The Ticket Machine at the Kite Shop

The ticket machine in the kite shop has a problem, and everybody on the sea wall knows it. You put in a coin, you press a button, and the machine gives you the wrong change. Sometimes it gives you too little. Sometimes it gives you a handful of heavy brass tokens that no shop in town accepts.

Mesin karcis di toko layang-layang itu bermasalah, dan semua orang di tanggul laut tahu itu. Kamu memasukkan koin, menekan tombol, dan mesin itu memberi kembalian yang salah. Kadang terlalu sedikit. Kadang segenggam token kuningan berat yang tak diterima toko mana pun di kota.

Tala stands behind the counter on the morning of the Kite Festival. She is sixteen, and she is in charge of the shop until noon. The owner has gone to the harbour office to collect the festival flags. Her jobs are simple: sell tickets, keep the shelves tidy and look after the dragon.

Tala berdiri di balik meja kasir pada pagi Festival Layang-Layang. Ia berusia enam belas tahun, dan ia bertanggung jawab atas toko itu sampai tengah hari. Sang pemilik pergi ke kantor pelabuhan untuk mengambil bendera-bendera festival. Tugasnya sederhana: menjual karcis, merapikan rak, dan menjaga sang naga.

The dragon is the biggest kite in the shop. It is twenty metres long, with green silk scales and a tail made of a hundred ribbons. It lies in a long canvas bag on a wheeled trolley by the door. At noon, the festival judges will stand at the end of the sea wall. They will count the kites that fly. The shop's dragon must be the first one up, because the owner has promised it.

Naga itu adalah layang-layang terbesar di toko. Panjangnya dua puluh meter, dengan sisik sutra hijau dan ekor yang terbuat dari seratus pita. Naga itu tergeletak dalam kantong kanvas panjang di atas kereta dorong beroda di dekat pintu. Pada tengah hari, para juri festival akan berdiri di ujung tanggul laut. Mereka akan menghitung layang-layang yang terbang. Naga milik toko harus menjadi yang pertama naik, karena sang pemilik sudah berjanji.

"How far is the launch platform?" asks Ciro. He is fifteen and works at the shop on weekends. He has just arrived with a bag of oranges under his arm.

"Seberapa jauh peron peluncurannya?" tanya Ciro. Ia berusia lima belas tahun dan bekerja di toko itu pada akhir pekan. Ia baru tiba dengan sekantong jeruk di bawah lengannya.

"Two kilometres along the wall," says Tala. "If the path is clear, it takes twenty-five minutes with the trolley."

"Dua kilometer menyusuri tanggul," kata Tala. "Kalau jalannya lengang, butuh dua puluh lima menit dengan kereta dorong."

"And is the path clear?"

"Dan apakah jalannya lengang?"

Tala looks out of the window. The sea wall is a river of people. Families with prams, stalls selling paper hats, a band with drums and a man walking a goat. It is nine forty-five, and the crowd grows thicker every minute.

Tala memandang keluar jendela. Tanggul laut itu seperti sungai manusia. Keluarga dengan kereta bayi, lapak yang menjual topi kertas, sebuah grup musik dengan drum, dan seorang pria yang menuntun kambing. Waktu menunjukkan pukul sembilan empat puluh lima, dan keramaian bertambah padat setiap menit.

"No," she says. "The owner told me to leave at eleven. But I think we need to go earlier."

"Tidak," katanya. "Pemilik menyuruhku berangkat pukul sebelas. Tapi kurasa kita harus berangkat lebih awal."

They start loading the trolley, and then the first customer of the day comes in. He is a tall man with a sunburnt nose. He wants a small blue kite for his daughter, and he pays with a big coin.

Mereka mulai memuat kereta dorong, lalu pelanggan pertama hari itu masuk. Ia pria jangkung dengan hidung terbakar matahari. Ia ingin layang-layang biru kecil untuk putrinya, dan ia membayar dengan koin besar.

Tala presses the buttons on the ticket machine. It makes a clicking noise, and the little door pops open. Five brass tokens roll out onto the counter. Each one has a small wave stamped on its face.

Tala menekan tombol-tombol di mesin karcis. Mesin itu mengeluarkan bunyi klik, dan pintu kecilnya terbuka. Lima token kuningan menggelinding keluar ke atas meja. Masing-masing bergambar ombak kecil di permukaannya.

"These are not coins," says the man.

"Ini bukan koin," kata pria itu.

"I know," Tala says with a tired smile. "The machine does that. I am very sorry. Let me find you real change."

