The Wallet That Ticked

Ferran worked in the workshop inside the clock tower. It was a small room full of gears. Some were as big as plates. Some were as small as coins. They hung on hooks and shone with oil.

Ferran bekerja di bengkel di dalam menara jam. Itu ruangan kecil yang penuh roda gigi. Ada yang sebesar piring. Ada yang sekecil koin. Roda-roda gigi itu tergantung di kait dan berkilau oleh oli.

He was seventeen. Every morning he climbed ninety steps to get there. His job was to clean the gears. He also fixed the clock when it was wrong. The town clockmaker was away for a week. Today Ferran was alone.

Usianya tujuh belas tahun. Setiap pagi ia menaiki sembilan puluh anak tangga untuk sampai ke sana. Tugasnya membersihkan roda-roda gigi. Ia juga memperbaiki jam itu kalau salah. Pembuat jam kota sedang pergi selama seminggu. Hari ini Ferran sendirian.

At noon, the big bell rang twelve times. The floor shook a little. Ferran liked that part.

Pada tengah hari, lonceng besar berdentang dua belas kali. Lantai bergetar sedikit. Ferran menyukai bagian itu.

Soon after, he heard feet on the stairs. His friend Esteban came in, out of breath. Esteban took food to people on a bicycle. He had a brown leather wallet in his hand.

Tak lama kemudian, ia mendengar langkah kaki di tangga. Temannya, Esteban, masuk dengan napas terengah-engah. Esteban mengantarkan makanan kepada orang-orang dengan sepeda. Di tangannya ada sebuah dompet kulit cokelat.

"I found it on the bench by the tower door," Esteban said. "Someone left it there."

"Aku menemukannya di bangku dekat pintu menara," kata Esteban. "Ada yang meninggalkannya di sana."

"So take it to the police."

"Kalau begitu bawa saja ke polisi."

"I want to look inside first. Then we know whose it is."

"Aku mau lihat isinya dulu. Supaya kita tahu itu milik siapa."

Ferran sighed. He made space on the table. Esteban opened the wallet.

Ferran menghela napas. Ia mengosongkan tempat di meja. Esteban membuka dompet itu.

There was no money. There were no cards. There was no name. Inside lay only a flat brass coin and a small white card. The card said, "If found, bring my hour home."

Tidak ada uang. Tidak ada kartu. Tidak ada nama. Di dalamnya hanya ada sebuah koin kuningan pipih dan kartu putih kecil. Kartu itu bertuliskan, "Jika ditemukan, bawa pulang jamku."

"Bring my hour home?" Esteban said. "What does that mean?"

"Bawa pulang jamku?" kata Esteban. "Apa maksudnya itu?"

"I don't know." Ferran picked up the coin. It was warm. On its face there was a tiny clock with thin gold hands. "Look at this."

"Aku tidak tahu." Ferran mengambil koin itu. Koin itu hangat. Di mukanya ada sebuah jam mungil dengan jarum emas yang tipis. "Lihat ini."

Esteban looked. "It has too many numbers."

Esteban melihat. "Angkanya kebanyakan."

Ferran counted. He counted again. "Thirteen," he said. "There are thirteen numbers on this clock."

Ferran menghitung. Ia menghitung lagi. "Tiga belas," katanya. "Ada tiga belas angka di jam ini."

"That is not possible."

"Itu tidak mungkin."

"And listen." Ferran held it near his ear. It ticked, but the sound was strange. It was slow, then fast, then slow again. The little hands turned the wrong way.

"Dan dengarkan." Ferran mendekatkannya ke telinga. Koin itu berdetik, tetapi bunyinya aneh. Pelan, lalu cepat, lalu pelan lagi. Jarum-jarum kecilnya berputar ke arah yang salah.

"A broken toy," Esteban said.

"Mainan rusak," kata Esteban.

"Maybe." But Ferran did not think so. His arms felt cold.

"Mungkin." Tapi Ferran tidak mengira begitu. Lengannya terasa dingin.

They made a plan. First, they were going to find the owner in the normal way. Esteban wrote a sign on the back of a delivery bag. It said, "Wallet found. Ask at the clock tower." They put it on the bench by the door.

Mereka membuat rencana. Pertama, mereka akan mencari pemiliknya dengan cara biasa. Esteban menulis pengumuman di balik kantong pengantaran. Bunyinya, "Dompet ditemukan. Tanya di menara jam." Mereka menaruhnya di bangku dekat pintu.

Then Esteban jumped on his bicycle. He rode to every shop around the square. He asked the florist and the shoe shop. He asked the man at the news stand. He asked a girl who sold ice cream. He asked two police officers.

