Fluent Fiction - Norwegian: Unlikely Allies: A Halloween Bargain in Oslo's Silent Streets
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Story Transcript:

Nb: Oslo lå stille under en blygrå himmel.
En: Oslo lay still under a leaden gray sky.

Nb: Blader fra høsttrær danset gjennom de tomme gatene.
En: Leaves from autumn trees danced through the empty streets.

Nb: Bygningene sto der som spøkelsesaktige skygger, mens den kalde vinden fortærte hva som var igjen av byens liv.
En: The buildings stood like ghostly shadows, while the cold wind devoured what was left of the city's life.

Nb: Det var Halloween, men uten lys, uten fest.
En: It was Halloween, but without lights, without celebration.

Nb: Bare en svak knirkelyd av døren til det provisoriske markedet brøt stillheten.
En: Only a faint creak from the door to the makeshift market broke the silence.

Nb: Kjetil beveget seg gjennom de smale passasjene mellom de sammenraskede bodene.
En: Kjetil moved through the narrow passages between the makeshift stalls.

Nb: Han var på jakt etter noe viktig.
En: He was searching for something important.

Nb: Noe sjelden.
En: Something rare.

Nb: Medisin til søsteren sin.
En: Medicine for his sister.

Nb: Hun var syk, og tiden var knapp.
En: She was sick, and time was running out.

Nb: Men han visste at handelen ville bli vanskelig.
En: But he knew the trade would be difficult.

Nb: Astrid, markedets mest utspekulerte handelsmann, hadde det han trengte.
En: Astrid, the market's most cunning trader, had what he needed.

Nb: Hun var dyktig, og hun visste alltid verdien av sine varer.
En: She was skilled, and she always knew the value of her goods.

Nb: "Mangler du noe?" spurte Astrid med et lurt glimt i øyet.
En: "Are you missing something?" asked Astrid with a sly glint in her eye.

Nb: Håret hennes blafret som flammer i den kjølige vinden.
En: Her hair flickered like flames in the chilly wind.

Nb: Hun visste hvorfor Kjetil var her.
En: She knew why Kjetil was here.

Nb: "Ja, jeg trenger medisin," svarte Kjetil.
En: "Yes, I need medicine," answered Kjetil.

Nb: Han prøvde å høres sikker ut, men usikkerheten lå i pusten hans.
En: He tried to sound confident, but the uncertainty lay in his breath.

Nb: Beholdningen hans av verdifulle ting var knapp.
En: His stash of valuable items was scant.

Nb: Astrid så over de små varene Kjetil hadde med seg.
En: Astrid looked over the small items Kjetil had brought with him.

Nb: "Disse vil ikke være nok," sa hun og rakte frem varen sin, en liten medisinsk flaske.
En: "These won’t be enough," she said, extending her item, a small medicinal bottle.

Nb: Kjetil svelget tungt.
En: Kjetil swallowed hard.

Nb: Verken hermetikkbokser eller reservedeler ville strekke til.
En: Neither canned goods nor spare parts would suffice.

Nb: Kjetil nølte et øyeblikk.
En: Kjetil hesitated for a moment.

Nb: Deretter trakk han frem noe fra innerlommen.
En: Then he pulled something from his inner pocket.

Nb: En gammel medaljong, den siste påminnelsen om sin mor, glitret i hånden hans.
En: An old medallion, the last reminder of his mother, glittered in his hand.

Nb: "Jeg kan gi deg denne," sa han, stemmen tøff men klar.
En: "I can give you this," he said, his voice tough but clear.

Nb: Astrid hevet øyenbrynene, tiltrukket av den sentimentale verdien.
En: Astrid raised her eyebrows, attracted by the sentimental value.

Nb: Plutselig ble de avbrutt av harde stemmer og fottrinn som nærmet seg.
En: Suddenly, they were interrupted by harsh voices and footsteps approaching.

Nb: En rivaliserende gruppe nærmet seg, klare til å plyndre hva de kunne.
En: A rival group was nearing, ready to plunder what they could.

