Snøen la seg tykk og hvit over den lille byen.

The snow lay thick and white over the small town.

Det var valgdagen, og hele byen hadde møtt opp ved det lille rådhuset for å avgi stemmene sine.

It was election day, and the entire town had gathered at the small rådhus to cast their votes.

Inne i bygningen var det varmt, en betryggende kontrast til vinterkulden utenfor.

Inside the building, it was warm, a comforting contrast to the winter cold outside.

Lars, en ivrig valgmedarbeider, sjekket listene.

Lars, an eager election worker, checked the lists.

Han var nervøs.

He was nervous.

Denne gangen brydde han seg mer enn vanlig da en han kjente stilte som kandidat.

This time he cared more than usual because someone he knew was running as a candidate.

Blant folkemengden var Ingrid, en lokal journalist med egne mål.

Among the crowd was Ingrid, a local journalist with her own goals.

Hun speidet etter den minste antydning til uregelmessighet.

She was looking for the slightest hint of irregularity.

Mens Lars gikk rundt og observerte, la han merke til en liten anspent stillhet ved stemmeboksene.

As Lars walked around observing, he noticed a little tense silence at the voting booths.

Han stakk innom der, og til sin forskrekkelse oppdaget han at en stemmeboks manglet!

He stopped by there, and to his horror, discovered that a ballot box was missing!

Stresset steg.

The stress rose.

Hele valget kunne bli kompromittert.

The entire election could be compromised.

Lars visste han trengte hjelp.

Lars knew he needed help.

I skjul hvisket han til Ingrid om situasjonen.

In secret, he whispered to Ingrid about the situation.

Hennes øyne lyste opp av nysgjerrighet og bestemthet.

Her eyes lit up with curiosity and determination.

Sammen begynte de å undersøke, stille spørsmål til de som hadde vært til stede.

Together they began investigating, quietly questioning those who had been present.

Kjetil, en stille frivillig som hadde tjent i mange år, ble plutselig nevnt flere ganger.

Kjetil, a quiet volunteer who had served for many years, was suddenly mentioned several times.

Han hadde vært rundt stemmeboksene hele dagen, men ingen hadde sett ham de siste timene.

He had been around the voting booths all day, but no one had seen him in the past few hours.

Lars og Ingrid la en plan; de måtte finne ham.

Lars and Ingrid made a plan; they had to find him.

Deres tålmodige etterforskning førte dem til lagerrommet i kjelleren av rådhuset.

Their patient investigation led them to the storage room in the basement of the rådhus.

Der inne fant de Kjetil, med den manglende stemmeboksen i hånden.

Inside they found Kjetil, with the missing ballot box in hand.

Lars sukket lettet, men før han kunne si noe, forklarte Kjetil seg.

Lars sighed with relief, but before he could say anything, Kjetil explained himself.

Han hadde ikke stjålet boksen.

He hadn't stolen the box.

En fremmed hadde virket mistenkelig tidligere, og Kjetil hadde handlet raskt for å hindre mulig sabotasje.

A stranger had seemed suspicious earlier, and Kjetil had acted quickly to prevent possible sabotage.

Med situasjonen avklart, gikk de opp sammen.

With the situation clarified, they went upstairs together.

Valget kunne fortsette uten flere forstyrrelser.

The election could continue without further disturbances.

Publikum ble uvitende om dramaet som nettopp hadde utspilt seg.

The public remained unaware of the drama that had just unfolded.

Da kvelden falt, og folk begynte å dra hjem, kjente Lars en varm takknemlighet for Ingrid og Kjetil.

As evening fell, and people began to head home, Lars felt a warm gratitude for Ingrid and Kjetil.

Han innså at han ikke kunne gjøre alt alene og at samarbeid ofte var nøkkelen til å løse problemer.

He realized that he couldn't do everything alone and that collaboration was often the key to solving problems.

Det var ikke bare en seier for favorittkandidaten hans, men en seier for fellesskapet.

It was not just a victory for his favorite candidate, but a victory for the community.