Det var en kølig efterårsdag.

It was a cool autumn day.

Bladene dansede langs fortovene, og himlen var dækket af tunge skyer.

The leaves danced along the sidewalks, and the sky was covered with heavy clouds.

Freja tog en dyb indånding, da hun stod foran den store skolebygning.

Freja took a deep breath as she stood in front of the large school building.

Det var valgdagen, og hun vidste, hvor vigtigt det var at få sin stemme hørt.

It was election day, and she knew how important it was to have her voice heard.

Da hun trådte ind i gymnastiksalen, blev hun mødt af et virvar af lyde.

As she stepped into the gymnasium, she was greeted by a chaos of sounds.

Mennesker stod i lange køer, lysene skinnede skarpt ned fra loftet, og lyden af folk, der snakkede, frembragte et konstant, summende lydtæppe.

People stood in long lines, the lights shone brightly down from the ceiling, and the sound of people talking created a constant humming backdrop.

Freja begyndte at mærke den velkendte knude af angst i maven.

Freja began to feel the familiar knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Lige ved sin side stod hendes ven Lukas.

Right beside her stood her friend Lukas.

Han gav hende et opmuntrende smil.

He gave her an encouraging smile.

"Du klarer det her, Freja.

"You've got this, Freja.

Jeg er lige her," sagde han beroligende.

I’m right here," he said soothingly.

Freja nikkede, men hendes hænder rystede en smule, da hun krammede sin stemmeseddel.

Freja nodded, but her hands shook slightly as she clutched her ballot.

Mens de stillede sig i køen, skød angsten igen op i hende, og hendes syn blev sløret.

As they queued, the anxiety surged up in her again, and her vision blurred.

Alt omkring hende virkede overvældende, og hendes hjerte slog hurtigere.

Everything around her seemed overwhelming, and her heart beat faster.

Et øjeblik føltes det, som om der ikke var nok luft i rummet.

For a moment, it felt as though there wasn't enough air in the room.

Mikkel, en opmærksom medarbejder ved afstemningsstedet, bemærkede Frejas uro.

Mikkel, a perceptive employee at the polling station, noticed Freja's distress.

Han gik hen til hende med et roligt smil.

He approached her with a calm smile.

"Hej, jeg hedder Mikkel.

"Hi, my name is Mikkel.

Du ser ud til at have det lidt svært.

You look like you're having a bit of a hard time.

Er der noget, jeg kan gøre for at hjælpe?"

Is there anything I can do to help?"

spurgte han venligt.

he asked kindly.

Freja kiggede på ham, overrasket over hans venlighed.

Freja looked at him, surprised by his kindness.

"Jeg har lidt angst... det er bare ret overvældende," indrømmede hun stille.

"I have a bit of anxiety... it's just really overwhelming," she admitted quietly.

"Det er helt i orden," sagde Mikkel.

"That's perfectly okay," Mikkel said.

"Du kan tage din tid.

"You can take your time.

Hvis du vil, kan jeg vise dig til et roligere sted, hvor du kan stemme."

If you want, I can show you to a quieter place where you can vote."

Freja tog en dyb indånding igen.

Freja took a deep breath again.

Med Lukas ved sin side og Mikkels hjælp, følte hun sig lidt mere tryg.

With Lukas by her side and Mikkel's help, she felt a bit more secure.

"Ja, det ville være rigtig rart, tak," svarede hun med et lille smil.

"Yes, that would be really nice, thank you," she replied with a small smile.

Mikkel førte dem til et lille lokale i nærheden af gymnastiksalen.

Mikkel led them to a small room near the gymnasium.

Her var det stille, og belysningen var dæmpet.

Here it was quiet, and the lighting was dimmed.

Det var meget mere behageligt for Freja.

It was much more comfortable for Freja.

Hun satte sig ved bordet, og med Lukas' rolige tilstedeværelse ved hendes side, udfyldte hun sin stemmeseddel.

She sat at the table, and with Lukas' calm presence by her side, she filled out her ballot.

Da hun endelig puttede sin stemmeseddel i boksen, følte Freja en bølge af lettelse og stolthed skylle over sig.

When she finally placed her ballot into the box, Freja felt a wave of relief and pride wash over her.

Hun havde gjort det.

She had done it.

Til trods for sin angst, havde hun opfyldt sin borgerpligt.

Despite her anxiety, she had fulfilled her civic duty.

"Hvor er jeg glad for, at du stemte," sagde Lukas, da de gik ud af den stille zone.

"I'm so glad you voted," Lukas said as they exited the quiet zone.

"Jeg også," sagde Freja med et mere beslutsomt smil.

"Me too," said Freja with a more resolute smile.

Hun vidste nu, at hun kunne overvinde sine bekymringer med støtte fra venner og venlige fremmede som Mikkel.

She now knew that she could overcome her worries with the support of friends and kind strangers like Mikkel.

Det gav hende mod og tro på fremtiden.

It gave her courage and faith in the future.

Da de forlod bygningen, bemærkede hun igen bladene, der blev ført af efterårsvinden.

As they left the building, she once more noticed the leaves carried by the autumn wind.

Denne gang føltes de som et symbol på hendes egen styrke og bevægelse fremad.

This time, they felt like a symbol of her own strength and movement forward.