The Smallest Black Hole

Aziz worked at the observatory on the hill. One night each year, the doors opened to everyone. It was open night, and Aziz was the guide.

Aziz bekerja di observatorium di atas bukit. Setahun sekali, pada satu malam, pintunya dibuka untuk semua orang. Malam itu adalah malam terbuka, dan Aziz adalah pemandunya.

He wore a blue jacket with a silver star on the back. He carried a clipboard and a small torch. He loved his job.

Ia mengenakan jaket biru dengan bintang perak di punggungnya. Ia membawa papan jepit dan senter kecil. Ia menyukai pekerjaannya.

The big telescope sat under a round roof. Tonight it pointed at the Moon. The Moon looked huge and bright and close.

Teleskop besar itu berada di bawah atap bundar. Malam ini teleskop itu diarahkan ke Bulan. Bulan tampak besar, terang, dan dekat.

By eight o'clock, the queue was very long. It went up the stairs and along the hall. It reached the front door. Families waited with coffee and cake. Children jumped and asked questions.

Pukul delapan, antrean sudah sangat panjang. Antrean itu naik tangga dan memanjang di sepanjang aula. Sampai ke pintu depan. Keluarga-keluarga menunggu sambil membawa kopi dan kue. Anak-anak melompat-lompat dan mengajukan pertanyaan.

"Welcome," Aziz said to the first family. "Please look for one minute. Then the next person can look."

"Selamat datang," kata Aziz kepada keluarga pertama. "Silakan melihat selama satu menit. Lalu orang berikutnya bisa melihat."

One minute was not enough for anybody. A man looked for ten minutes. He said the Moon looked like cheese. A woman took twenty photos with her phone. A boy asked if he could touch it.

Satu menit tidak cukup bagi siapa pun. Seorang pria melihat selama sepuluh menit. Katanya Bulan tampak seperti keju. Seorang perempuan mengambil dua puluh foto dengan ponselnya. Seorang anak laki-laki bertanya apakah ia boleh menyentuhnya.

Aziz checked his watch again and again. The queue grew longer. He wanted every visitor to be happy. But he also wanted to go home before morning.

Aziz memeriksa jam tangannya berulang kali. Antrean makin panjang. Ia ingin setiap pengunjung senang. Tetapi ia juga ingin pulang sebelum pagi.

Koji walked past with a bucket. Koji was the caretaker. He fixed the lights, the doors and the heating. He fixed almost everything in the building.

Koji lewat membawa seember. Koji adalah petugas pemeliharaan. Ia memperbaiki lampu, pintu, dan pemanas. Ia memperbaiki hampir semua hal di gedung itu.

He did not fix his own bucket. It had a round hole in the bottom. The hole was the size of a coin. For a year, it sat under a dripping pipe. Now the pipe was fixed, and the bucket was empty.

Ia tidak memperbaiki embernya sendiri. Ember itu punya lubang bundar di dasarnya. Lubang itu seukuran koin. Selama setahun, ember itu diletakkan di bawah pipa yang menetes. Sekarang pipanya sudah diperbaiki, dan ember itu kosong.

"You look worried," Koji said.

"Kamu kelihatan cemas," kata Koji.

"The line is too long," Aziz said. "Nobody wants to leave the telescope."

"Antreannya terlalu panjang," kata Aziz. "Tidak ada yang mau meninggalkan teleskop."

"People love the Moon," Koji said. "That is a good problem."

"Orang-orang suka Bulan," kata Koji. "Itu masalah yang baik."

"It is still a problem," Aziz said.

"Tetap saja itu masalah," kata Aziz.

Then a small girl pulled his jacket. She held her mother's hand. Her hat had two round bear ears.

Lalu seorang gadis kecil menarik jaketnya. Ia menggandeng tangan ibunya. Topinya punya dua telinga beruang yang bundar.

"Excuse me," she said. "My brother says there is a black hole here. I want to see it."

"Permisi," katanya. "Kakakku bilang di sini ada lubang hitam. Aku ingin melihatnya."

Aziz bent down. "I am sorry," he said. "Nobody can see a black hole. It is black. It gives no light."

Aziz membungkuk. "Maaf ya," katanya. "Tidak ada yang bisa melihat lubang hitam. Warnanya hitam. Ia tidak memancarkan cahaya."

"Not even with this big telescope?" the girl asked.

