The Snow Globe That Wandered

On Monday morning, the snow globe was on the wrong shelf.

Pada Senin pagi, bola salju itu berada di rak yang salah.

Luca saw it at once. He opened the door of his candle workshop at seven. The room smelled of warm wax. Everything stood in its place, except the snow globe.

Luca langsung melihatnya. Ia membuka pintu bengkel lilinnya pukul tujuh. Ruangan itu berbau lilin hangat. Segalanya berada di tempatnya, kecuali bola salju itu.

"Asha," he called. "Did you move my globe?"

"Asha," panggilnya. "Apa kamu memindahkan bola kacaku?"

Asha came in from the back room with a box of wicks. "No. Why?"

Asha masuk dari ruang belakang membawa sekotak sumbu. "Tidak. Kenapa?"

"It lives on the high shelf by the window. Look. It is on the table by the wax pot."

"Dia tinggal di rak tinggi dekat jendela. Lihat. Sekarang dia ada di meja dekat panci lilin."

Asha put the box down and looked. Inside the glass, a tiny blue house stood under a tree. White snow slowly fell around it. Luca bought the globe at a market when he opened the workshop. It was the only thing in the room not for sale.

Asha meletakkan kotak itu dan melihat. Di dalam kaca, sebuah rumah biru mungil berdiri di bawah sebatang pohon. Salju putih turun perlahan di sekelilingnya. Luca membeli bola itu di sebuah pasar ketika ia membuka bengkel ini. Itu satu-satunya benda di ruangan itu yang tidak dijual.

"Maybe you moved it yourself," she said. "You were tired on Friday."

"Mungkin kamu sendiri yang memindahkannya," katanya. "Kamu kelelahan hari Jumat."

"I never touch it. It is a rule."

"Aku tidak pernah menyentuhnya. Itu aturan."

Asha smiled. "Then we have a ghost."

Asha tersenyum. "Berarti kita punya hantu."

"Do not joke," said Luca. He put the globe back on its shelf. He turned the little house to face the room. Then he went to work.

"Jangan bercanda," kata Luca. Ia mengembalikan bola itu ke raknya. Ia memutar rumah kecil itu agar menghadap ke ruangan. Lalu ia mulai bekerja.

On Tuesday morning, the globe was gone again.

Pada Selasa pagi, bola itu hilang lagi.

This time, it stood on the low shelf near the pouring room. Luca stared at it with his mouth open. The little house still faced the room. It seemed to watch him work.

Kali ini, bola itu berdiri di rak rendah dekat ruang penuangan. Luca menatapnya dengan mulut ternganga. Rumah kecil itu masih menghadap ke ruangan. Seolah-olah ia mengawasinya bekerja.

"This is not funny," he said.

"Ini tidak lucu," katanya.

"I did not laugh," said Asha. But her eyes were bright. She loved puzzles more than anyone he knew. She took a pencil from behind her ear. "Let us find out what happens here. We need clues."

"Aku tidak tertawa," kata Asha. Tetapi matanya berbinar. Ia lebih menyukai teka-teki daripada siapa pun yang Luca kenal. Ia mengambil pensil dari balik telinganya. "Ayo kita cari tahu apa yang terjadi di sini. Kita butuh petunjuk."

They drew a plan of the workshop on brown paper. Asha marked the high shelf with a cross. Then she marked the table. Then she marked the low shelf.

Mereka menggambar denah bengkel di atas kertas cokelat. Asha menandai rak tinggi dengan tanda silang. Lalu ia menandai meja. Lalu rak rendah.

"Look at the path," she said. "The globe does not go in a straight line. But every night it moves a little closer to the middle."

"Lihat jalurnya," katanya. "Bola itu tidak bergerak dalam garis lurus. Tapi setiap malam dia bergeser sedikit lebih dekat ke tengah."

"What is in the middle?"

"Apa yang ada di tengah?"

"The big melting stove."

"Tungku peleburan yang besar."

Luca rubbed his chin. "A ghost that likes warm places?"

Luca mengusap dagunya. "Hantu yang menyukai tempat hangat?"

"Maybe." Asha drew a line around the stove. "That is our first clue. The globe walks toward the heat."

