanya. Lalu ia membacakan catatan pemberian pakan keras-keras, dengan suara pelan dan biasa. Anak griffin itu mengawasinya dengan satu mata yang marah. Lalu ia berjalan ke mangkuk dan menghabiskan setiap potong daging.

"I will be here every evening," she had told it that night. "At feeding time, until your wing is strong. That is a promise."

"Aku akan ada di sini setiap malam," katanya kepada griffin itu malam itu. "Pada waktu makan, sampai sayapmu kuat. Itu janji."

Now it was almost half past four. Feeding time was at five. And the wing needed a fresh wrap before then. If the bones slipped, the damage would be permanent.

Sekarang sudah hampir pukul setengah lima. Waktu makan pukul lima. Dan sayap itu butuh pembalut baru sebelum itu. Kalau tulangnya bergeser, kerusakannya akan permanen.

"Think," Una said. "Who has been near the kit today?"

"Pikir," kata Una. "Siapa yang tadi berada di dekat kotak itu?"

They searched the store, the paths and the tool shed. At the monkey house, Valerio pointed through the wire.

Mereka mencari di toko, jalan setapak, dan gudang perkakas. Di rumah monyet, Valerio menunjuk lewat kawat.

"Look."

"Lihat."

High in the corner of the enclosure was a messy nest of branches and rags. A thin silver line ran through the middle of it, shining like a spider's thread. The monkeys sat nearby with calm and innocent faces.

Tinggi di sudut kandang ada sarang berantakan dari ranting dan kain perca. Seuntai garis perak tipis melintas di tengahnya, berkilau seperti benang laba-laba. Para monyet duduk di dekatnya dengan wajah tenang dan polos.

"They have been using it as a decoration," Una said. "And they will never give it back. I know them."

"Mereka memakainya sebagai hiasan," kata Una. "Dan mereka tidak akan pernah mengembalikannya. Aku kenal mereka."

"Could we trade for it? With fruit?"

"Bisakah kita menukarnya? Dengan buah?"

"If we had two hours, perhaps. We have thirty minutes." She breathed out slowly. "The clinic on the other side of the river keeps a spare roll. If I run, I can be back by half past five."

"Kalau kita punya dua jam, mungkin. Kita punya tiga puluh menit." Ia mengembuskan napas pelan. "Klinik di seberang sungai punya gulungan cadangan. Kalau aku lari, aku bisa kembali pukul setengah enam."

"But the feeding is at five," Valerio said.

"Tapi pemberian pakan jam lima," kata Valerio.

"I know."

"Aku tahu."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. A lamp owl called from the roof, a soft sound like someone blowing across a bottle.

Sesaat, tak seorang pun berbicara. Seekor burung hantu lampu berseru dari atap, suara lembut seperti orang meniup melintasi botol.

"If the chick does not eat tonight, it will grow weaker," Una said. "But if the wing slips, it may never fly. I cannot choose between those. I have to do the wrap first."

"Kalau anak griffin itu tidak makan malam ini, ia akan makin lemah," kata Una. "Tapi kalau sayapnya bergeser, ia mungkin tidak akan pernah terbang. Aku tidak bisa memilih di antara keduanya. Aku harus membalut sayapnya dulu."

She took the brass lantern from its hook and held it out to him.

Ia mengambil lentera kuningan itu dari pengaitnya dan mengulurkannya kepadanya.

"Light this at five. Sit on my stool. Read the log aloud, anything at all, in a calm voice. Put the bowl in front of the pen and do not rush."

"Nyalakan ini jam lima. Duduklah di bangku kecilku. Bacakan catatan itu keras-keras, apa saja, dengan suara tenang. Taruh mangkuknya di depan kandang dan jangan terburu-buru."

"I am afraid of that animal," Valerio said quietly. "It hissed at me on Tuesday."

"Aku takut pada hewan itu," kata Valerio pelan. "Hari Selasa ia mendesis padaku."

"It hisses at everyone."

"Ia mendesis pada semua orang."

"It looked at me as if I was lunch."

"Ia memandangku seolah-olah aku makan siangnya."

"Then talk slowly." Una put a hand on his arm. "You will be fine. I will run fast."

"Kalau begitu bicaralah pelan-pelan." Una meletakkan tangan di lengannya. "Kamu akan baik-baik saja. Aku akan lari cepat."

And she ran.

Dan ia pun berlari.

The path to the river was long and crowded with visitors going home. Una pushed through them with quick apologies, her bag bumping against her hip. At the footbridge she slowed down, and her heart dropped. A long orange barge was passing underneath, and the middle of the bridge had lifted into the air.

Jalan setapak menuju sungai panjang dan penuh pengunjung yang hendak pulang. Una menerobos mereka dengan permintaan maaf singkat, tasnya menghantam pinggulnya. Di jembatan penyeberangan ia melambat, dan hatinya mencelos. Sebuah tongkang oranye panjang sedang lewat di bawahnya, dan bagian tengah jembatan telah terangkat ke udara.

"How long?" she called to the bridge keeper.

"Berapa lama?" serunya kepada penjaga jembatan.

"Ten minutes," he said. "Maybe fifteen. It is a big one."

"Sepuluh menit," katanya. "Mungkin lima belas. Tongkangnya besar."

She looked at the water and at the clock on the opposite bank. Four forty-nine. She would reach the clinic by five past five, find the roll and run back. It would be six before she saw the stone pen.