"Bahkan dengan teleskop besar ini pun tidak?" tanya gadis itu.

"Not even with this one," Aziz said.

"Bahkan dengan yang ini pun tidak," kata Aziz.

The girl looked at her shoes. "I wish I could see one," she said. "Just one. Then I could tell my class."

Gadis itu menunduk menatap sepatunya. "Aku ingin sekali bisa melihatnya," katanya. "Satu saja. Lalu aku bisa menceritakannya kepada teman-teman sekelasku."

Her mother smiled at Aziz and shrugged. Aziz felt terrible. He had a Moon, a map of the stars and a clipboard. He did not have a black hole.

Ibunya tersenyum kepada Aziz dan mengangkat bahu. Aziz merasa sangat tidak enak. Ia punya Bulan, peta bintang, dan papan jepit. Ia tidak punya lubang hitam.

Koji put a hand on his bucket. "Wishes are my job," he said. "I fix things."

Koji meletakkan tangannya di atas embernya. "Mengabulkan permintaan itu tugasku," katanya. "Aku memperbaiki berbagai hal."

"Koji, please," Aziz said. "We cannot fool a child."

"Koji, jangan," kata Aziz. "Kita tidak boleh menipu anak kecil."

"I will not fool her," Koji said. "I will show her something true. Come with me, small friend."

"Aku tidak akan menipunya," kata Koji. "Aku akan menunjukkan sesuatu yang benar. Ikut aku, teman kecil."

Koji led the girl and her mother to the cloakroom. It was small and quiet and full of coats. He closed the door and switched off the light. Then he turned on a tiny lamp.

Koji membawa gadis itu dan ibunya ke ruang penitipan mantel. Ruangan itu kecil, sunyi, dan penuh dengan mantel. Ia menutup pintu dan mematikan lampu. Lalu ia menyalakan sebuah lampu kecil.

He took off his big black coat. He wrapped it around the open end of the bucket. He tied the sleeves tight. Now the bucket was dark inside. Only the hole in the bottom was open.

Ia melepas mantel hitamnya yang besar. Ia membungkuskannya di sekeliling ujung ember yang terbuka. Ia mengikat lengan-lengan mantel itu erat-erat. Sekarang bagian dalam ember itu gelap. Hanya lubang di dasarnya yang terbuka.

"Put your eye here," Koji said. "Look through the hole."

"Taruh matamu di sini," kata Koji. "Lihat lewat lubangnya."

The girl bent down and looked. She looked for a while.

Gadis itu membungkuk dan melihat. Ia melihat beberapa saat.

"I see nothing," she said.

"Aku tidak melihat apa-apa," katanya.

"Exactly," Koji said. "Nothing comes out. Not even light. That is how a black hole works. It is not a real black hole, but it shows the idea."

"Tepat sekali," kata Koji. "Tidak ada yang keluar. Bahkan cahaya pun tidak. Begitulah cara kerja lubang hitam. Ini bukan lubang hitam sungguhan, tapi ini menunjukkan idenya."

"So it is a bucket," the girl said.

"Jadi ini ember," kata gadis itu.

"It is a very small black hole," Koji said. "I made it with my own hands."

"Ini lubang hitam yang sangat kecil," kata Koji. "Aku membuatnya dengan tanganku sendiri."

The girl pushed one finger into the hole. "It ate my finger!" she shouted. She pulled it out and counted her fingers. All five were still there. She laughed so hard that the bear ears on her hat shook.

Gadis itu memasukkan satu jarinya ke dalam lubang. "Jariku dimakan!" teriaknya. Ia menariknya keluar dan menghitung jari-jarinya. Kelimanya masih ada. Ia tertawa begitu keras sampai telinga beruang di topinya bergoyang.

Outside the door, some children heard the noise. They came into the cloakroom. Soon there were ten of them, then twenty. Koji held up the bucket like a prize.

Di luar pintu, beberapa anak mendengar keributan itu. Mereka masuk ke ruang penitipan mantel. Segera ada sepuluh anak, lalu dua puluh. Koji mengangkat ember itu seperti hadiah.

"One at a time," he said. "Do not feed it big things."

"Satu per satu," katanya. "Jangan beri makan benda-benda besar."

Meanwhile, Aziz went back to the telescope. The room was almost empty. Only one man stood at the eyepiece. He was asleep, standing up. Aziz looked around, surprised. Where did everyone go?

