Three Strings Before Eight

Jessamy stands in the doorway of the Starlight Roller Rink. The hall glows pink and blue. A mirror ball turns above the floor. Fifty skaters roll round and round to loud music.

Jessamy berdiri di ambang pintu Arena Sepatu Roda Starlight. Aula itu bersinar merah muda dan biru. Sebuah bola cermin berputar di atas lantai. Lima puluh pemain sepatu roda meluncur berputar-putar mengikuti musik yang keras.

She holds a violin case under one arm. Her friend Ulla waits at the rail in bright yellow skates. She waves both hands.

Ia membawa kotak biola di bawah satu lengannya. Temannya, Ulla, menunggu di pagar dengan sepatu roda kuning cerah. Ia melambaikan kedua tangan.

"You're here!" Ulla shouts. "The big clock says seven forty. We have twenty minutes."

"Kamu datang!" teriak Ulla. "Jam besar menunjukkan pukul tujuh empat puluh. Kita punya dua puluh menit."

"I know," says Jessamy. "I ran all the way."

"Aku tahu," kata Jessamy. "Aku berlari sepanjang jalan."

At eight o'clock, the manager turns the lights low. Then everyone skates to one last song. This year, the last song has a live violin. Jessamy is the violinist. She knows the tune by heart. It took her a month to learn it.

Pukul delapan, manajer meredupkan lampu. Lalu semua orang meluncur mengikuti satu lagu terakhir. Tahun ini, lagu terakhirnya diiringi biola langsung. Jessamy pemain biolanya. Ia hafal lagunya di luar kepala. Ia butuh sebulan untuk mempelajarinya.

She finds a quiet corner by the snack bar. She opens the case and takes out her violin. Then she stops. Something is wrong.

Ia menemukan sudut sepi di dekat kios makanan ringan. Ia membuka kotaknya dan mengeluarkan biolanya. Lalu ia berhenti. Ada yang salah.

"Ulla," she says in a small voice. "Look."

"Ulla," katanya dengan suara kecil. "Lihat."

The thinnest string is gone. It hangs in a curl from the top. Only three strings are left.

Senar yang paling tipis hilang. Senar itu menggantung melingkar dari atas. Hanya tiga senar yang tersisa.

"It snapped on the bus," says Jessamy. "The case was too tight. I did not check it."

"Putus di bus," kata Jessamy. "Kotaknya terlalu sempit. Aku tidak memeriksanya."

Ulla looks at the clock. Seven forty-two. "Do you have a new string?"

Ulla melihat jam. Pukul tujuh empat puluh dua. "Kamu punya senar baru?"

"Yes. In my bag. I left it in locker sixty-one this morning, after rehearsal. The key is in my pocket." Jessamy points across the floor. The lockers are in a long room behind the far wall.

"Punya. Di tasku. Tadi pagi kutinggalkan di loker enam puluh satu, setelah latihan. Kuncinya ada di sakuku." Jessamy menunjuk ke seberang lantai. Loker-loker itu ada di ruangan panjang di balik dinding seberang.

"Okay," says Ulla. "That is not so far."

"Oke," kata Ulla. "Itu tidak terlalu jauh."

It is far. The whole skating floor is between them and the lockers. All the skaters go in one direction, in one big circle. The rule is very clear. Nobody crosses the floor.

Itu jauh. Seluruh lantai luncur ada di antara mereka dan loker-loker itu. Semua pemain bergerak ke satu arah, dalam satu lingkaran besar. Aturannya sangat jelas. Tidak boleh ada yang menyeberangi lantai.

"I'll go around the edge," says Jessamy.

"Aku akan lewat tepi," kata Jessamy.

She puts the violin back in its case and holds it tight. Then she goes along the wall. At first it is easy. Then a group of children comes round in a long line. They hold hands and shout. Jessamy stops and waits.

Ia memasukkan biola kembali ke kotaknya dan memegangnya erat. Lalu ia berjalan menyusuri dinding. Awalnya mudah. Lalu serombongan anak datang berputar dalam barisan panjang. Mereka bergandengan tangan dan berteriak. Jessamy berhenti dan menunggu.

