På en solfylt dag midt i slutten av sommeren, glitret Bergen med sine fargerike trebygninger.

On a sunny day towards the end of summer, Bergen shimmered with its colorful wooden buildings.

Det var liv og røre i gatene, Folk hastet rundt med sekker og poser fylt med skolesaker.

The streets were bustling with activity, people hurried about with backpacks and bags filled with school supplies.

Midt i travelheten gikk Maja og Sander langs bryggen.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Maja and Sander walked along the wharf.

Maja, alltid nærmest overivrig når det kom til skoleoppgaver, hadde en liste i hånden.

Maja, always nearly overzealous when it came to schoolwork, had a list in her hand.

Sander, derimot, danset bortover gangveien og var allerede opptatt med tanken på isen han håpet å få snart.

Sander, on the other hand, danced down the pathway, already preoccupied with thoughts of the ice cream he hoped to get soon.

"Kom igjen, Sander," sa Maja bestemt.

"Come on, Sander," Maja said firmly.

"Vi må få tak i disse tingene før butikkene stenger."

"We have to get these things before the stores close."

Sander, med sin impulsive energi, stoppet raskt ved et utstillingsvindu.

Sander, with his impulsive energy, quickly stopped by a shop window.

"Se!

"Look!

En fjernstyrt bil!

A remote-controlled car!

Kan vi ikke gå inn å se?"

Can't we go in and take a look?"

Maja pustet tungt ut.

Maja sighed heavily.

Hun visste at hvis hun ikke var streng, skulle denne handleturen aldri ta slutt.

She knew that if she wasn't strict, this shopping trip would never end.

De beveget seg videre mot det store kjøpesenteret.

They moved on towards the large shopping center.

Butikken var full av barn og foreldre, alle på jakt etter notatbøker og fargestifter.

The store was full of children and parents, all in search of notebooks and crayons.

"Ingen flere stopp, Sander, vær så snill," sa Maja tålmodig.

"No more stops, Sander, please," Maja said patiently.

Likevel klarte Sander å snike seg bort til en hylle med fargerike klistermerker.

Still, Sander managed to sneak over to a shelf with colorful stickers.

Han begynte å legge dem i handlekurven.

He began to put them in the shopping basket.

Med stigende frustrasjon så Maja klokken tikke.

With rising frustration, Maja watched the clock tick away.

"Sander!"

"Sander!"

ropte hun høyere enn planlagt.

she shouted louder than she had planned.

Plutselig snudde flere hoder seg mot dem, butikklokalets summing stilnet et øyeblikk.

Suddenly, several heads turned towards them, and the hum of the store quieted for a moment.

Maja så broren sin rett i øynene, og Sander fikk et overrasket blikk.

Maja looked her brother straight in the eyes, and Sander had a surprised expression.

Hun innså at hun kanskje hadde gått for langt.

She realized she might have gone too far.

Hun tok et dypt pust.

She took a deep breath.

"Beklager," begynte hun, mykere nå.

"Sorry," she started, softer now.

"Jeg vet du vil ha det gøy, men vi må få dette gjort."

"I know you want to have fun, but we need to get this done."

Sander smilte skjevt.

Sander grinned sheepishly.

Han ønsket ikke å forstyrre, men de fargerike tingene fristet.

He didn't want to disrupt, but the colorful things were tempting.

Så, med et lurt smil, foreslo han: "Hva om vi gjør litt begge deler?

Then, with a sly smile, he suggested, "How about we do a bit of both?

Handle litt, så en ispause?"

A little shopping, then an ice cream break?"

Maja, litt lettet, nikket.

Maja, somewhat relieved, nodded.

"Ok, men vi må holde balansen, avtale?"

"Okay, but we have to keep a balance, deal?"

"Avtale!"

"Deal!"

Sander strålte.

Sander beamed.

De fortsatte shoppingen, men Maja tillot litt mer frihet.

They continued shopping, but Maja allowed a bit more freedom.

De byttet på å plukke skolesakene og å snike seg til is og moro.

They took turns picking school supplies and sneaking in ice cream and fun.

Sakte men sikkert ble handlelisten kortere og lette skritt erstattet det tidligere stresset.

Slowly but surely the shopping list grew shorter, and light steps replaced the previous stress.

Da solen begynte å synke ned mot horisonten, sto Maja og Sander ved bryggen igjen.

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, Maja and Sander stood by the wharf again.

Posene var fylte.

The bags were filled.

Maja hadde lært at litt fleksibilitet ikke bare gjorde dagen enklere, men også mye mer fornøyelig.

Maja had learned that a little flexibility not only made the day easier but also much more enjoyable.

De kikket utover på de glitrende bølgene i havet.

They looked out over the shimmering waves in the sea.

"Skal vi dra hjem, eller er det noe morsomt du vil gjøre mer?"

"Shall we go home, or is there something fun you want to do more?"

spurte Maja med et nytt smil.

Maja asked with a new smile.

Sander tenkte et øyeblikk.

Sander thought for a moment.

"Hva med en tur til akvariet?"

"How about a trip to the aquarium?"

Maja lo.

Maja laughed.

"Greit, men kun en liten tur."

"Alright, but just a short visit."

Med det satte de kurs mot sitt neste eventyr, begge mer fornøyde enn noen gang.

With that, they set course for their next adventure, both more pleased than ever.

I dag hadde de lært at selve reisen kan være like viktig som målet.

Today they had learned that the journey itself can be just as important as the destination.