"Mungkin." Asha menggambar garis mengitari tungku itu. "Itu petunjuk pertama kita. Bola itu berjalan menuju panas."

Luca checked the door and every window. They were all locked. He climbed the ladder and looked at the roof. It was shut, with dust on the handle. He even looked in the cellar, behind the sacks of wax. Nobody was there.

Luca memeriksa pintu dan setiap jendela. Semuanya terkunci. Ia memanjat tangga dan memeriksa atap. Atap itu tertutup, dengan debu di gagangnya. Ia bahkan memeriksa ruang bawah tanah, di balik karung-karung lilin. Tidak ada siapa pun di sana.

"Maybe a thief," he said. "A thief with a strange hobby."

"Mungkin pencuri," katanya. "Pencuri dengan hobi aneh."

"A thief takes things," said Asha. "He does not carry them three steps and leave them."

"Pencuri mengambil barang," kata Asha. "Dia tidak membawanya tiga langkah lalu meninggalkannya."

On Tuesday evening, they made a trap. Luca put the globe on the high shelf. Asha spread a thin layer of white chalk dust over its glass. The dust showed every touch.

Pada Selasa sore, mereka memasang jebakan. Luca meletakkan bola itu di rak tinggi. Asha menaburkan selapis tipis debu kapur putih di atas kacanya. Debu itu akan menunjukkan setiap sentuhan.

Then they locked the door and went home.

Lalu mereka mengunci pintu dan pulang.

On Wednesday morning, they ran in together. The globe stood on the corner of the stove table. The glass was still covered in chalk dust, with no finger marks.

Pada Rabu pagi, mereka berlari masuk bersama. Bola itu berdiri di sudut meja tungku. Kacanya masih tertutup debu kapur, tanpa bekas jari.

"That is impossible," said Luca. His voice was small.

"Itu mustahil," kata Luca. Suaranya lirih.

Asha did not answer. She looked at the globe. Under its round glass base, a short grey thread stuck out. She pulled it gently into the light.

Asha tidak menjawab. Ia memandang bola itu. Di bawah alas kacanya yang bundar, sehelai benang abu-abu pendek menyembul. Ia menariknya pelan-pelan ke tempat yang terang.

"Look," she said. "Wool."

"Lihat," katanya. "Wol."

"We do not own grey wool."

"Kita tidak punya wol abu-abu."

"No. And ghosts do not wear sweaters." She held it up. "This is our second clue. Somebody carried it in a grey scarf. That is why the glass has no marks."

"Tidak. Dan hantu tidak memakai sweter." Ia mengangkatnya. "Ini petunjuk kedua kita. Seseorang membawanya dengan syal abu-abu. Itu sebabnya kacanya tidak ada bekas."

"But the door was locked!"

"Tapi pintunya terkunci!"

"Two people have a key. You, and me." Asha stopped. "Wait. Does anyone else come in here at night?"

"Dua orang punya kuncinya. Kamu dan aku." Asha berhenti. "Tunggu. Apakah ada orang lain yang masuk ke sini pada malam hari?"

Luca opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he looked slowly at the nail beside the door.

Luca membuka mulut lalu menutupnya lagi. Kemudian ia perlahan menatap paku di samping pintu.

A thick grey book hung there on a string. It was the cleaning book. The owner of the building wrote the rules inside the cover. A cleaner came every weekday night at ten. He washed the floor and emptied the bins. Luca never talked to him. They only met on the stairs, once, with a nod.

Sebuah buku abu-abu tebal tergantung di sana pada seutas tali. Itu buku kebersihan. Pemilik gedung menulis peraturan di dalam sampulnya. Seorang petugas kebersihan datang setiap malam kerja pukul sepuluh. Ia mengepel lantai dan mengosongkan tempat sampah. Luca tidak pernah berbicara dengannya. Mereka hanya pernah bertemu di tangga, sekali, dengan anggukan.

"I never read this," he said.

"Aku tidak pernah membaca ini," katanya.

"Then read it now."

"Kalau begitu bacalah sekarang."

He opened the book and ran his finger down the page. Date after date, the cleaner wrote one short line. Floor washed. Bins empty. Door locked. Then he came to Friday.

