Külm talveõhtu Tallinnas, aardevalges linna valguses krõbiseb lund.

A cold winter evening in Tallinn, snow crunches under the white city lights.

Kitsas kooli võimla on muutunud valimiskeskuseks.

A narrow school gym has transformed into a polling station.

Katrin ja Tõnu seisavad seal, oma pealisrõivad tihedalt ümber tõmmanud, et külma eemale peletada.

Katrin and Tõnu stand there, their outer garments pulled tightly around them to ward off the cold.

Katrin vaatab ringi – lumivalged paberist lumehelbed ripuvad üleval ja jõulukaunistused segunevad valimisplakatitega.

Katrin looks around — white paper snowflakes hang above, and Christmas decorations mix with election posters.

Katrin, algklasside õpetaja, on elevil.

Katrin, a primary school teacher, is excited.

"Tõnu, see on meie kohustus," ütleb ta entusiastlikult.

"Tõnu, it's our duty," she says enthusiastically.

"Hääletamine on võimalus muuta meie tulevikku."

"Voting is an opportunity to change our future."

Tõnu aga pööritab silmi.

Tõnu, however, rolls his eyes.

"Katrin, kui palju kordi ma olen hääletanud ja midagi ei ole muutunud?

"Katrin, how many times have I voted, and nothing has changed?

Minu hääl ei tugine ju midagi."

My vote doesn't count for anything."

Katrin tajub, et see pole lihtne ülesanne.

Katrin realizes this is not an easy task.

Ta meenub talle üks lugu.

She recalls a story.

"Kas sa tead, kui olin laps, mu kodukülas oli kooli sulgemisohus.

"Do you know, when I was a child, the school in my village was at risk of closing.

Meie, külaelanikud, otsustasime hääletada uue volikogu valimisel ja see aitas hoida kooli lahti.

We, the villagers, decided to vote in the new council election, and it helped keep the school open.

See muutis paljude laste elu."

It changed the lives of many children."

Tõnu kuulab.

Tõnu listens.

Tema kulmud kerkivad kergelt ja peatus on pikk.

His eyebrows raise slightly, and there is a long pause.

"Aga," alustab hän, kuid jääb korraks mõtlema.

"But," he begins, but pauses to think for a moment.

"Katrin, sa oled alati olnud optimist."

"Katrin, you've always been an optimist."

Kellaosutid näitavad, et aeg hakkab otsa saama.

The clock hands show that time is running out.

Katrin püüab veel.

Katrin makes another attempt.

"Sa õpetad matemaatikat.

"You teach math.

Üks hääl on nagu üks punkt, mis võib muuta terviku.

One vote is like one point that can change the whole.

Mõtle, kuidas me võime olla oma õpilastele eeskujuks."

Think about how we can set an example for our students."

Väga pikk vaikus järgneb, enne kui Tõnu heidab ettevaatliku pilgu valimisurni poole.

A very long silence follows before Tõnu casts a tentative glance at the ballot box.

"Hästi," ütleb ta lõpuks.

"Alright," he finally says.

"Ma teeksin seda koos sinuga."

"I would do it with you."

Mõlemad kõnnivad aeglaselt valimisruumi.

They both walk slowly into the voting room.

Välja astudes märgivad nad, et kell on täpselt keskööl.

As they step outside, they notice it is exactly midnight.

Linnas kõlavad ilutulestiku plahvatused ja taevas muutub värviliseks.

Fireworks explode in the city, and the sky turns colorful.

Katrin naeratab rõõmsalt.

Katrin smiles happily.

"Näed, me saime sellega hakkama," ütleb ta.

"See, we did it," she says.

Tõnu naeratab vastu, kuigi pisut kõhklevalt.

Tõnu smiles back, though a bit hesitantly.

"Võib-olla oli see midagi väärt," nõustub ta vaikselt.

"Maybe it was worth something," he quietly agrees.

Nad kõnnivad lumes, vaadates, kuidas ilutulestik tähistab uue aasta algust.

They walk in the snow, watching as the fireworks celebrate the beginning of the new year.

Tõnu tunneb kerget rahulolu – vahest on tõesti midagi tema igapäevasest klassiruumist väljaspool, mida ta saab teha.

Tõnu feels a slight satisfaction – perhaps there is something beyond his everyday classroom that he can do.

Katrin teab, et miski on muutunud.

Katrin knows that something has changed.

Ja ta on tänulik, et nad tegid selle sammu koos.

And she is grateful that they took this step together.