Kastanjeblade svævede gennem luften udenfor skolens vinduer.

Kastanjeblade drifted through the air outside the school's windows.

Inde i skolens bibliotek var der travlt med studerende.

Inside the school library, there was a buzz of busy students.

Hylder fyldt med bøger strakte sig langt ned ad gangen, og hver krog var pyntet med papirsflagermus og små græskar.

Shelves filled with books stretched far down the hall, and every corner was decorated with paper bats and small pumpkins.

Duften af gamle sider og kaffe fyldte luften.

The scent of old pages and coffee filled the air.

Mikkel sad ved et bord tæt på en stak bøger.

Mikkel sat at a table close to a stack of books.

Hans fingerspidser trommede hurtigt mod hans notesbog.

His fingertips drummed quickly against his notebook.

Der var kun en uge til midterprøverne, og han følte presset.

There was only a week until the midterms, and he felt the pressure.

Hans stipendium afhængte af det.

His scholarship depended on it.

Ved siden af ham stirrede Freja ud i luften.

Next to him, Freja stared into the air.

Hun havde en gruppe farveblyanter foran sig og trak langsomt mønstre på hendes ark.

She had a bunch of colored pencils in front of her and was slowly drawing patterns on her sheet.

Søren, som sad overfor, kiggede frem og tilbage mellem dem.

Søren, who sat across from them, glanced back and forth between them.

"Vi skal fokusere," sagde Mikkel utålmodigt.

"We need to focus," Mikkel said impatiently.

"Prøverne er lige om hjørnet."

"The exams are right around the corner."

Freja lo blidt.

Freja laughed softly.

"Jeg fokuserer bedst, når jeg kan lade min fantasi flyve lidt."

"I focus best when I can let my imagination fly a little."

Mikkel sukkede.

Mikkel sighed.

"Vi har ikke tid til at dagdrømme."

"We don't have time to daydream."

Søren lænede sig tilbage og foldede sine hænder bag hovedet.

Søren leaned back and folded his hands behind his head.

"Måske er der en måde at kombinere jeres metoder," foreslog han.

"Maybe there's a way to combine your methods," he suggested.

Freja begyndte at fortælle historier om de historiske figurer, de skulle læse om, mens hun tegnede scener med blyanterne.

Freja began to tell stories about the historical figures they had to read about while she sketched scenes with her pencils.

Mikkel rullede øjnene, men fortsatte med sine noter.

Mikkel rolled his eyes but continued with his notes.

Alligevel begyndte noget at trække i ham ved Frejas fortællinger.

Still, something began to pull at him through Freja's stories.

Figuren blev levende i hans hoved, og det fastgjorde oplysningerne på en ny måde.

The figures came to life in his mind, and it fixed the information in a new way.

Dagene skred frem, og Mikkel kunne knap fokusere.

The days went on, and Mikkel could hardly concentrate.

Halloween var knap en uge væk, og udsigten til skolefesten pirrede de studerende.

Halloween was barely a week away, and the prospect of the school party excited the students.

Han vidste, at han skulle vælge mellem intens fordybelse i bøgerne eller at stole på, at han havde forberedt sig godt nok til at tage en pause.

He knew he had to choose between intense immersion in the books or trusting that he had prepared well enough to take a break.

I løbet af en intens diskussion, da Freja endnu engang drev væk i tanker, brød Mikkel sammen.

During an intense discussion, when Freja once again drifted off in thought, Mikkel broke down.

"Jeg begriber ikke, hvordan du kan være så rolig!"

"I can't understand how you can be so calm!"

Freja lagde sine blyanter ned og kiggede roligt på ham.

Freja put down her pencils and looked calmly at him.

"Har du nogensinde prøvet at huske ved at skabe billeder i dit hoved?

"Have you ever tried to remember by creating pictures in your head?

Forestil dig en historie."

Imagine a story."

Pludselig klikkede noget for Mikkel.

Suddenly, something clicked for Mikkel.

Han tog fat i en af Farjas blyanter og begyndte at lave små kruseduller blandt sine egne noter.

He grabbed one of Freja's pencils and began to doodle among his own notes.

Scener kom frem foran ham, lidt ligesom Freja gjorde det.

Scenes appeared before him, a bit like how Freja did it.

Da dagene skred frem, blandede Mikkel små visualiseringer med sine strukturerede noter.

As days went on, Mikkel mixed small visualizations with his structured notes.

Han bemærkede en ændring.

He noticed a change.

Hans hjerteslag var mere roligt.

His heartbeat was calmer.

Han kunne fokusere bedre.

He could focus better.

Da midterprøverne endelig var forbi, og resultaterne var gode nok til ikke kun at beholde hans stipendium, men også til at han kunne slappe af, indså Mikkel noget vigtigt.

When the midterms were finally over, and the results were good enough not only to keep his scholarship but also to allow him to relax, Mikkel realized something important.

Balance var afgørende.

Balance was crucial.

Og med det, havde han også lært essentielle lektioner om venskab og forståelse.

And with that, he had also learned essential lessons about friendship and understanding.

Den aften mødtes de tre venner til Halloween-festen på skolen.

That evening, the three friends met at the Halloween party at school.

Biblioteket blev til et sted for fest, lysene dæmpet, spøgelsesagtige skygger kastet op mod loftet.

The library turned into a place for celebration, the lights dimmed, ghostly shadows cast up against the ceiling.

Mikkel så rundt på sine venner og vidste, at denne balance i livet, skabt af deres forskelligheder, var værd at have.

Mikkel looked around at his friends and knew that this balance in life, created by their differences, was worth having.