Solen stod højt over den gamle kostskole, og den varme sommerluft sitrede i haven.

The sun stood high over the old boarding school, and the warm summer air shimmered in the garden.

Skolens talentkonkurrence var i fuld gang.

The school's talent show was in full swing.

Eleverne jublede, mens de så deres klassekammerater optræde på scenen.

The students cheered as they watched their classmates perform on stage.

Men Nikolaj kunne ikke koncentrere sig om showet.

But Nikolaj couldn't concentrate on the show.

Den kærlige, men distraherende kanin, Skipper, var hans ansvar.

The loving, yet distracting rabbit, Skipper, was his responsibility.

Skipper var skolens maskot, som eleverne elskede, men som også kunne være en udfordring.

Skipper was the school's mascot, beloved by the students but also a challenge.

Nikolaj havde lovet at passe ekstra godt på ham under showet, for at undgå at den strenge rektor, rektor Hansen, blev sur.

Nikolaj had promised to take extra good care of him during the show to avoid the wrath of the strict headmaster, Rektor Hansen.

Pludselig, midt i et storslået dansenummer, satte Nikolaj sig op.

Suddenly, in the middle of a grand dance number, Nikolaj sat up.

Skippers bur så tomt ud.

Skipper's cage looked empty.

Nikolaj mærkede panikken prikke.

Nikolaj felt a prickle of panic.

"Skipper!"

"Skipper!"

udbrød han lavmælt og sprang op fra sin plads.

he exclaimed quietly and jumped up from his seat.

Sofie, der sad ved siden af, bemærkede hans rysten og satte hurtigt to og to sammen.

Sofie, who was sitting next to him, noticed his trembling and quickly put two and two together.

Hun så den åbne låge af Skippers bur og rullede med øjnene.

She saw the open latch of Skipper's cage and rolled her eyes.

"Nikolaj, du glemte at sikre lågen igen, ikke?"

"Nikolaj, you forgot to secure the latch again, didn't you?"

spurgte hun, mens hun rejste sig.

she asked, as she stood up.

"Åh nej, han forsvandt!"

"Oh no, he's gone!"

Nikolaj så fortvivlet på hende.

Nikolaj looked at her in despair.

"Det er okay.

"It's okay.

Vi finder ham," forsikrede Sofie hurtigt.

We'll find him," Sofie reassured quickly.

Hun havde en plan.

She had a plan.

De sneg sig væk fra showet og begyndte at lede hele skolen igennem.

They sneaked away from the show and began searching the entire school.

Lyden af deres klassekammeraters latter og applaus kunne høres i baggrunden.

The sound of their classmates' laughter and applause could be heard in the background.

De fulgte en lille sti af gulerodsstykker.

They followed a small trail of carrot pieces.

Skipper havde åbenbart haft sig en fest på skolens bekostning.

Skipper had apparently been having a feast at the school's expense.

Dette førte dem til skolens drivhus, et smukt, grønt sted med blomster og grøntsager.

This led them to the school’s greenhouse, a beautiful, green place with flowers and vegetables.

Nikolajs hjerte bankede højt.

Nikolaj's heart was pounding loudly.

De vidste, at tiden var knap.

They knew time was of the essence.

"Sofie, vi skal være hurtige!

"Sofie, we need to be quick!

Hvis de ikke fanger ham, er vi nødt til det," sagde Nikolaj bestemt.

If they don't catch him, we have to," Nikolaj said decisively.

Sofie nikkede.

Sofie nodded.

De fik øje på Skipper, der hoppede glad rundt blandt tomatplanterne.

They spotted Skipper hopping happily among the tomato plants.

Nikolaj holdt en gulerod i hånden, håbede, at Skipper var sulten.

Nikolaj held a carrot in his hand, hoping Skipper was hungry.

Langsomt nærmede de sig, mens Nikolaj forsøgte ikke at lave nogen pludselige bevægelser.

Slowly, they approached, as Nikolaj tried not to make any sudden movements.

"Kom nu, Skipper," hviskede han insisterende.

"Come on, Skipper," he whispered insistently.

Skipper snusede til guleroden og nærmede sig Nikolaj.

Skipper sniffed the carrot and moved toward Nikolaj.

På det rette øjeblik greb Sofie kaninen og holdt den tæt.

At the right moment, Sofie grabbed the rabbit and held it close.

"Vi har ham!"

"We got him!"

udbrød hun lettet.

she exclaimed in relief.

Tiden var ikke på deres side.

Time was not on their side.

De hørte lærerens stemmer nærme sig.

They heard the teachers' voices approaching.

Hurtigt og lydløst smuttede de begge ud af drivhuset og hen mod buret uden at gøre væsen af sig.

Quickly and silently, they slipped out of the greenhouse and towards the cage without making a fuss.

De gik tilbage til pladsen lige i tide til det afsluttende klapsalver.

They returned to their seats just in time for the concluding applause.

Da rektor Hansen gik forbi, anede han intet om nogen kaninflugt.

As Rektor Hansen walked by, he was unaware of any rabbit escape.

Nikolaj og Sofie udvekslede tilfredse smil.

Nikolaj and Sofie exchanged satisfied smiles.

Da de gjorde klar til at nyde skolens fest, trådte rektor Hansen tilfældigt på noget usædvanligt.

As they prepared to enjoy the school's celebration, Rektor Hansen accidentally stepped on something unusual.

Et spor af små kaninspor i muldet jord.

A trail of tiny rabbit tracks in the soil.

Han så sig om og trak på skuldrene, men Nikolaj og Sofie vidste, hvad det betød.

He looked around and shrugged, but Nikolaj and Sofie knew what it meant.

"Det ser ud til, at Skipper gemmer på endnu flere hemmeligheder," sagde Sofie grinende.

"It looks like Skipper has more secrets to keep," said Sofie with a laugh.

Nikolaj lo lettet.

Nikolaj laughed with relief.

Han havde lært en vigtig lektie.

He had learned an important lesson.

Som timerne gled ind i natten, vidste han, at han altid kunne regne med Sofie, og hun vidste, at Nikolajs kærlighed til dyrene betød alt.

As the hours slipped into night, he knew he could always count on Sofie, and she knew that Nikolaj's love for animals meant everything.

Sammen ville de altid kunne klare det.

Together, they would always be able to handle it.