"Aku tahu," kata Tala dengan senyum lelah. "Mesinnya memang begitu. Saya sungguh minta maaf. Biar saya carikan kembalian yang asli."

She opens the cash drawer and counts out the coins by hand. The man leaves, shaking his head. Tala picks up one of the tokens and holds it to the light. Then she stops, because the wave looks familiar. She has seen it somewhere else, but she cannot think where.

Ia membuka laci uang dan menghitung koin dengan tangan. Pria itu pergi sambil menggeleng. Tala memungut salah satu token dan mengangkatnya ke cahaya. Lalu ia berhenti, karena ombak itu tampak familier. Ia pernah melihatnya di tempat lain, tetapi tak ingat di mana.

At ten fifteen, they leave the shop. The trolley is heavy, and the dragon's tail drags behind it like a green river. Outside, the crowd closes round them at once. A boy steps on the ribbons. A woman with a pram has to stop and wait. After ten minutes, they have moved only a hundred metres.

Pukul sepuluh lima belas, mereka meninggalkan toko. Kereta dorong itu berat, dan ekor sang naga terseret di belakangnya seperti sungai hijau. Di luar, keramaian langsung menutup di sekitar mereka. Seorang anak laki-laki menginjak pita-pita. Seorang perempuan dengan kereta bayi harus berhenti dan menunggu. Setelah sepuluh menit, mereka baru bergerak seratus meter.

"This will take an hour," Ciro says. He wipes his forehead. "We are going to miss the judges."

"Ini akan makan waktu satu jam," kata Ciro. Ia menyeka dahinya. "Kita akan ketinggalan para juri."

"I know," Tala says. She pulls the trolley out of the crowd and parks it against the sea wall. "I just need to think."

"Aku tahu," kata Tala. Ia menarik kereta dorong keluar dari keramaian dan memarkirnya di dinding tanggul. "Aku hanya perlu berpikir."

She puts her hand in her pocket and finds the brass token. She turns it over and looks at the wave. Behind her, the old wall is built of grey stone blocks. About ten steps away, there is a heavy iron door in it. It is half covered by a rusty grating. Above the door, carved into the stone, is a small wave.

Ia memasukkan tangan ke saku dan menemukan token kuningan itu. Ia membaliknya dan menatap ombaknya. Di belakangnya, dinding tua itu dibangun dari balok-balok batu abu-abu. Sekitar sepuluh langkah dari sana, ada pintu besi berat di dalamnya. Pintu itu setengah tertutup jeruji berkarat. Di atas pintu, terukir di batu, ada sebuah ombak kecil.

"Ciro, look at that door."

"Ciro, lihat pintu itu."

"What door?"

"Pintu apa?"

"The one with the wave on it." Tala points. "Why does the machine give out tokens with a wave? Why would a ticket machine in a kite shop have tokens at all?"

"Yang ada ombaknya." Tala menunjuk. "Kenapa mesin itu mengeluarkan token bergambar ombak? Kenapa mesin karcis di toko layang-layang punya token?"

Ciro walks over to the grating. Beside the door is a small turnstile with a slot. The slot is exactly the size of a coin. He takes the token from Tala's hand and pushes it in. The turnstile clicks.

Ciro berjalan ke jeruji itu. Di samping pintu ada pintu putar kecil dengan celah. Celah itu persis seukuran koin. Ia mengambil token dari tangan Tala dan mendorongnya masuk. Pintu putar itu berklik.

"It fits," he whispers.

"Pas," bisiknya.

"The machine is very old," says Tala, thinking aloud. "The owner built it from parts. Maybe it came from the old maintenance tunnel, the one workers used before the promenade existed. If the tunnel runs along the inside of the wall, it must go straight to the end."

"Mesin itu sangat tua," kata Tala, berpikir keras. "Pemilik membuatnya dari berbagai suku cadang. Mungkin berasal dari terowongan pemeliharaan lama, yang dipakai para pekerja sebelum jalan promenade ada. Kalau terowongan itu menyusuri bagian dalam dinding, pasti langsung menuju ujungnya."

"Or it goes nowhere," says Ciro. "Or it is full of water."

"Atau tidak ke mana-mana," kata Ciro. "Atau penuh air."

"Maybe. But the crowd is certain to be slow."

"Mungkin. Tapi keramaian itu pasti lambat."

They look at each other. The clock on the bell tower says ten thirty-five. Ciro sighs, then smiles. "You have five tokens. Do you think they work for a trolley?"

Mereka saling memandang. Jam di menara lonceng menunjukkan pukul sepuluh tiga puluh lima. Ciro menghela napas, lalu tersenyum. "Kamu punya lima token. Menurutmu token itu bisa dipakai untuk kereta dorong?"