Nb: Astrid snudde seg, handlet raskt.
En: Astrid turned, acting quickly.

Nb: "De vil ta medisinene! Vi må jobbe sammen," ropte hun.
En: "They will take the medicines! We must work together," she shouted.

Nb: Kjetil kastet seg rundt, ryggen mot Astrid.
En: Kjetil spun around, his back against Astrid.

Nb: Han så de skyggefulle figurene komme nærmere.
En: He saw the shadowy figures coming closer.

Nb: De hadde steiner og pinner, klare til å slåss.
En: They had stones and sticks, ready to fight.

Nb: Uten et ord, men med et stille samspill, forsvarte Kjetil og Astrid seg.
En: Without a word, but with a silent understanding, Kjetil and Astrid defended themselves.

Nb: Kjetil brukte gjenstander fra boden som skjold.
En: Kjetil used items from the stall as shields.

Nb: Astrid klarte å distrahere dem med høye rop og lur manøvrering.
En: Astrid managed to distract them with loud cries and clever maneuvering.

Nb: Til slutt, etter mye dramatikk, trakk rivalene seg tilbake, tomhendte.
En: Finally, after much drama, the rivals retreated, empty-handed.

Nb: Kjetil og Astrid pustet lettet ut.
En: Kjetil and Astrid breathed a sigh of relief.

Nb: Kjetil tilbød medaljongen igjen, men nå med en ny forståelse.
En: Kjetil offered the medallion again, but now with a new understanding.

Nb: "Vi gjorde det sammen. Kanskje vi kan stole på hverandre," sa han.
En: "We did it together. Maybe we can trust each other," he said.

Nb: Astrid smilte, overrasket over samholdet de hadde funnet i kaoset.
En: Astrid smiled, surprised by the camaraderie they had found in chaos.

Nb: Hun tok medaljongen, men forandret flasken til en rimelig byttehandel.
En: She took the medallion but changed the bottle to a reasonable bargain.

Nb: "Vi er kanskje konkurrenter, men vi trenger hverandre også," sa hun.
En: "We may be competitors, but we need each other too," she said.

Nb: Medisinen var hans.
En: The medicine was his.

Nb: Kjetils hjerte slo av lettelse, men også en ny lærdom lå gjemt der inne.
En: Kjetil's heart beat with relief, but also a new lesson lay hidden inside.

Nb: I en ødelagt verden var ikke alt materiale.
En: In a broken world, not everything was material.

Nb: Noen ganger var samhold like viktig som smykker.
En: Sometimes camaraderie was as important as jewelry.

Nb: Mens han forlot markedet, kjente han vinden av høstens blader bringe med seg en ny styrke.
En: As he left the market, he felt the wind of the autumn leaves bring with it a new strength.

Nb: Oslo var fortsatt der ute, med sine ødelagte bygninger og stille gater, men midt i det hele fant Kjetil noe mer enn akkurat det øyeblikket trengte.
En: Oslo was still out there, with its ruined buildings and silent streets, but amidst it all, Kjetil found something more than what the moment needed.

Nb: Han fant en alliert.
En: He found an ally.

Nb: En venn.
En: A friend.


Vocabulary Words:

• leaden: blygrå
• devoured: fortærte
• makeshift: provisoriske
• cunning: utspekulerte
• sly: lurt
• glint: glimt
• flickered: blafret
• scant: knapp
• stalls: boder
• spare parts: reservedeler
• hesitated: nølte
• medallion: medaljong
• sentimental: sentimentale
• reminder: påminnelse
• harsh: harde
• plunder: plyndre
• maneuvering: manøvrering
• rivals: rivalene
• retreated: trakkk
• camaraderie: samhold
• bargain: byttehandel
• allies: allierte
• relief: lettelse
• drama: dramatikk
• chilly: kjølige
• figures: figurer
• shields: skjold
• ply: strekke
• ally: alliert
• silent: stille