Goodbye to Pasta

On the seventh morning, Polly came down to the tank early. The lab was quiet. Chiara would not be in for another hour. The institute had been waking up like this every morning for one hundred and fifty-four years.

Pada pagi ketujuh, Polly turun ke tangki lebih awal. Laboratorium masih sepi. Chiara baru akan datang satu jam lagi. Institut ini telah bangun seperti ini setiap pagi selama seratus lima puluh empat tahun.

Pasta was at the front of the tank.

Pasta berada di depan tangki.

This was not normal. For six mornings, Polly had perched on the rim and the octopus had been folded in her pipe, or drifting in a corner. Today the octopus was pressed against the front wall, all eight arms spread loosely against the glass, her single visible eye level with Polly's.

Ini tidak biasa. Selama enam pagi, Polly duduk di tepi dan gurita itu biasanya terlipat dalam pipa atau melayang di sudut. Hari ini, gurita itu menempel di dinding depan, semua delapan lengannya menyebar longgar di kaca, satu matanya yang terlihat sejajar dengan Polly.

They looked at each other.

Mereka saling memandang.

What passes between a parrot and a giant Pacific octopus is probably not friendship. The octopus might simply have been investigating the warm-blooded creature that had been around her tank for six days. Octopuses can read warmth through their skin. They can read movement through their suckers. They were collecting information.

Apa yang terjadi antara seekor burung beo dan gurita Pasifik raksasa mungkin bukan persahabatan. Gurita mungkin hanya menyelidiki makhluk berdarah panas yang telah berada di sekitar tangkinya selama enam hari. Gurita bisa merasakan kehangatan melalui kulit mereka. Mereka bisa membaca gerakan melalui pengisap mereka. Mereka sedang mengumpulkan informasi.

Polly hopped along the rim. The octopus's eye tracked her, then her arms shifted slowly to follow. When Polly stopped, the eye stopped.

Polly melompat di sepanjang tepi. Mata gurita mengikutinya, lalu lengannya bergerak perlahan mengikuti. Ketika Polly berhenti, mata itu juga berhenti.

For seven full minutes they watched each other. The water filter hummed softly.

Selama tujuh menit penuh mereka saling mengamati. Penyaring air berdengung lembut.

Then the octopus did something Polly had not seen her do all week. She unfurled one arm slowly and pressed the very tip of it against the glass exactly opposite where Polly's foot was resting. The suckers spread, then stilled.

Kemudian gurita itu melakukan sesuatu yang belum pernah Polly lihat selama seminggu. Dia membuka satu lengannya perlahan dan menekan ujungnya tepat di kaca, tepat di seberang tempat kaki Polly beristirahat. Pengisapnya menyebar, lalu diam.

Polly lowered her beak to the glass and touched it gently with her closed beak. Through the cold glass, on her side, there was nothing. On the octopus's side, perhaps a great deal.

Polly menurunkan paruhnya ke kaca dan menyentuhnya dengan lembut dengan paruh tertutupnya. Melalui kaca dingin, di sisinya, tidak ada apa-apa. Di sisi gurita, mungkin banyak sekali.

The arm stayed for one long minute. Then it slid back into the water.

Lengan itu bertahan selama satu menit panjang. Kemudian ia meluncur kembali ke air.

Chiara came in with two coffees. "You are leaving," she said. "I imagined this would happen. Travel safely. Come back when you can."

Chiara masuk dengan dua kopi. "Kamu akan pergi," katanya. "Aku membayangkan ini akan terjadi. Selamat jalan. Kembali jika bisa."

Polly lifted off the rim. She flew out down the long corridor of the institute, past the sardines and the kelp, and out into the bright morning of the Villa Comunale. The Bay of Naples opened in front of her.

Polly terbang dari tepi. Dia terbang keluar melewati koridor panjang institut, melewati ikan sarden dan rumput laut, dan keluar ke pagi cerah Villa Comunale. Teluk Napoli terbentang di depannya.