Kvelden var stille.

The evening was quiet.

Det eneste lyset kom fra gatelyktene og de lysende gresskarene foran husene.

The only light came from the streetlamps and the glowing pumpkins in front of the houses.

Astrid sto ved kjøkkenvinduet og så ut.

Astrid stood by the kitchen window and looked out.

Denne delen av Oslo var ny for henne.

This part of Oslo was new to her.

Hun hadde nylig flyttet hit med familien sin, og nå var det Halloween.

She had recently moved here with her family, and now it was Halloween.

En høstfest hun selv var så glad i, men likevel gruet hun seg litt.

An autumn fest she herself was so fond of, yet she was a bit apprehensive.

Hun visste at dette var en sjanse til å bli kjent med naboene, men sosial angst gjorde det vanskelig.

She knew this was a chance to get to know the neighbors, but social anxiety made it difficult.

Den kalde luften bragte et snev av ro da hun presset seg til å handle.

The cold air brought a touch of calm as she pushed herself to act.

"Lars," ropte hun til mannen sin, "jeg skal bake noe godt til barna i nabolaget."

"Lars," she called to her husband, "I'm going to bake something nice for the kids in the neighborhood."

Lars nikket og ga henne et oppmuntrende smil.

Lars nodded and gave her an encouraging smile.

Astrid bestemte seg for å lage lefser, men med en vri – fylt med kanel og sukker, og formet som små gresskar.

Astrid decided to make lefser, but with a twist — filled with cinnamon and sugar, and shaped like small pumpkins.

Hun tenkte, “Norske retter møter Halloween. Det må de like.”

She thought, “Norwegian dishes meet Halloween. They have to like that.”

Hun satte i gang, og duften spredde seg i det lune huset.

She set to work, and the scent spread through the cozy house.

Senere, da mørket senket seg, trådte Astrid ut på den brosteinsbelagte gaten.

Later, as darkness descended, Astrid stepped out onto the cobblestone street.

De små husene var pyntet med skumle, men morsomme dekorasjoner.

The small houses were decorated with spooky yet fun decorations.

Halloween varmer alltid gatene opp med latter og barn i kostymer som løp fra dør til dør.

Halloween always warms the streets with laughter and children in costumes running from door to door.

Astrid bar en kurv med bakverk.

Astrid carried a basket of pastries.

Hun gikk mot en liten gruppe av foreldre som sto ved hjørnet.

She walked towards a small group of parents standing at the corner.

Hjertet hamret.

Her heart pounded.

De så ut til å kjenne hverandre godt, og det gjør henne nervøs.

They seemed to know each other well, and it made her nervous.

Men hun visste hun måtte prøve.

But she knew she had to try.

“Hallo,” begynte hun forsiktig.

“Hello,” she began cautiously.

"Jeg heter Astrid, og jeg har laget noen norske Halloween-godbiter.”

"My name is Astrid, and I've made some Norwegian Halloween treats."

Hun viste fram kurven.

She showed the basket.

De andre foreldrene smilte bredt.

The other parents smiled broadly.

Ingrid, en av kvinnene i gruppen, tok imot med et nysgjerrig blikk.

Ingrid, one of the women in the group, accepted with a curious look.

"Dette ser fantastisk ut," sa hun.

"This looks amazing," she said.

“Vi er glad for å ha deg her.”

“We’re glad to have you here.”

Gruppen begynte å snakke og dele historier om Halloween.

The group began to talk and share stories about Halloween.

Astrid lyttet først, og så begynte hun å delta mer.

Astrid listened first, then she began to participate more.

Hennes nervøsitet sakte begynte å smelte bort.

Her nervousness slowly began to melt away.

Ingrid introduserte henne for de andre, og Astrid kjente en varme spre seg gjennom kroppen.

Ingrid introduced her to the others, and Astrid felt warmth spreading through her body.

Hun ble sakte akseptert som en del av gruppen.

She was slowly accepted as part of the group.

Slutten av kvelden kom, og Astrid følte seg annerledes enn hun hadde gjort da hun først kom.

The end of the evening came, and Astrid felt different than she had when she first arrived.

Hun hadde tatt et skritt mot å finne sin plass i nabolaget.

She had taken a step toward finding her place in the neighborhood.

Med nyvunnet tillit vinket hun farvel til sine nye venner.

With newfound confidence, she waved goodbye to her new friends.

Vinden var kjølig, men Astrid følte en indre varme.

The wind was chilly, but Astrid felt an inner warmth.

Hun hadde endelig funnet sine første forbindelser, og kanskje et hjem i Oslo.

She had finally found her first connections, and perhaps a home in Oslo.

Da hun gikk hjemover, med den nå tomme kurven i hånden, visste hun at dette var bare begynnelsen.

As she walked home, with the now empty basket in hand, she knew this was just the beginning.

Astrid gledet seg til flere samlinger og flere samtaler.

Astrid looked forward to more gatherings and more conversations.

Hun visste at Halloween aldri ville være det samme igjen.

She knew Halloween would never be the same again.

Nå hadde det en ny betydning – et bånd til fellesskapet rundt henne.

Now it had a new meaning — a bond with the community around her.