Teluk Napoli

Polly terbang di atas Teluk Napoli. Airnya berwarna hijau. Gunung Vesuvius terlihat di seberang teluk. Udara berbau garam dan solar.

Polly flew over the Bay of Naples. The water was green. Mount Vesuvius was across the bay. The air smelled of salt and diesel.

Dia mengikuti garis pantai. Dia melihat jemuran di balkon dan skuter di jalanan.

She followed the shore. She saw laundry on balconies and scooters in the streets.

Tujuannya adalah sebuah bangunan tua di tepi air. Sebuah papan kecil bertuliskan: STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN, 1872.

Her destination was an old building by the water. A small sign read: STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN, 1872.

Ini adalah institut biologi kelautan tertua di dunia. Mereka telah mempelajari gurita sejak tahun 1873.

This is the oldest marine biology institute in the world. It has studied octopuses since 1873.

Polly hinggap di pagar. Seorang peneliti muda dengan jas laboratorium membuka pintu belakang. Dia tersenyum. "Masuklah."

Polly perched on the railing. A young researcher in a lab coat opened the back door. She smiled. "Come in."

Bangunan itu berbau seperti laut. Koridor panjang memiliki akuarium kaca di kedua sisinya. Polly melihat ikan sarden dan seekor gurita kecil.

The building smelled like the sea. Long corridors had glass tanks on both sides. Polly saw sardines and a small octopus.

Nama peneliti itu adalah Chiara. "Gurita adalah hewan paling cerdas di sini," katanya.

The researcher's name was Chiara. "The octopuses are the smartest animals here," she said.

Mereka tiba di sebuah akuarium tinggi. Papan namanya bertuliskan PASTA, 2.3KG, GPO. Di dalamnya ada seekor gurita Pasifik raksasa. Ia melipat dirinya ke dalam pipa. Satu mata emas mengawasi.

They came to a tall tank. The sign said PASTA, 2.3KG, GPO. Inside was a giant Pacific octopus. It folded itself into a pipe. One golden eye watched.

"Pasta," kata Chiara, "kenalkan, ini Polly."

"Pasta," Chiara said, "meet Polly."

Gurita itu tidak bergerak. Tapi ia mengawasi.

The octopus did not move. But it watched.

"Kamu bisa hinggap di tepinya," kata Chiara. "Dia tidak akan memercikimu."

"You can perch on the rim," Chiara said. "She will not splash you."