Ia memandang air dan jam di tepi seberang. Pukul empat empat puluh sembilan. Ia akan sampai di klinik pukul lima lewat lima menit, menemukan gulungan itu, dan berlari kembali. Pukul enam baru ia akan melihat kandang batu itu.

She had broken her promise already. She just had not heard the sound of it yet.

Ia sudah melanggar janjinya. Hanya saja ia belum mendengar bunyinya.

Back at the zoo, Valerio lit the lantern at five o'clock exactly. His fingers shook so badly that he used three matches.

Di kebun binatang, Valerio menyalakan lentera tepat pukul lima. Jari-jarinya gemetar begitu hebat sehingga ia memakai tiga batang korek.

The path to the back of the zoo was quiet. The sun was low and orange between the trees. At the pen, the griffin chick was standing by the wall. Its injured wing was held awkwardly against its side. It looked at him with sharp amber eyes and opened its beak in a slow, rattling hiss.

Jalan setapak ke bagian belakang kebun binatang sunyi. Matahari rendah dan oranye di antara pepohonan. Di kandang, anak griffin itu berdiri di dekat dinding. Sayapnya yang cedera ditahan canggung di sisi tubuhnya. Ia menatapnya dengan mata kuning tua yang tajam dan membuka paruhnya dalam desisan yang lambat dan berderak.

Valerio stopped. His legs wanted to turn round.

Valerio berhenti. Kakinya ingin berbalik.

Then he remembered the stool. He pulled it forward and sat down, holding the lantern in his lap. He put the bowl of meat on the ground in front of the bars.

Lalu ia teringat bangku itu. Ia menariknya ke depan dan duduk, memegang lentera di pangkuannya. Ia meletakkan mangkuk daging di tanah di depan jeruji.

"Hello," he said, and his voice came out thin. "I am not Una. I am sorry about that. She will come back as soon as she can."

"Halo," katanya, dan suaranya keluar tipis. "Aku bukan Una. Maaf soal itu. Ia akan kembali secepat mungkin."

The griffin did not move.

Griffin itu tidak bergerak.

He picked up the feeding log. Una kept it in a battered green notebook, and he opened it at random. It listed dates, weights and short notes in her small handwriting. He began to read.

Ia mengambil catatan pemberian pakan. Una menyimpannya dalam buku catatan hijau yang sudah usang, dan ia membukanya sembarang halaman. Isinya tanggal, berat badan, dan catatan pendek dengan tulisan tangan Una yang kecil. Ia mulai membaca.

"Tuesday. Chick refused the first piece, took the second. Watched the lantern for a long time."

"Selasa. Anak griffin menolak potongan pertama, mengambil yang kedua. Menatap lentera lama sekali."

The griffin tilted its head.

Griffin itu memiringkan kepalanya.

"Wednesday. Slept in the corner. Ate a little. Did not hiss at Valerio." He stopped. "That is not true. It hissed at me. Una wrote that to be kind."

"Rabu. Tidur di sudut. Makan sedikit. Tidak mendesis pada Valerio." Ia berhenti. "Itu tidak benar. Ia mendesis padaku. Una menulis itu demi kebaikan."

The chick made a low sound in its throat. It was not quite a hiss any more.

Anak griffin itu mengeluarkan suara rendah di tenggorokannya. Suara itu sudah tidak benar-benar desisan lagi.

He kept reading. When the log ran out of pages, he began to talk about his own day. He talked about the feed store and the strange noise the cold tap made. He told it how he had called the otters by the wrong names for a whole week. His voice grew steadier. The griffin took one step toward the bowl, and then another.

Ia terus membaca. Ketika halaman catatan itu habis, ia mulai menceritakan harinya sendiri. Ia bercerita tentang toko pakan dan bunyi aneh yang dikeluarkan keran air dingin. Ia memberi tahu griffin itu bagaimana ia memanggil berang-berang dengan nama yang salah selama seminggu penuh. Suaranya makin mantap. Griffin itu melangkah satu langkah ke arah mangkuk, lalu satu lagi.

By the time the lantern burned low, the bowl was empty. The chick had settled on the straw. Its good wing was folded neatly, and its eyes were half closed.

Ketika lentera menyala redup, mangkuk itu sudah kosong. Anak griffin itu sudah berbaring di atas jerami. Sayapnya yang sehat terlipat rapi, dan matanya setengah terpejam.

Una arrived at twenty to six, out of breath. The new roll of silver wrap was in her fist. She slowed down as she came round the corner. She saw the light first, and then the stool. Valerio sat on it with the green notebook open on his knee.

Una tiba pukul enam kurang dua puluh, terengah-engah. Gulungan baru pembalut perak itu ada dalam genggamannya. Ia melambat saat berbelok di sudut. Ia melihat cahayanya lebih dulu, lalu bangku itu. Valerio duduk di atasnya dengan buku catatan hijau terbuka di lututnya.

The griffin lay at his feet, as close to the bars as it could get. Its beak rested on the ground beside his boot.

Griffin itu berbaring di dekat kakinya, sedekat mungkin dengan jeruji. Paruhnya bertumpu di tanah di samping sepatu botnya.

"I promised that I would be here," Una said softly.

"Aku berjanji akan ada di sini," kata Una pelan.

"You were," said Valerio. "I only borrowed your stool."

"Memang kamu ada," kata Valerio. "Aku hanya meminjam bangkumu."