Ia membuka buku itu dan menyusurkan jarinya di sepanjang halaman. Tanggal demi tanggal, petugas itu menulis satu baris pendek. Lantai dipel. Tempat sampah kosong. Pintu terkunci. Lalu sampailah ia pada hari Jumat.

"Floor washed. Bins empty. Door locked," Luca read. "Little blue house looked cold. Moved it nearer the stove. Hope this is OK."

"Lantai dipel. Tempat sampah kosong. Pintu terkunci," Luca membaca. "Rumah biru kecil tampak kedinginan. Saya pindahkan lebih dekat ke tungku. Semoga tidak apa-apa."

Asha leaned over his shoulder. She read the next line. Then she read the one after.

Asha menunduk melewati bahunya. Ia membaca baris berikutnya. Lalu baris sesudahnya.

"Monday," she said. "The little house was cold again. I think it needs more heat. Moved it a bit further."

"Senin," katanya. "Rumah kecil itu kedinginan lagi. Saya rasa ia perlu lebih banyak panas. Saya pindahkan sedikit lebih jauh."

"And Tuesday." Luca laughed so hard that he sat down on a sack. "He put it by the stove again. He wrote, I tied a bit of scarf around it. It should be warm."

"Dan Selasa." Luca tertawa begitu keras sampai ia terduduk di atas sebuah karung. "Dia menaruhnya dekat tungku lagi. Dia menulis, Saya ikatkan sedikit syal di sekelilingnya. Seharusnya hangat."

"The scarf," said Asha. "That is why there was wool. And the book is our third clue."

"Syal," kata Asha. "Itu sebabnya ada wol. Dan buku ini petunjuk ketiga kita."

"A ghost," said Luca, wiping his eyes. "I called a polite man with a mop a ghost."

"Hantu," kata Luca sambil mengusap matanya. "Aku menyebut seorang pria sopan dengan pel sebagai hantu."

"He is a very kind ghost."

"Dia hantu yang sangat baik hati."

They stopped laughing. Luca looked at the globe on the corner of the stove table. The little blue house sat close to the warm iron. The snow fell slowly around it.

Mereka berhenti tertawa. Luca memandang bola di sudut meja tungku itu. Rumah biru kecil itu duduk dekat besi yang hangat. Salju turun perlahan di sekelilingnya.

"The house does not mind the heat," Asha said. "The cleaner thinks it is cold because it is made of snow."

"Rumah itu tidak keberatan dengan panasnya," kata Asha. "Petugas kebersihan itu mengira dia kedinginan karena dia terbuat dari salju."

"It is the kindest idea anyone ever had about my globe." Luca stood up and went to his desk. He found a clean card and a pen. He wrote a short note, then read it out loud.

"Itu gagasan paling baik hati yang pernah ada tentang bola kacaku." Luca berdiri dan pergi ke mejanya. Ia menemukan selembar kartu bersih dan sebuah pena. Ia menulis catatan singkat, lalu membacanya keras-keras.

"Dear friend. Thank you. The little house is not cold. But we like that you worry. Please leave it by the stove."

"Teman yang baik. Terima kasih. Rumah kecil itu tidak kedinginan. Tapi kami senang Anda mengkhawatirkannya. Tolong biarkan ia di dekat tungku."

Asha smiled. "Sign it with your name."

Asha tersenyum. "Tanda tangani dengan namamu."

"I think I will sign it from the little house."

"Kurasa aku akan menandatanganinya atas nama rumah kecil itu."

He put the card in the book. Then he lifted the globe and gave it a last shake. White snow rose and turned in the glass. Asha lit one candle on the table beside it.

Ia menaruh kartu itu di dalam buku. Lalu ia mengangkat bola kaca itu dan mengguncangnya untuk terakhir kali. Salju putih naik dan berputar di dalam kaca. Asha menyalakan satu lilin di meja di sampingnya.

The flame bent and stood up again. Light fell across the glass. In the quiet room, the tiny house sat warm in the glow. The snow came down slowly around its door.

Nyala api itu menunduk lalu berdiri tegak lagi. Cahaya jatuh di atas kaca. Di ruangan yang tenang itu, rumah mungil itu duduk hangat dalam sinarnya. Salju turun perlahan di sekitar pintunya.