Lalu Esteban melompat ke sepedanya. Ia mengayuh ke setiap toko di sekitar alun-alun. Ia bertanya kepada penjual bunga dan toko sepatu. Ia bertanya kepada laki-laki di kios koran. Ia bertanya kepada seorang gadis penjual es krim. Ia bertanya kepada dua polisi.

Nobody had lost a wallet. Nobody knew the coin.

Tidak ada yang kehilangan dompet. Tidak ada yang mengenali koin itu.

At three o'clock, Esteban climbed the stairs again. His shirt was wet, and his face was sad.

Pukul tiga, Esteban menaiki tangga lagi. Kemejanya basah, dan wajahnya sedih.

"Nothing," he said. "Not one person."

"Nihil," katanya. "Tidak seorang pun."

"Nobody came to the sign, either." Ferran looked out of the small window. The bench was empty.

"Tidak ada yang datang ke pengumuman itu juga." Ferran menatap ke luar jendela kecil. Bangkunya kosong.

The wallet sat on the table. It was hot now. The coin ticked faster and faster. Ferran could hear it from across the room.

Dompet itu tergeletak di meja. Sekarang dompet itu panas. Koinnya berdetik makin lama makin cepat. Ferran bisa mendengarnya dari seberang ruangan.

"It gets worse," Esteban said. "It wants something."

"Makin parah," kata Esteban. "Dia menginginkan sesuatu."

"It wants to go home."

"Dia ingin pulang."

"Then why doesn't it just go?"

"Kalau begitu kenapa dia tidak pergi saja?"

Ferran did not answer. He took the card and read it again. "If found, bring my hour home." He read it slowly, word by word. Then he looked up at the great brass wheel on the wall.

Ferran tidak menjawab. Ia mengambil kartu itu dan membacanya lagi. "Jika ditemukan, bawa pulang jamku." Ia membacanya perlahan, kata demi kata. Lalu ia menengadah ke roda kuningan besar di dinding.

"Hour," he said.

"Jam," katanya.

"Yes, hour. So?"

"Ya, jam. Lalu?"

Ferran's voice shook a little. "An hour is a bell. Esteban, this tower rings twelve times at noon. It never rings thirteen. But this coin has thirteen numbers."

Suara Ferran bergetar sedikit. "Satu jam itu satu dentang lonceng. Esteban, menara ini berdentang dua belas kali pada tengah hari. Tidak pernah tiga belas. Tapi koin ini punya tiga belas angka."

Esteban looked at him. "You think the owner lives at the thirteenth hour?"

Esteban menatapnya. "Kamu kira pemiliknya tinggal di jam ketiga belas?"

"I think the hour between twelve and one is very small. Maybe somebody lives there. And maybe that person lost the wallet on a walk."

"Kurasa jam di antara pukul dua belas dan pukul satu itu sangat kecil. Mungkin ada yang tinggal di sana. Dan mungkin orang itu kehilangan dompetnya saat berjalan-jalan."

It sounded crazy, but they had no better idea.

Kedengarannya gila, tetapi mereka tidak punya gagasan yang lebih baik.

The striking wheel was a thick brass circle. It had twelve notches on its edge. Each notch told the bell how many times to ring. Ferran put his finger on the last one.

Roda pemukul itu lingkaran kuningan yang tebal. Di tepinya ada dua belas takik. Setiap takik memberi tahu lonceng berapa kali ia harus berdentang. Ferran meletakkan jarinya di takik yang terakhir.

"I can cut a new notch," he said. "Then at four o'clock, I turn the wheel to it. The bell rings thirteen times, not four."

"Aku bisa memotong takik baru," katanya. "Lalu pada pukul empat, aku memutar roda itu ke sana. Lonceng akan berdentang tiga belas kali, bukan empat."

"Can you do it fast? It is half past three."

"Bisa kamu lakukan dengan cepat? Sudah setengah empat."

"Hold the lamp."

"Pegang lampunya."

Ferran took a small file from the wall. The work was hard. The brass was thick, and his hands shook. He filed a little. He stopped and looked. He filed again.

Ferran mengambil kikir kecil dari dinding. Pekerjaannya sulit. Kuningannya tebal, dan tangannya gemetar. Ia mengikir sedikit. Ia berhenti dan melihat. Ia mengikir lagi.

Esteban held the lamp very still. He did not even sneeze.

Esteban memegang lampu dengan sangat tenang. Ia bahkan tidak bersin.

At ten to four, the notch was ready. It was not pretty, but it was deep and clean. Ferran put the wheel back and closed the little door. Then he turned a small key.

