Tree of Words: The final part of a two-part series | Pohon Kata-kata....
“Of course not, honey. That’s the same as stealing, it’s a sin. We will be punished in this world and the hereafter. God is angry if we take someone else’s word tree without the owner’s permission.”
“We’re hungry, Dad. We don’t know the owner either. How can we ask for permission.”
“The right permission. That permission must come from a tree that isn’t cared for. Don’t use words from trees that aren’t cared for, it’s unhealthy. Strangers who want to enjoy words from our trees will also be confused. They could get stomachaches and reject words from our trees. Oh yeah, if you want to pick words from someone else’s tree, if you don’t have time to ask for permission because you don’t know the person or are hungry, you have to mention which tree you took it from. If you don’t mention the name of the tree and its owner, and then claim it as our own tree, that’s forbidden. We’re sinning.”
“You could go to hell.”
“Yes. You could go to hell. That’s why don’t do that.”
“Tania wants to have a word garden. Tania wants to invite Rasya, Fatin, and Intan to play there.”
“A noble ideal, son. A word garden is a beautiful place to play. The garden emits beautiful light, like a night full of stars and a full moon. Its light will be stored in the heart, as a lantern to walk in the darkness. Its shady leaves always provide fresh air, and also protect from the hot sun. If there is a place that is the healthiest, yes, in that word garden.”
“Well, Dad… Tania wants to be bought a word garden.”
“A word garden cannot be bought, dear. You have to take care of it since you are little. Take care of it seriously, with affection, with love. A garden with word trees that are cared for with love will produce an abundant harvest. You can use it as you wish, make anything. You can make fruit soup, pickles too…”
“Candies?!” Tania stared excitedly.
“Yes, yes, anything is allowed. Rujak is also allowed. The important thing is to have many word trees in the garden. If you have a large garden, but only one word tree, well, you can’t do anything. It tastes bland, there is no variation, it cannot develop creativity. Like when Mom makes sour vegetables all the time, it’s not delicious. There has to be variation.”
“Tania doesn’t like vegetables.”
“Oh, no way. Vegetables are good for the body, just like fruits. Dad used to not like eating vegetables either. But Dad learned to like them because they are good for your health.”
“Like word trees too, they are good for your health!”
“That’s right,” the man replied as he reached for his glass of tea that was starting to get cold. Before the glass touched his lips, Tania asked again.
“When are we going to make a word garden, Dad?”
“Well, Mom does it every night, before going to bed. Tania has to listen carefully when the word trees start to take root. Over time, they will grow bigger, just like Tania too. Before, she could only cry and sleep. Then she could crawl. Now she can run, and she is also good at talking.”
Darkness began to descend on the side terrace and they only realized it when the lamp hanging above suddenly turned on. Mother must have turned it on from the inside. The switch was located near Tania's bedroom door which was adjacent to the side terrace.
"It's already Maghrib, come in. Tidy up Tania's toys."
The man got up from his seat and waited for Tania to put all her toys scattered on the floor into the rattan basket. Although it was a bit difficult to carry the toy basket, he let Tania do it herself. The man stood waiting for his daughter's small steps to reach the family room before closing the side terrace door. A series of curses greeted them in the living room.
"Insolent, huh! You're the devil's child. A rancid bastard! You don't know what's in store for you. It's better for you to die from being struck by lightning!"
The curses were clearly audible. So was the continuation in the form of words taken from the zoo. Tania also listened to them. Hard words with sharp edges and had the power to stop her small steps.
"They must not be taking care of the word tree diligently," said her father while pressing the red button. Suddenly the worm-filled words stopped, replaced by a beautiful silence.[]
“Tentu tidak, Sayang. Itu sama seperti mencuri, hukumnya dosa. Kita akan mendapat hukuman di dunia dan di akhirat. Tuhan marah jika mengambil pohon kata orang lain tanpa seizin yang punya.”
“Kita ‘kan lapar, Yah. Pemiliknya juga enggak kenal. Bagaimana mau minta ijin.”
“Izin yang benar. Ijin itu pastilah dari pohon yang tidak dirawat. Jangan gunakan kata dari pohon tanpa perawatan, itu tidak menyehatkan. Orang asing yang ingin menikmati kata dari pohon kita, juga kebingungan. Mereka bisa sakit perut dan menolak kata-kata dari pohon kita. Oh ya, kalau mau memetik kata dari pohon orang, kalau tidak sempat minta izin karena tidak kenal orangnya atau sedang kelaparan, ya, harus sebutkan dari pohon mana kita ambil. Kalau tidak menyebutkan nama pohon dan pemiliknya, lalu mengakui sebagai pohon milik kita, itu hukumnya haram. Berdosa kita.”
