The Two Lamps in the Binoculars

Frida had one rule about the old binoculars in the drawer. Nobody touched them until the last visitor had gone home.

Frida punya satu aturan tentang teropong tua di dalam laci. Tidak ada yang boleh menyentuhnya sebelum pengunjung terakhir pulang.

Caspian had worked at the observatory for six weeks, and he had not yet seen them used. They were heavy and black, with brass rings round the lenses. Whenever he cleaned the office, he lifted them out, polished them and put them back. Frida always watched him do it with a small, odd smile.

Caspian sudah enam minggu bekerja di observatorium itu, dan ia belum pernah melihat teropong itu dipakai. Teropong itu berat dan hitam, dengan cincin kuningan di sekeliling lensanya. Setiap kali membersihkan kantor, ia mengangkatnya keluar, menggosoknya sampai mengilap, lalu mengembalikannya. Frida selalu memperhatikannya dengan senyum kecil yang aneh.

"Why can't I try them?" he asked once.

"Kenapa aku tidak boleh mencobanya?" tanyanya suatu kali.

"Not yet," Frida said. "They are not for open nights. They are for after open nights."

"Belum," kata Frida. "Teropong itu bukan untuk malam terbuka. Teropong itu untuk setelah malam terbuka."

Tonight was the biggest open night of the year. The sky was clear, and the car park on the hill was already full by seven o'clock. Families walked up the path with flasks and blankets. Children ran ahead with paper star maps. Caspian stood at the door in his blue jacket and counted people until he lost count.

Malam ini adalah malam terbuka terbesar tahun ini. Langit cerah, dan tempat parkir di atas bukit sudah penuh sejak pukul tujuh. Keluarga-keluarga berjalan menaiki jalan setapak dengan termos dan selimut. Anak-anak berlari di depan membawa peta bintang dari kertas. Caspian berdiri di pintu dengan jaket birunya dan menghitung orang sampai ia kehilangan hitungan.

The main telescope stood under the great dome. Frida had pointed it at Saturn, and the queue reached all the way to the stairs. Caspian's job was to move people along. He had to keep them happy while they waited. He also had to stop them touching the mirror.

Teleskop utama berdiri di bawah kubah besar. Frida mengarahkannya ke Saturnus, dan antreannya mengular sampai ke tangga. Tugas Caspian adalah menggerakkan orang-orang maju. Ia harus menjaga mereka tetap senang selagi menunggu. Ia juga harus mencegah mereka menyentuh cerminnya.

"Is that really Saturn?" asked a small girl near the front.

"Itu betul-betul Saturnus?" tanya seorang gadis kecil di dekat barisan depan.

"It really is," Caspian said. "The light you will see has travelled for more than an hour to reach us."

"Betul-betul Saturnus," kata Caspian. "Cahaya yang akan kamu lihat sudah menempuh perjalanan lebih dari satu jam untuk sampai ke kita."

"Then it's old," the girl said.

"Berarti cahayanya tua," kata gadis itu.

"Very old," he said. "But it still looks fresh when it arrives."

"Sangat tua," katanya. "Tapi saat sampai, cahayanya masih tampak segar."

She seemed to like that answer. She climbed the little steps, looked into the eyepiece and stayed there far too long. Her mother had to lift her away. Her mouth was open, and she did not say anything for a full minute.

Gadis itu tampak menyukai jawaban itu. Ia menaiki tangga kecil, menengok ke lensa okuler, dan bertahan di sana jauh terlalu lama. Ibunya harus mengangkatnya pergi. Mulutnya ternganga, dan ia tidak berkata apa-apa selama satu menit penuh.

By ten o'clock Caspian's feet ached. The last family left at a quarter to eleven, carrying a sleepy boy on a shoulder. The dome fell quiet, and the cooling machines hummed softly in the walls.

Menjelang pukul sepuluh kaki Caspian pegal. Keluarga terakhir pulang pukul sebelas kurang seperempat, menggendong seorang anak laki-laki yang mengantuk di bahu. Kubah itu menjadi sunyi, dan mesin-mesin pendingin berdengung pelan di dalam dinding.

Frida switched off the big lights. In the dark she said, "Now. Bring the binoculars."

Frida mematikan lampu-lampu besar. Dalam gelap ia berkata, "Sekarang. Ambilkan teropongnya."

Caspian hurried to the office and returned with the heavy case. His hands were not quite steady. Frida led him outside to the stone terrace, where the whole night sky stretched over the valley.

Caspian bergegas ke kantor dan kembali membawa kotak yang berat itu. Tangannya tidak sepenuhnya stabil. Frida membawanya keluar ke teras batu, tempat seluruh langit malam terbentang di atas lembah.

