Niels stod i den glitrende elevator.

Niels stood in the glistening elevator.

Han kiggede på sit spejlbillede i glasset.

He looked at his reflection in the glass.

Hjertet hamrede i hans bryst.

His heart pounded in his chest.

Hvorfor havde han sagt ja til dette møde på toppen af København?

Why had he said yes to this meeting at the top of København?

Han var arkitekt, ikke eventyrer.

He was an architect, not an adventurer.

De andre, Astrid og Johan, var allerede deroppe.

The others, Astrid and Johan, were already up there.

De ventede på ham.

They were waiting for him.

Det var efterår, og vinden hylede udenfor.

It was autumn, and the wind howled outside.

Byen nedenfor var oplyst af tusindvis af lys, nu dækket af et tæppe af truende mørke skyer.

The city below was lit by thousands of lights, now covered by a blanket of threatening dark clouds.

Pludselig blinkede lyset, og så blev alt helt sort.

Suddenly, the light flickered, and then everything went completely black.

Elevatoren stoppede.

The elevator stopped.

Niels kunne mærke panikken krybe op ad ryggen.

Niels could feel panic creeping up his spine.

Hvordan kunne det ske?

How could this happen?

I en moderne bygning som denne?

In a modern building like this?

Han stod stille, omgivet af glas, som om han svævede i luften over København.

He stood still, surrounded by glass, as if he were floating in the air above København.

Niels kunne se regnen piske mod ruderne.

Niels could see the rain lashing against the windows.

Han trak vejret dybt.

He took a deep breath.

Han måtte bevare roen.

He had to stay calm.

Men tanken om at skulle sidde fast her, halvt oppe og halvt nede, var næsten ubærlig.

But the thought of being stuck here, halfway up and halfway down, was almost unbearable.

"Hvad skal jeg gøre?"

"What should I do?"

tænkte han.

he thought.

Han kunne ringe til Johan, bygningens manager, og indrømme sin frygt.

He could call Johan, the building manager, and admit his fear.

Det var ydmygende, men måske var det den eneste mulighed.

It was humiliating, but maybe it was the only option.

Han satte en hånd i lommen og tog sin telefon frem.

He put a hand in his pocket and took out his phone.

Hans fingre rystede, da han fandt Johans nummer.

His fingers trembled as he found Johan's number.

"Hej, Niels?"

"Hello, Niels?"

Johans stemme var venlig, men Niels kunne næsten ikke få ordene frem.

Johan's voice was friendly, but Niels could barely get the words out.

"Vi har mistet strømmen.

"We've lost power.

Er du okay?"

Are you okay?"

"Johan, jeg...

"Johan, I...

Jeg er i elevatoren.

I'm in the elevator.

Jeg er...

I'm...

Jeg er bange for højder."

I'm afraid of heights."

Niels stemme var lav og skælvende.

Niels' voice was low and trembling.

Han ventede på, hvad Johan ville sige.

He waited to hear what Johan would say.

"Det er okay, Niels.

"It's okay, Niels.

Du er ikke alene.

You're not alone.

Vi skal nok få dig ned eller op.

We'll get you down or up.

Vi arbejder på at få strømmen tilbage."

We're working on getting the power back."

Lindringen i Niels' krop var næsten øjeblikkelig.

The relief in Niels' body was almost immediate.

Det var godt at vide, at nogen vidste, hvor han var, og at han ikke skulle kæmpe alene.

It was good to know that someone knew where he was and that he didn't have to struggle alone.

Uden at skamme sig mere indså Niels, at ved at indrømme sin frygt tillod han andre at hjælpe ham.

Without shame, Niels realized that by admitting his fear, he allowed others to help him.

Uden varsel startede elevatoren igen.

Without warning, the elevator started again.

Lysene tændtes, og langsomt begyndte den at køre.

The lights came on, and slowly it began to move.

Niels lukkede øjnene et øjeblik, før han åbnet dem for at se byens lys komme tættere og tættere på ham.

Niels closed his eyes for a moment before opening them to see the city's lights coming closer and closer to him.

Da han nåede toppen, ventede Astrid og Johan med smil.

When he reached the top, Astrid and Johan were waiting with smiles.

"Velkommen til toppen," sagde Astrid.

"Welcome to the top," said Astrid.

Niels trådte ud af elevatoren.

Niels stepped out of the elevator.

Han følte sig stærkere, mere selvsikker.

He felt stronger, more confident.

Det var ikke hans frygt, der definerede ham, men hans mod til at konfrontere den.

It was not his fear that defined him, but his courage to confront it.

Han kunne mærke vinden på tagterrassen, men nu føltes den som en ven.

He could feel the wind on the rooftop terrace, but now it felt like a friend.

Niels havde nået toppen – både af bygningen og af sin egen styrke.

Niels had reached the top – both of the building and of his own strength.