Den frodige høstmorgen i nabolaget var spesielt livlig denne dagen.

The lush autumn morning in the neighborhood was particularly lively that day.

Bladene lå spredd på fortauet, og husene var kledd i gresskar og høstpynt.

Leaves were scattered on the sidewalk, and the houses were adorned with pumpkins and autumn decorations.

Det var en kriblende stemning i luften, en følelse av forventning.

There was a tingling feeling in the air, a sense of anticipation.

Halloween nærmet seg, og det gjorde Astrid både spent og glad.

Halloween was approaching, and it made Astrid both excited and happy.

Hun elsket Halloween, alle de kreative mulighetene, kostymene og festene.

She loved Halloween, all the creative possibilities, costumes, and parties.

Men i dag var hun ikke alene; hun hadde Leif ved sin side.

But today she was not alone; she had Leif by her side.

Leif var ikke like begeistret som Astrid.

Leif was not as enthusiastic as Astrid.

For ham var Halloween mest en unødvendig anledning til å bruke penger på pynt og kostymer.

For him, Halloween was mostly an unnecessary occasion to spend money on decorations and costumes.

Han likte ting som var praktiske.

He liked things that were practical.

"Vi trenger ikke bruke tid og penger på dette," sa Leif idet de gikk nedover gaten mot første butikk.

"We don't need to spend time and money on this," said Leif as they walked down the street toward the first store.

"Leif, det kan være så gøy! Bare tenk, å kle seg ut som noen andre for en dag," sa Astrid med et stort smil.

"Leif, it can be so much fun! Just think, dressing up as someone else for a day," said Astrid with a big smile.

Hun markedet ivrig mot butikken.

She eagerly pointed toward the store.

Hun visste at det skulle bli en utfordring å overbevise ham.

She knew it would be a challenge to convince him.

Likevel var hun fast bestemt.

Nevertheless, she was determined.

De startet på en liten butikk som solgte kostymer.

They started at a small store that sold costumes.

Hele butikken var fylt med heksekapper, vampyrtenner og monsterdrakter.

The entire store was filled with witch capes, vampire teeth, and monster outfits.

Astrid plukket opp en stråhatt med strittende hår og prøvde den på.

Astrid picked up a straw hat with sticking-out hair and tried it on.

"Leif, se! Hva med denne?"

"Leif, look! How about this?"

Leif trakk på skuldrene.

Leif shrugged.

"Det er ikke min stil," mumlet han.

"It's not my style," he mumbled.

Astrid sukket, men ga ikke opp.

Astrid sighed but didn't give up.

Hun dro Leif bort til en annen del av butikken.

She dragged Leif over to another part of the store.

"Hva med denne?" sa hun og holdt opp en sjørøverhatt og en øyelapp.

"What about this?" she said, holding up a pirate hat and an eyepatch.

Leif så på dem med skeptiske øyne.

Leif looked at them with skeptical eyes.

"Tror ikke det passer meg."

"I don't think it suits me."

Astrid bøyde seg nærmere.

Astrid leaned closer.

"Kom igjen, Leif. Bare prøv én ting. Jeg lover, du vil kanskje overraskes."

"Come on, Leif. Just try one thing. I promise, you might be surprised."

Etter mye om og men dro Leif på seg en kappe og en maske.

After much hesitation, Leif put on a cape and a mask.

Astrid kikket på ham og fniste.

Astrid looked at him and giggled.

"Se, du ser flott ut!"

"See, you look great!"

Noe i Leif endret seg da han kikket seg i speilet.

Something in Leif changed when he looked at himself in the mirror.

Kanskje var det feriefølelsen som endelig hadde sneket seg inn.

Maybe it was the holiday spirit that had finally snuck in.

Kanskje var det Astrids entusiasme.

Perhaps it was Astrid's enthusiasm.

Uansett, han så på kostymet i et nytt lys.

Regardless, he saw the costume in a new light.

"Kanskje dette er noe likevel," sa han med et lite smil.

"Maybe this is something after all," he said with a slight smile.

Da de forlot butikken, var Leif i bedre humør.

When they left the store, Leif was in a better mood.

"Hva om vi lager en gresskarlykt?" foreslo han plutselig.

"What if we carve a pumpkin lantern?" he suddenly suggested.

Astrid gliste fra øre til øre.

Astrid beamed from ear to ear.

"Ja! Og vi kan lage en skummel historie rundt flammene!"

"Yes! And we can create a spooky story around the flames!"

Sammen fortsatte de til flere butikker og fant kostymer som passet for festen.

Together they continued to several stores and found costumes suitable for the party.

Leif begynte å bidra med ideer til både kostymer og dekorasjoner.

Leif began to contribute ideas for both costumes and decorations.

Kvelden før Halloween var de siste forberedelsene gjort.

The night before Halloween, the final preparations were done.

Leif, nå i storform, var klar for festen.

Leif, now in great form, was ready for the party.

Han hadde planlagt en liten skremmende overraskelse for nabolaget sammen med Astrid.

He had planned a little frightening surprise for the neighborhood together with Astrid.

Når festen endelig kom, var Leif like engasjert som Astrid.

When the party finally arrived, Leif was as engaged as Astrid.

De delte sin glede med vennene og naboene, og kvelden ble en stor suksess.

They shared their joy with friends and neighbors, and the evening was a huge success.

Gjennom denne erfaringen lærte Leif å sette pris på gleden ved høytider, og enda viktigere, hva det betydde å dele øyeblikk og opplevelser med andre.

Through this experience, Leif learned to appreciate the joy of holidays and, more importantly, what it meant to share moments and experiences with others.

Sammen, med Astrid ved sin side, fant han en ny glede i høstens festligheter.

Together, with Astrid by his side, he found new joy in the festive autumn celebrations.