"Before you look," she said, "I must explain something. These binoculars do not show you stars."

"Sebelum kamu melihat," katanya, "aku harus menjelaskan sesuatu. Teropong ini tidak menunjukkan bintang."

"What do they show?" Caspian asked.

"Lalu apa yang ditunjukkannya?" tanya Caspian.

"Other watchers," Frida said. "Somewhere far away, people stand on their own hills at night, and they look at the sky too. Through this glass, you can see their lamps."

"Pengamat lain," kata Frida. "Di suatu tempat yang jauh, ada orang-orang yang berdiri di bukit mereka sendiri pada malam hari, dan mereka juga menatap langit. Lewat kaca ini, kamu bisa melihat lampu mereka."

Caspian laughed. Then he saw that she was not joking. He lifted the binoculars to his eyes.

Caspian tertawa. Lalu ia melihat bahwa Frida tidak bercanda. Ia mengangkat teropong itu ke matanya.

At first, he saw only the usual black and silver. Then, slowly, something changed. Among the stars he found tiny points of light that were not quite stars. They were warmer. They blinked, and each one had its own rhythm. There were dozens of them, scattered like fireflies over the whole sky.

Mula-mula ia hanya melihat hitam dan perak yang biasa. Lalu, perlahan, ada sesuatu yang berubah. Di antara bintang-bintang ia menemukan titik-titik cahaya kecil yang tidak sepenuhnya bintang. Cahayanya lebih hangat. Titik-titik itu berkedip, dan masing-masing punya iramanya sendiri. Jumlahnya puluhan, tersebar seperti kunang-kunang di seluruh langit.

"They're beautiful," he whispered.

"Indah sekali," bisiknya.

"They are lonely," Frida said gently. "That is why we have the torch."

"Mereka kesepian," kata Frida lembut. "Itulah sebabnya kita punya senter."

She handed him a small, plain torch from her pocket. "The glass carries one answer a night. You choose one lamp and flash a message to it. Then the glass goes dark until tomorrow. I have used it thirty-one times, and I have always chosen carefully."

Ia menyerahkan sebuah senter kecil yang polos dari sakunya. "Kaca ini hanya membawa satu jawaban setiap malam. Kamu memilih satu lampu dan mengirimkan pesan kilat kepadanya. Lalu kaca ini menjadi gelap sampai besok. Aku sudah memakainya tiga puluh satu kali, dan aku selalu memilih dengan hati-hati."

"How do I choose?" Caspian asked.

"Bagaimana cara memilihnya?" tanya Caspian.

"I can't tell you," Frida said. "I can only tell you that tonight I will not say a word."

"Aku tidak bisa memberitahumu," kata Frida. "Aku hanya bisa bilang bahwa malam ini aku tidak akan mengucapkan sepatah kata pun."

She sat on a low wall and folded her arms.

Ia duduk di tembok rendah dan melipat tangan.

Caspian looked again. Most of the lamps were faint and flickering. Two of them were different. One hung low over the eastern hills, big and golden, and it burned steadily like a lighthouse. The other lay far away to the north. It was small and pale. It blinked three short times and then one long time, over and over.

Caspian melihat lagi. Sebagian besar lampu itu redup dan berkedip-kedip. Dua di antaranya berbeda. Satu menggantung rendah di atas perbukitan timur, besar dan keemasan, menyala mantap seperti mercusuar. Satunya lagi berada jauh di utara. Kecil dan pucat. Ia berkedip tiga kali pendek lalu satu kali panjang, berulang-ulang.

Both seemed like good choices. That was the trouble.

Keduanya tampak seperti pilihan yang bagus. Itulah masalahnya.

He studied the golden lamp first. It was so bright that his eyes watered, and its light felt friendly. When he looked longer, he noticed thin threads of light rising towards it from other places. Other watchers were already answering it. The sky around that lamp was crowded with replies, flashing and flickering.

Ia mengamati lampu emas itu lebih dulu. Cahayanya begitu terang sampai matanya berair, dan sinarnya terasa ramah. Setelah menatap lebih lama, ia melihat benang-benang cahaya tipis naik menuju lampu itu dari tempat-tempat lain. Pengamat lain sudah menjawabnya. Langit di sekitar lampu itu ramai oleh balasan, berkilat dan berkelip.

"That one is popular," he said.

"Yang itu populer," katanya.

"Yes," Frida said from the wall.

"Ya," kata Frida dari tembok.

"It must be a good place," he said. "If I answer, they will see me for sure. And I will join the others."

"Pasti tempat yang baik," katanya. "Kalau aku menjawab, mereka pasti melihatku. Dan aku akan bergabung dengan yang lain."

