Mikkel trak sin jakke tættere om sig, mens han gik hen over de sneklædte fortove i deres rolige kvarter.

Mikkel pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he walked across the snow-covered sidewalks in their quiet neighborhood.

Vinteren havde lagt et tykt tæppe af sne over hele nabolaget.

Winter had laid a thick blanket of snow over the entire neighborhood.

Husene var stadig pyntet med blinkende lyskæder fra nytårsfejringen, der havde oplyst gaderne få dage tidligere.

The houses were still decorated with twinkling light chains from the New Year's celebration that had lit up the streets a few days earlier.

Inde i det lokale forsamlingshus, hvor Mikkel var på vej hen, ventede Sofie og Kasper allerede.

Inside the local community center, where Mikkel was heading, Sofie and Kasper were already waiting.

De arbejdede alle sammen på et fælles projekt for at gøre kvarteret mere indbydende for både børn og voksne.

They were all working on a joint project to make the neighborhood more inviting for both children and adults.

Det var Sofies idé, og hendes smittende entusiasme havde fået mange med.

It was Sofie's idea, and her infectious enthusiasm had gotten many on board.

Mikkel havde altid haft svært ved at komme til orde.

Mikkel had always had difficulty speaking up.

Han var god til at tænke og planlægge, men at tale op, især når Sofie strålede så meget, gjorde ham usikker.

He was good at thinking and planning, but speaking out, especially when Sofie shone so brightly, made him unsure.

Det var her, Kasper ofte kom ind i billedet.

This is where Kasper often came into the picture.

Kasper kunne fornemme, når ting blev ubalanceret, og han hjalp med at sikre, at alle blev hørt.

Kasper could sense when things became unbalanced, and he helped ensure that everyone was heard.

Da Mikkel trådte ind i det varme rum, blev han mødt af en duft af varm kakao.

When Mikkel stepped into the warm room, he was greeted by the scent of hot cocoa.

Sofie og Kasper sad ved bordet, omgivet af papirer og tegninger af legepladser og farverige bænke.

Sofie and Kasper sat at the table, surrounded by papers and drawings of playgrounds and colorful benches.

Sofie smilte stort og vinkede ham hen til dem.

Sofie smiled broadly and waved him over to them.

“Vi har så mange idéer, Mikkel!

"We have so many ideas, Mikkel!"

” udbrød Sofie.

exclaimed Sofie.

Hendes øjne lyste af energi.

Her eyes shone with energy.

Kasper smilte roligt og nikkede.

Kasper smiled calmly and nodded.

Mikkel satte sig ned og lyttede.

Mikkel sat down and listened.

Men efter et par minutters snak, kunne han mærke, hvordan hans egne ideer fyldte i ham, som et snefnug på randen af at smelte bort.

But after a few minutes of talking, he could feel how his own ideas filled him, like a snowflake on the verge of melting away.

Han tog en dyb indånding.

He took a deep breath.

Efter mødet besluttede han sig for at bede om et øjeblik alene med Sofie.

After the meeting, he decided to ask for a moment alone with Sofie.

Udenfor, blandt den stille faldende sne, tog han mod til sig.

Outside, among the quietly falling snow, he gathered his courage.

“Sofie, du gør et fantastisk arbejde,” sagde han, “men jeg vil gerne bidrage mere.

"Sofie, you're doing a fantastic job," he said, "but I would like to contribute more."

”Sofie stoppede brat og så på ham med stor interesse.

Sofie stopped abruptly and looked at him with great interest.

“Det vil jeg rigtig gerne høre, Mikkel.

"I would really like to hear that, Mikkel.

Du er så god til at tænke tingene igennem.

You're so good at thinking things through."

”Med den opmuntring følte Mikkel sig stærkere.

With that encouragement, Mikkel felt stronger.

De gik tilbage indenfor, hvor de andre ventede, og han begyndte at tale.

They went back inside, where the others awaited, and he began to speak.

Han fortalte om sine idéer til en flerfarvet skaterampe og en hyggekrog for de ældre beboere.

He told about his ideas for a multicolored skate ramp and a cozy corner for the elderly residents.

Under det næste møde, selvom hans hjerte bankede hurtigt, rejste Mikkel sig og delte sin vision med gruppen.

During the next meeting, even though his heart was racing, Mikkel stood up and shared his vision with the group.

Til hans overraskelse blev hans forslag mødt med begejstring.

To his surprise, his proposal was met with enthusiasm.

Sofie klappede ivrigt, og Kasper nikkede anerkendende.

Sofie clapped eagerly, and Kasper nodded approvingly.

I de følgende uger arbejdede gruppen hårdt sammen.

In the following weeks, the group worked hard together.

Projektet voksede og tog form.

The project grew and took shape.

Hver snowdag bragte dem tættere sammen, og Mikkel mærkede, hvordan hans selvtillid også voksede.

Each snowy day brought them closer together, and Mikkel felt how his confidence also grew.

Da kvarterprojektet stod færdigt, var Mikkel ikke kun ham, der lyttede.

When the neighborhood project was completed, Mikkel was no longer just the one who listened.

Han var nu en del af stemmen.

He was now part of the voice.

Han så på de børn, der legede, og de ældre, der sludrede på bænkene, og han vidste, at han nåede noget vigtigt.

He looked at the children playing and the elderly chatting on the benches, and he knew he had achieved something important.

Og mens sneen fortsatte med at falde stille over kvarteret, vidste Mikkel, at han havde fundet sin egen stemme.

And as the snow continued to fall quietly over the neighborhood, Mikkel knew he had found his own voice.