Sementara itu, Aziz kembali ke teleskop. Ruangan itu hampir kosong. Hanya seorang pria berdiri di lensa mata. Ia tertidur sambil berdiri. Aziz menoleh ke sekeliling dengan heran. Ke mana semua orang pergi?

He followed the noise down the hall. The cloakroom now had its own queue. Children looked into the bucket and screamed with joy. Then they pulled back their fingers. Parents took photos of the hole. Koji sat on a chair like a king.

Ia mengikuti suara keributan itu menyusuri aula. Ruang penitipan mantel itu kini punya antreannya sendiri. Anak-anak melihat ke dalam ember dan menjerit kegirangan. Lalu mereka menarik jari-jari mereka kembali. Para orang tua memotret lubang itu. Koji duduk di atas kursi seperti seorang raja.

"What is all this noise?" a voice asked.

"Ada apa dengan semua keributan ini?" tanya sebuah suara.

It was the director of the observatory. She wore a long grey coat and a serious face. She was in charge of everything.

Itu adalah direktur observatorium. Ia mengenakan mantel abu-abu panjang dan berwajah serius. Ia bertanggung jawab atas segalanya.

Aziz swallowed. "Koji shows the visitors a black hole," he said.

Aziz menelan ludah. "Koji menunjukkan lubang hitam kepada para pengunjung," katanya.

"A black hole," the director said. "In my cloakroom."

"Lubang hitam," kata direktur itu. "Di ruang penitipan mantel saya."

"A small one," Koji said. He held out the bucket.

"Yang kecil," kata Koji. Ia mengulurkan ember itu.

The director bent down and looked through the hole. She stayed there for a minute. Then she stood up, and her serious face broke into a smile.

Direktur itu membungkuk dan melihat lewat lubang. Ia bertahan di sana selama satu menit. Lalu ia berdiri, dan wajahnya yang serius pecah menjadi senyuman.

"Nothing," she said. "I see absolutely nothing."

"Tidak ada apa-apa," katanya. "Saya sama sekali tidak melihat apa pun."

"Thank you," Koji said.

"Terima kasih," kata Koji.

"That is the best explanation I ever saw," the director said. "Our telescope cost a lot of money. It cannot show nothing this well."

"Itu penjelasan terbaik yang pernah saya lihat," kata direktur itu. "Teleskop kita harganya mahal. Ia tidak bisa menunjukkan ketiadaan sebaik ini."

Aziz laughed. He could not stop. He laughed until the sleepy man came to see why.

Aziz tertawa. Ia tidak bisa berhenti. Ia tertawa sampai pria yang mengantuk itu datang untuk melihat ada apa.

At ten o'clock, the visitors went home. The girl with the bear ears left last. She waved at Koji from the door.

Pukul sepuluh, para pengunjung pulang. Gadis bertelinga beruang itu pergi paling akhir. Ia melambaikan tangan kepada Koji dari pintu.

"I will tell my class," she said. "I saw a black hole, and I fed it my finger."

"Aku akan menceritakannya kepada teman-teman sekelasku," katanya. "Aku melihat lubang hitam, dan aku memberinya makan jariku."

"Good," Koji said.

"Bagus," kata Koji.

"I know it is a bucket," she whispered. "But the hole is real."

"Aku tahu itu ember," bisiknya. "Tapi lubangnya nyata."

Koji smiled. "That is the best part," he said.

Koji tersenyum. "Itulah bagian terbaiknya," katanya.

When the hall was empty, Aziz sat down on a chair. His feet hurt. His voice was almost gone. He looked at the bucket on the floor.

Ketika aula sudah kosong, Aziz duduk di sebuah kursi. Kakinya sakit. Suaranya hampir habis. Ia memandang ember di lantai.

"We need a sign," he said. "Moon this way. Black hole that way."

"Kita butuh papan petunjuk," katanya. "Bulan lewat sini. Lubang hitam lewat sana."

"The telescope cost a lot," Koji said. "The bucket cost nothing. And which one had the longest queue?"

"Teleskop itu mahal," kata Koji. "Ember itu tidak berharga. Dan mana yang antreannya paling panjang?"

Aziz looked at the bucket for a moment.

Aziz memandang ember itu sejenak.

"Next year," he said, "we need two queues."

"Tahun depan," katanya, "kita butuh dua antrean."