Tivoli Gardens var en fest af farver.

Tivoli Gardens was a festival of colors.

Græskar i alle størrelser lyste op i de krogede stier, og lyset fra pariserhjulet kastede glinsende skygger på de mange mennesker i kostumer.

Pumpkins in all sizes lit up the winding paths, and the lights from the Ferris wheel cast shimmering shadows on the many people in costumes.

Mikkel gik langsomt med hænderne i lommerne.

Mikkel walked slowly with his hands in his pockets.

Skæve smil og høje grin fyldte luften, men han trak vejret dybt og mindede sig selv om, at han var her for at nyde det.

Crooked smiles and loud laughter filled the air, but he took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was here to enjoy it.

Han havde besluttet at komme til Halloween-eventet på opfordring fra sin ven.

He had decided to come to the Halloween event at the urging of his friend.

Mikkel ønskede noget mere.

Mikkel wanted something more.

At føle sig forbundet.

To feel connected.

Han stoppede for at beundre en gruppe mennesker, der lavede en scene foran en lille scene, klædt ud som alverdens sære væsner.

He stopped to admire a group of people putting on a scene in front of a small stage, dressed as all sorts of peculiar creatures.

Der et sted i mængden så han Emil, som vinkede entusiastisk.

Somewhere in the crowd, he saw Emil, who waved enthusiastically.

Emil, altid en kilde til sjov, skubbede en energisk pige frem.

Emil, always a source of fun, pushed an energetic girl forward.

"Mikkel!"

"Mikkel!"

råbte han gennem mængden.

he shouted through the crowd.

"Mød Sofie."

"Meet Sofie."

Sofie smilede bredt, og hendes øjne strålede i skæret fra lygterne.

Sofie smiled broadly, and her eyes shone in the glow of the lanterns.

"Hej Mikkel, jeg har altid elsket Halloween," sagde hun glad.

"Hi Mikkel, I've always loved Halloween," she said happily.

"Det er sådan en vidunderlig anledning til at forsvinde ind i en anden verden, ikke?"

"It's such a wonderful opportunity to disappear into another world, isn't it?"

Mikkel, lidt genert, nikkede.

Mikkel, a bit shy, nodded.

"Ja, jeg elsker kreative kostumer.

"Yes, I love creative costumes.

Jeg arbejder faktisk som grafisk designer," svarede han og forsøgte at virke rolig.

I actually work as a graphic designer," he replied, trying to seem calm.

Netop som de snakkede, begyndte paraden.

Just as they were talking, the parade started.

Trommerne buldrede, og en farvestrålende karnevalsvogn rullede forbi.

Drums thundered, and an colorful carnival float rolled by.

Mikkel tøvede, men så på Sofie, der begejstret klappede i hænderne og lo.

Mikkel hesitated but looked at Sofie, who clapped her hands excitedly and laughed.

Noget inde i ham sagde, at dette var øjeblikket.

Something inside him said that this was the moment.

Han tog en dyb indånding og begyndte at fortælle om en speciel kostumeidé, han havde arbejdet på.

He took a deep breath and began to talk about a special costume idea he had been working on.

Sofies øjne lyse op af interesse.

Sofie's eyes lit up with interest.

"Det lyder fantastisk!

"That sounds amazing!

Måske kunne vi en dag arbejde sammen på et projekt?"

Maybe we could work on a project together one day?"

Den tanke fyldte Mikkel med glæde, og han mærkede varmen sprede sig i kinderne.

The thought filled Mikkel with joy, and he felt warmth spread in his cheeks.

De fortsatte med at tale, opdagende fælles interesser og beundrende hinandens idéer.

They continued talking, discovering shared interests and admiring each other's ideas.

Da paraden sluttede, sad de stadig sammen på en bænk omringet af raslende blade.

When the parade ended, they still sat together on a bench surrounded by rustling leaves.

Da lyset begyndte at svinde, byttede de telefonnumre.

As the light began to fade, they exchanged phone numbers.

"Vi burde mødes igen," sagde Mikkel, hans stemme nu mere sikker.

"We should meet again," said Mikkel, his voice now more confident.

"Ja!"

"Yes!"

svarede Sofie, og hendes smil var ægte.

replied Sofie, and her smile was genuine.

"Det vil jeg se frem til."

"I would look forward to that."

Da Mikkel forlod Tivoli den aften, var han ikke længere bare en del af mængden.

When Mikkel left Tivoli that evening, he was no longer just part of the crowd.

Han gik med en nyfunden tillid, vidende at når man tør række ud, venter der utrolige forbindelser.

He walked with newfound confidence, knowing that when you dare to reach out, incredible connections await.