Then a boy falls in front of her. His friends laugh and help him up. It takes a whole minute. Jessamy looks at the clock over the DJ booth. Seven forty-seven.

Lalu seorang anak laki-laki jatuh di depannya. Teman-temannya tertawa dan membantunya berdiri. Itu memakan satu menit penuh. Jessamy melihat jam di atas bilik DJ. Pukul tujuh empat puluh tujuh.

She gets past the children. Then she meets a group of slow couples in the corner. They spin and turn. Jessamy cannot get past them at all.

Ia berhasil melewati anak-anak itu. Lalu ia bertemu sekelompok pasangan lambat di sudut. Mereka berputar dan berbelok. Jessamy sama sekali tidak bisa melewati mereka.

Ulla skates up beside her, fast and smooth. "This is too slow," she says. "We need another way."

Ulla meluncur ke sampingnya, cepat dan mulus. "Ini terlalu lambat," katanya. "Kita butuh jalan lain."

"There is no other way," says Jessamy. Her voice shakes. "The rink is a circle. The lockers are on the far side."

"Tidak ada jalan lain," kata Jessamy. Suaranya gemetar. "Arenanya lingkaran. Loker-lokernya ada di sisi seberang."

Ulla thinks. She taps her chin. Her eyes go wide. "Wait. I work at the snack bar on Sundays. There is a back hall behind the kitchen!"

Ulla berpikir. Ia mengetuk-ngetuk dagunya. Matanya membelalak. "Tunggu. Aku bekerja di kios makanan ringan pada hari Minggu. Ada lorong belakang di balik dapur!"

"A back hall?"

"Lorong belakang?"

"Yes! The workers use it to carry boxes of ice and cups. It goes all the way around behind the wall. It comes out right next to the lockers!"

"Ya! Para pekerja memakainya untuk membawa kotak es dan gelas. Lorong itu mengitari bagian belakang dinding. Ujungnya tepat di sebelah loker-loker!"

Jessamy stares at her. "Is it open?"

Jessamy menatapnya. "Apa lorongnya terbuka?"

"Of course it is open. Come on!"

"Tentu terbuka. Ayo!"

Ulla pulls off her skates in two seconds. She runs in her socks across the tiles. Jessamy follows with the violin case. They push through the kitchen door. A cook looks up, surprised.

Ulla melepas sepatu rodanya dalam dua detik. Ia berlari dengan kaus kaki melintasi ubin. Jessamy mengikutinya dengan kotak biolanya. Mereka mendorong pintu dapur. Seorang juru masak mengangkat wajah, terkejut.

"Sorry!" Ulla shouts. "Emergency!"

"Maaf!" teriak Ulla. "Darurat!"

"Is it a fire?" the cook shouts back.

"Kebakaran?" juru masak itu balas berteriak.

"It's a violin!" says Jessamy, and they are gone.

"Biola!" kata Jessamy, dan mereka sudah menghilang.

The back hall is narrow and cold. Boxes stand along the wall. One has the word "Ice" in big letters. The music of the rink is soft and far away now. Their feet slap on the floor. They run past a door, then another door, then a mop.

Lorong belakang itu sempit dan dingin. Kotak-kotak berjajar di sepanjang dinding. Salah satunya bertuliskan "Es" dengan huruf besar. Musik arena kini terdengar pelan dan jauh. Kaki mereka menapak keras di lantai. Mereka berlari melewati sebuah pintu, lalu pintu lain, lalu sebuah pel.

At the end of the hall, a green door is closed. Ulla pushes it with her shoulder. It opens, and they fall into the locker room. The smell of rubber and old shoes hits them.

Di ujung lorong, sebuah pintu hijau tertutup. Ulla mendorongnya dengan bahunya. Pintu itu terbuka, dan mereka jatuh masuk ke ruang loker. Bau karet dan sepatu tua menyergap mereka.

"Sixty-one!" says Jessamy. She runs along the row. Ulla reads the numbers. "Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty. Here!"