"We will find out."

"Kita akan tahu."

Tala feeds a token into the slot and pushes the heavy door open. A cool smell of stone and salt rolls out. Inside, a narrow tunnel runs away into the dark. Thin lines of daylight shine through small holes in the wall. They look like a long row of stars. Ciro switches on the torch on his phone.

Tala memasukkan satu token ke celah dan mendorong pintu berat itu hingga terbuka. Bau sejuk batu dan garam bergulung keluar. Di dalam, sebuah terowongan sempit membentang ke dalam gelap. Garis-garis tipis cahaya siang menembus lubang-lubang kecil di dinding. Garis-garis itu tampak seperti barisan bintang yang panjang. Ciro menyalakan senter di ponselnya.

They pull the trolley inside. It takes both of them to lift the wheels over the step. The dragon's tail snags on a pipe and tears a little, but Tala does not stop to look. Behind them, the noise of the crowd fades away. She hears only the squeak of the trolley wheels. On the other side of the wall, the sea knocks quietly.

Mereka menarik kereta dorong ke dalam. Butuh tenaga mereka berdua untuk mengangkat roda melewati ambang. Ekor sang naga tersangkut di sebuah pipa dan sedikit robek, tetapi Tala tidak berhenti untuk melihatnya. Di belakang mereka, bising keramaian memudar. Ia hanya mendengar derit roda kereta dorong. Di sisi lain dinding, laut menepuk pelan.

The tunnel is long, and the floor is wet in places. Twice they have to stop to untangle the ribbons from a rusty bolt. Once, Ciro slips on the damp stones and almost drops the torch. Tala catches his arm just in time, and they both laugh nervously.

Terowongan itu panjang, dan lantainya basah di beberapa tempat. Dua kali mereka harus berhenti untuk mengurai pita dari baut berkarat. Sekali, Ciro tergelincir di batu yang lembap dan hampir menjatuhkan senter. Tala menangkap lengannya tepat waktu, dan mereka berdua tertawa gugup.

"Seven minutes," he says, checking his phone. "We are moving three times faster than outside."

"Tujuh menit," katanya sambil memeriksa ponselnya. "Kita bergerak tiga kali lebih cepat daripada di luar."

"Good. Keep going."

"Bagus. Terus jalan."

At last the tunnel turns upward, and they find a short flight of steps. At the top is another iron door with another slot. Tala pushes a second token in. The lock clunks, and she pushes the door with her shoulder. White daylight pours in, and with it comes the wind and the sound of drums.

Akhirnya terowongan itu berbelok naik, dan mereka menemukan tangga pendek. Di puncaknya ada pintu besi lain dengan celah lain. Tala memasukkan token kedua. Kunci berdenting, dan ia mendorong pintu dengan bahunya. Cahaya siang yang putih tumpah masuk, dan bersamanya datang angin serta bunyi drum.

They step out onto the launch platform at the very end of the sea wall. The sea spreads out in front of them, bright and blue. Behind them, a long line of people is still walking slowly along the promenade. The clock on the judges' table says eleven twenty-two.

Mereka melangkah keluar ke peron peluncuran di ujung paling jauh tanggul laut. Laut terhampar di depan mereka, cerah dan biru. Di belakang mereka, barisan panjang orang masih berjalan lambat di sepanjang promenade. Jam di meja para juri menunjukkan pukul sebelas dua puluh dua.

Two judges look up from their papers. One of them frowns at Tala's wet shoes. "Where did you two come from?"

Dua juri mendongak dari kertas mereka. Salah satunya mengerutkan dahi melihat sepatu Tala yang basah. "Kalian berdua dari mana?"

"From the shop," says Ciro, grinning. "We took a shortcut."

"Dari toko," kata Ciro sambil nyengir. "Kami lewat jalan pintas."

There is no time to say more. Tala unzips the canvas bag and spreads the dragon across the stones. Ciro runs to the far end, lifts the head and shouts that he is ready. Tala takes the line in both hands. A strong wind is already pulling the silk scales upward. She counts to three, runs four steps forward, and lets go.

Tak ada waktu untuk berkata lebih banyak. Tala membuka ritsleting kantong kanvas dan membentangkan sang naga di atas bebatuan. Ciro berlari ke ujung yang jauh, mengangkat kepalanya, dan berteriak bahwa ia siap. Tala memegang tali dengan kedua tangan. Angin kencang sudah menarik sisik-sisik sutra ke atas. Ia menghitung sampai tiga, berlari empat langkah ke depan, dan melepaskan.