“Bisa masuk neraka.”
“Iya. Bisa masuk neraka. Makanya jangan lakukan itu.”
“Tania ingin punya taman kata. Tania mau ngajak Rasya, Fatin, dan Intan main di sana.”
“Cita-cita yang mulia, Nak. Taman kata adalah tempat yang indah untuk bermain. Taman itu memancarkan cahaya indah, seperti malam yang penuh bintang dan bulan purnama. Cahayanya akan tersimpan di dalam hati, untuk lentera dalam melangkah di kegelapan. Dedaunannya yang rindang selalu memberikan udara segar, juga melindungi dari teriknya matahari. Kalau ada tempat yang paling sehat, ya, di taman kata itu.”
“Yah, Ayah… Tania ingin dibelikan taman kata.”
“Taman kata tidak bisa dibeli, Sayang. Kamu harus memeliharanya sejak kecil. Merawatnya dengan sungguh-sungguh, penuh kasih sayang, penuh cinta. Taman dengan pohon kata yang dirawat dengan cinta, akan menghasilkan panen berlimpah. Kamu bisa menggunakannya sesuka hati, membuat apa saja. Mau buat sop buah bisa, asinan juga boleh…”
“Manisan?!” tatap Tania bersemangat.
“Boleh, boleh, apa pun boleh. Rujak juga boleh. Yang penting sudah memiliki banyak pohon kata di taman. Kalau punya taman luas, tetapi pohon kata cuma satu batang, ya, tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa. Rasanya hambar, tidak ada variasi, tidak bisa mengembangkan kreativitas. Seperti Bunda buat sayur asem terus, ‘kan tidak enak. Harus ada variasinya.”
“Tania tidak suka sayur.”
“Oh, tidak boleh. Sayuran itu baik bagi tubuh, sama seperti buah-buahan juga. Dulu Ayah juga tidak suka makan sayur. Tapi Ayah belajar menyukainya karena baik bagi kesehatan.”
“Seperti pohon kata juga dong, bagus bagi kesehatan!”
“Memang benar,” sahut lelaki itu sembari meraih gelas tehnya yang mulai dingin. Sebelum gelas itu menempel di bibir, Tania sudah bertanya lagi.
“Kapan kita membuat taman kata, Yah?”
“Lha, ‘kan sudah sama Bunda setiap malam, sebelum tidur. Tania harus menyimaknya dengan baik ketika pohon-pohon kata mulai mengakar. Lama-lama, ia akan tumbuh membesar, seperti Tania juga. Dulu hanya bisa nangis dan bobok. Lalu bisa merangkak. Sekarang sudah bisa berlari, pintar pula berbicara.”
Gelap mulai turun di teras samping dan mereka baru menyadari ketika lampu yang tergantung di atas tiba-tiba menyala. Pasti Bunda yang menyalakannya dari dalam. Saklarnya terletak di dekat pintu kamar Tania yang berbatasan dengan teras samping.
“Sudah magrib, ayo masuk. Bereskan mainan Tania.”
Lelaki itu bangkit dari duduk dan menunggu Tania memasukkan seluruh mainannya yang berserakan di lantai ke dalam keranjang rotan. Meski agak kepayahan membawa keranjang mainannya, ia membiarkan Tania melakukannya sendiri. Lelaki itu berdiri menunggu langkah-langkah kecil putrinya sampai ke dalam ruang keluarga sebelum kemudian menutup pintu teras samping. Serentetan makian menyambut mereka di ruang tamu.
“Kurang ajar, ya! Dasar anak setan. Bajingan tengik! Tidak tahu diuntung. Lebih bagus kamu mati disambar geledek!”
Makian itu terdengar jelas. Demikian juga dengan kelanjutannya berupa kata-kata yang dipetik dari kebun binatang. Tania juga mendengarkannya. Kata-kata cadas dengan ujung-ujungnya yang tajam dan memiliki kekuatan untuk menghentikan langkah-langkah kecilnya.
“Mereka pasti tidak merawat pohon kata dengan tekun,” kata ayah sambil menekan tombol berwarna merah. Seketika kata-kata yang penuh ulat itu pun terhenti, berganti dengan kesenyapan yang indah.[]