"Enam puluh satu!" kata Jessamy. Ia berlari menyusuri deretan itu. Ulla membaca angka-angkanya. "Lima puluh delapan, lima puluh sembilan, enam puluh. Ini dia!"

Jessamy opens the locker and pulls out her bag. Her hands shake. She finds the small paper bag of strings and tears it open. The new string is bright and thin.

Jessamy membuka loker dan menarik tasnya. Tangannya gemetar. Ia menemukan kantong kertas kecil berisi senar dan merobeknya. Senar barunya cerah dan tipis.

She sits on a bench and starts. First she pulls the string through the hole in the peg. Then she turns the peg slowly. The string is long and loose. It goes up, up, and up.

Ia duduk di bangku dan mulai bekerja. Pertama ia menarik senar melalui lubang pada pasak. Lalu ia memutar pasak perlahan. Senarnya panjang dan kendur. Naik, naik, dan naik.

"What time is it?" Jessamy asks.

"Jam berapa sekarang?" tanya Jessamy.

Ulla runs to a clock on the wall. "Seven fifty-six!"

Ulla berlari ke jam di dinding. "Tujuh lima puluh enam!"

"Four minutes," says Jessamy. She does not look up. "A new string always goes flat. I must tune it three times."

"Empat menit," kata Jessamy. Ia tidak mendongak. "Senar baru selalu jadi rendah nadanya. Aku harus menyetelnya tiga kali."

"Then do it fast," says Ulla. "I will hold the neck."

"Kalau begitu lakukan cepat," kata Ulla. "Aku akan memegangi lehernya."

Ulla holds the violin steady. Jessamy tightens the new string and plays the note. It is too low. She turns the peg and plays again. Now it is too high. Ulla bites her lip. Jessamy turns it back a little. Then the note rings clear and true.

Ulla memegang biola itu dengan mantap. Jessamy mengencangkan senar baru dan memainkan nadanya. Terlalu rendah. Ia memutar pasak dan memainkannya lagi. Sekarang terlalu tinggi. Ulla menggigit bibir. Jessamy memutarnya kembali sedikit. Lalu nada itu berdering jernih dan tepat.

"Good," says Jessamy. She stretches the string between two fingers, then tunes again. It is nearly perfect. Then she does it one last time.

"Bagus," kata Jessamy. Ia meregangkan senar di antara dua jari, lalu menyetel lagi. Hampir sempurna. Lalu ia melakukannya sekali lagi.

"Seven fifty-nine," says Ulla. "Go, go, go!"

"Tujuh lima puluh sembilan," kata Ulla. "Ayo, ayo, ayo!"

They run back along the narrow hall. The boxes of ice flash by. Jessamy hears her own breath. They burst through the kitchen door. The cook sees them and lifts a spoon, like a flag.

Mereka berlari kembali menyusuri lorong sempit. Kotak-kotak es berkelebat lewat. Jessamy mendengar napasnya sendiri. Mereka menerobos pintu dapur. Juru masak itu melihat mereka dan mengangkat sendok, seperti bendera.

In the hall, the music stops. The lights go low. Fifty skaters stop in the dim glow and look up. The manager stands in the middle of the floor. He holds out a hand to Jessamy.

Di aula, musik berhenti. Lampu meredup. Lima puluh pemain sepatu roda berhenti dalam cahaya temaram dan mendongak. Manajer berdiri di tengah lantai. Ia mengulurkan tangan kepada Jessamy.

The big clock above the DJ booth shows eight o'clock exactly.

Jam besar di atas bilik DJ menunjukkan pukul delapan tepat.

Jessamy walks to the middle of the floor in her shoes. Ulla follows in her socks on the shining wood. Jessamy steps into the soft light. She lifts the violin to her chin. She raises the bow and plays the first note.

Jessamy berjalan ke tengah lantai dengan sepatunya. Ulla mengikuti dengan kaus kakinya di atas kayu yang mengilap. Jessamy melangkah ke dalam cahaya lembut. Ia mengangkat biola ke dagunya. Ia mengangkat busur dan memainkan nada pertama.