Pada pukul empat kurang sepuluh, takik itu siap. Tidak cantik, tetapi dalam dan bersih. Ferran memasang kembali roda itu dan menutup pintu kecilnya. Lalu ia memutar sebuah kunci kecil.

"Now we wait," he said.

"Sekarang kita tunggu," katanya.

They stood side by side, and the minutes went slowly. The gears turned. The wallet lay on the table and hummed like a kettle.

Mereka berdiri berdampingan, dan menit-menit berlalu lambat. Roda-roda gigi berputar. Dompet itu tergeletak di meja dan berdengung seperti ceret.

At four o'clock, the bell began.

Pada pukul empat, lonceng mulai berbunyi.

One. Two. Three. The floor shook under their feet. Four. Five. Six. Ferran held the table with both hands. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

Satu. Dua. Tiga. Lantai bergetar di bawah kaki mereka. Empat. Lima. Enam. Ferran berpegangan pada meja dengan kedua tangan. Tujuh. Delapan. Sembilan. Sepuluh. Sebelas. Dua belas.

There was a short silence.

Ada keheningan singkat.

Then the bell rang again. It was a deep sound, deeper than the others. It felt like the whole tower breathed.

Lalu lonceng berdentang lagi. Bunyinya dalam, lebih dalam daripada yang lain. Rasanya seperti seluruh menara bernapas.

Thirteen.

Tiga belas.

The air near the big clock face moved. It bent like water. A tall woman stepped out of the glass. She wore a long grey coat and carried a small lamp. Her hair was silver, and her eyes were very bright.

Udara di dekat muka jam besar itu bergerak. Udara itu melengkung seperti air. Seorang perempuan jangkung melangkah keluar dari kaca. Ia mengenakan mantel panjang abu-abu dan membawa lampu kecil. Rambutnya perak, dan matanya sangat cerah.

"Oh," she said, "there you are!"

"Oh," katanya, "kamu di sini rupanya!"

She did not look at the boys. She looked at the wallet. She took it in both hands and held it against her chest.

Ia tidak menatap kedua anak laki-laki itu. Ia menatap dompet. Ia mengambilnya dengan kedua tangan dan mendekapnya ke dadanya.

"I lost this on my walk," she said. "I sat on a bench for one minute. I looked up at the birds. When I stood up, the way back was closed. Nobody made the hour sound."

"Aku kehilangan ini saat berjalan-jalan," katanya. "Aku duduk di bangku semenit. Aku menengadah melihat burung-burung. Ketika aku berdiri, jalan pulang sudah tertutup. Tidak ada yang membunyikan jam itu."

"We are sorry it took so long," Ferran said.

"Maaf, ini memakan waktu begitu lama," kata Ferran.

"You made a new hour for me." She smiled. "Nobody did that for a very long time."

"Kalian membuatkan jam baru untukku." Ia tersenyum. "Sudah sangat lama tidak ada yang melakukan itu."

She opened the wallet and took out the brass coin. She pressed it into Esteban's hand.

Ia membuka dompet itu dan mengeluarkan koin kuningan tadi. Ia menekankannya ke tangan Esteban.

"One extra minute," she said. "Use it well. It is a small gift from the thirteenth hour."

"Satu menit tambahan," katanya. "Pakailah dengan baik. Itu hadiah kecil dari jam ketiga belas."

Then she turned and walked back into the clock face. The air closed behind her. The room was quiet.

Lalu ia berbalik dan berjalan kembali ke dalam muka jam. Udara menutup di belakangnya. Ruangan itu sunyi.

Esteban opened his hand. The coin was gone. He looked at his watch. It said ten past four. It seemed to him that he had a little more time.

Esteban membuka tangannya. Koin itu sudah hilang. Ia melihat jam tangannya. Jam itu menunjukkan pukul empat lewat sepuluh. Baginya, waktunya seolah sedikit lebih banyak.

"That was one very big bell," he said.

"Itu tadi lonceng yang besar sekali," katanya.

"Yes."

"Ya."

"The whole town will hear it."

"Seluruh kota pasti mendengarnya."

Ferran looked at the new notch and the file in his hand. "I need to tell the clockmaker. Somehow."

Ferran menatap takik baru itu dan kikir di tangannya. "Aku harus memberi tahu pembuat jam. Entah bagaimana caranya."

Esteban took a deep breath. He walked to the stairs and stopped at the top step.

Esteban menarik napas dalam. Ia berjalan ke tangga dan berhenti di anak tangga teratas.

"Ferran," he said. "Next time, I take the wallet to the police."

"Ferran," katanya. "Lain kali, aku bawa dompetnya ke polisi."