"That is true," Frida said.

"Itu benar," kata Frida.

He turned to the small lamp in the north. Nothing rose towards it. No threads of light, no replies, and no crowd. It simply blinked three short and one long, as if it were asking a question. Then it asked again.

Ia berpaling ke lampu kecil di utara. Tidak ada yang naik menuju lampu itu. Tidak ada benang cahaya, tidak ada balasan, tidak ada kerumunan. Lampu itu hanya berkedip tiga pendek dan satu panjang, seolah sedang bertanya. Lalu bertanya lagi.

Caspian lowered the binoculars and rubbed his eyes. His hands were cold. "How long has it been asking?" he said.

Caspian menurunkan teropong dan mengucek matanya. Tangannya dingin. "Sudah berapa lama ia bertanya?" katanya.

"I don't know," Frida said. "I have seen it three times this year. It was there last night, too."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Frida. "Aku sudah melihatnya tiga kali tahun ini. Semalam pun ia ada di sana."

"And no one has answered?"

"Dan tidak ada yang menjawab?"

"No one that I have seen," she said.

"Tidak ada yang kulihat," katanya.

He thought about the golden lamp, which was strong and happy and sure of itself. It did not need him. It would shine tomorrow, and it would shine the next day. A hundred other watchers would flash their torches before dawn.

Ia memikirkan lampu emas itu, yang kuat dan riang dan percaya diri. Lampu itu tidak membutuhkannya. Ia akan bersinar besok, dan lusa juga. Seratus pengamat lain akan mengedipkan senter mereka sebelum fajar.

Then he thought about the small lamp. Three short, one long. It had asked the same question all evening, like someone knocking on a door.

Lalu ia memikirkan lampu kecil itu. Tiga pendek, satu panjang. Lampu itu menanyakan hal yang sama sepanjang malam, seperti seseorang yang mengetuk pintu.

"If I choose the golden one," he said slowly, "I know I will be one of many. It would be nice, but I would be easy to forget. If I choose the small one, I might be the first."

"Kalau aku memilih yang emas," katanya pelan, "aku tahu aku akan menjadi satu di antara banyak. Itu menyenangkan, tapi aku akan mudah dilupakan. Kalau aku memilih yang kecil, mungkin aku yang pertama."

"The first to do what?" Frida asked.

"Yang pertama melakukan apa?" tanya Frida.

"To say we heard," he said.

"Mengatakan bahwa kita mendengar," katanya.

He raised the binoculars again and found the pale lamp. He held the torch against the lens, as Frida showed him with a nod, and pressed the button. He flashed three short times. Then he held the light for one long breath.

Ia mengangkat teropong lagi dan menemukan lampu yang pucat itu. Ia menempelkan senter ke lensa, seperti yang ditunjukkan Frida dengan anggukan, lalu menekan tombolnya. Ia berkedip tiga kali pendek. Lalu ia menahan cahaya itu selama satu tarikan napas panjang.

For a moment, nothing changed. The lamp kept blinking its usual pattern. Caspian's stomach dropped.

Sesaat tidak ada yang berubah. Lampu itu terus berkedip dengan pola biasanya. Perut Caspian serasa jatuh.

Then the small lamp stopped. It stayed dark for two whole seconds. Suddenly it flared twice, very fast, bright as a struck match.

Lalu lampu kecil itu berhenti. Ia tetap gelap selama dua detik penuh. Tiba-tiba ia menyala dua kali, sangat cepat, terang seperti korek api yang baru digesek.

Caspian gasped. The lamp flared again, and the binoculars went suddenly heavy and cold in his hands. The golden lamp and all the other lights vanished. There was only the plain night sky and the stars.

Caspian tersentak. Lampu itu menyala lagi, dan teropong di tangannya mendadak terasa berat dan dingin. Lampu emas dan semua cahaya lainnya lenyap. Yang tersisa hanya langit malam yang polos dan bintang-bintang.

"It saw me," he said. His voice shook. "Frida, it saw me. Did you see that?"

"Ia melihatku," katanya. Suaranya bergetar. "Frida, ia melihatku. Kamu lihat itu?"

"I saw your face," Frida said. She stood up, and she was smiling properly now. "That was enough."

"Aku melihat wajahmu," kata Frida. Ia berdiri, dan kini ia tersenyum sungguh-sungguh. "Itu sudah cukup."

"Why did you never tell me which one to choose?" Caspian asked.

"Kenapa kamu tidak pernah memberitahuku harus memilih yang mana?" tanya Caspian.

"Because now," Frida said, "whatever it is asking, you are the one who answered."

"Karena sekarang," kata Frida, "apa pun yang ditanyakannya, kamulah yang menjawab."