Solen skinnede stærkt på denne midsommerdag.

The sun shone brightly on this midsummer day.

Emil stod i køen ved rådhuset, hvor valgstedet var.

Emil stood in line at the town hall where the polling station was.

Det summede af liv omkring ham.

There was a buzz of life around him.

Folk talte ivrigt om deres håb og bekymringer.

People were eagerly talking about their hopes and concerns.

Plakater og bannere opfordrede til borgersind.

Posters and banners urged civic duty.

Emil var en ung mand i starten af tyverne.

Emil was a young man in his early twenties.

Dette var hans første gang til at stemme.

This was his first time voting.

Han var nervøs og kunne mærke en knude i maven.

He was nervous and could feel a knot in his stomach.

De politiske spændinger var høje i byen, og Emil frygtede, at hans stemme ikke ville gøre en forskel.

The political tensions were high in the city, and Emil feared that his vote wouldn't make a difference.

Køen var lang, og solen gjorde ventetiden varm og ubehagelig.

The line was long, and the sun made the wait hot and uncomfortable.

Emil kunne mærke sveden løbe ned ad ryggen.

Emil could feel sweat running down his back.

Han begyndte at tvivle.

He began to doubt.

"Hvad hvis min stemme ikke betyder noget?

"What if my vote doesn't mean anything?

Skal jeg bare gå hjem?"

Should I just go home?"

tænkte Emil.

Emil thought.

Folk omkring ham virkede afslappede, men Emil følte sig alene med sine bekymringer.

The people around him seemed relaxed, but Emil felt alone with his worries.

Han kiggede på sit ur for tredje gang på ti minutter.

He checked his watch for the third time in ten minutes.

Tiden sneglede sig afsted.

Time crawled by.

Imens han stod der, kom der minder fra skoleårene.

While he stood there, memories from his school years came to mind.

Hans lærer plejede at sige, "Hver stemme tæller."

His teacher used to say, "Every vote counts."

Selvom det var en simpel sætning, satte den sig fast i Emil.

Although it was a simple phrase, it stuck with Emil.

Køen bevægede sig langsomt fremad.

The line moved slowly forward.

Trin efter trin.

Step by step.

Minut for minut.

Minute by minute.

Emil overvejede igen at give op.

Emil considered giving up again.

Men noget indeni ham insisterede på at blive.

But something inside him insisted on staying.

Endelig nåede Emil til indgangen.

Finally, Emil reached the entrance.

Hjertet hamrede hårdere.

His heart pounded harder.

Han viste sit ID til valgtilforordnede og blev vist vej til en afstemningsboks.

He showed his ID to the election official and was directed to a voting booth.

Det var nu eller aldrig.

It was now or never.

Han stod der med seddelen i hånden.

He stood there with the ballot in his hand.

Hans tvivl og frygt kom op til overfladen.

His doubts and fears surfaced.

Men så huskede han lærerens ord igen.

But then he remembered his teacher's words again.

Emil tog en dyb indånding og satte krydset.

Emil took a deep breath and marked his choice.

Han lagde seddelen i valgurnen.

He placed the ballot in the ballot box.

Da han gik ud af valgstedet, følte han en blanding af lettelse og stolthed.

As he left the polling station, he felt a mix of relief and pride.

Solen skinnede stadig klart, men nu føltes varmen som en venlig klap på skulderen.

The sun still shone brightly, but now the warmth felt like a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Emil vidste, at hver stemme virkelig tæller.

Emil knew that every vote truly counts.

Hans frygt var væk.

His fear was gone.

Han forlod rådhuset med en følelse af fællesskab og betydning.

He left the town hall with a sense of community and significance.

Emil havde gjort sin borgerpligt.

Emil had fulfilled his civic duty.

Han gik hjem med en ny tro på demokratiet og sin egen rolle i det.

He went home with a new belief in democracy and his own role in it.

Verden føltes en lille smule mere retfærdig, og Emil var klar til at tage del i fremtidens beslutninger.

The world felt a little fairer, and Emil was ready to take part in future decisions.