Oslo lå stille under en blygrå himmel.

Oslo lay still under a leaden gray sky.

Blader fra høsttrær danset gjennom de tomme gatene.

Leaves from autumn trees danced through the empty streets.

Bygningene sto der som spøkelsesaktige skygger, mens den kalde vinden fortærte hva som var igjen av byens liv.

The buildings stood like ghostly shadows, while the cold wind devoured what was left of the city's life.

Det var Halloween, men uten lys, uten fest.

It was Halloween, but without lights, without celebration.

Bare en svak knirkelyd av døren til det provisoriske markedet brøt stillheten.

Only a faint creak from the door to the makeshift market broke the silence.

Kjetil beveget seg gjennom de smale passasjene mellom de sammenraskede bodene.

Kjetil moved through the narrow passages between the makeshift stalls.

Han var på jakt etter noe viktig.

He was searching for something important.

Noe sjelden.

Something rare.

Medisin til søsteren sin.

Medicine for his sister.

Hun var syk, og tiden var knapp.

She was sick, and time was running out.

Men han visste at handelen ville bli vanskelig.

But he knew the trade would be difficult.

Astrid, markedets mest utspekulerte handelsmann, hadde det han trengte.

Astrid, the market's most cunning trader, had what he needed.

Hun var dyktig, og hun visste alltid verdien av sine varer.

She was skilled, and she always knew the value of her goods.

"Mangler du noe?" spurte Astrid med et lurt glimt i øyet.

"Are you missing something?" asked Astrid with a sly glint in her eye.

Håret hennes blafret som flammer i den kjølige vinden.

Her hair flickered like flames in the chilly wind.

Hun visste hvorfor Kjetil var her.

She knew why Kjetil was here.

"Ja, jeg trenger medisin," svarte Kjetil.

"Yes, I need medicine," answered Kjetil.

Han prøvde å høres sikker ut, men usikkerheten lå i pusten hans.

He tried to sound confident, but the uncertainty lay in his breath.

Beholdningen hans av verdifulle ting var knapp.

His stash of valuable items was scant.

Astrid så over de små varene Kjetil hadde med seg.

Astrid looked over the small items Kjetil had brought with him.

"Disse vil ikke være nok," sa hun og rakte frem varen sin, en liten medisinsk flaske.

"These won’t be enough," she said, extending her item, a small medicinal bottle.

Kjetil svelget tungt.

Kjetil swallowed hard.

Verken hermetikkbokser eller reservedeler ville strekke til.

Neither canned goods nor spare parts would suffice.

Kjetil nølte et øyeblikk.

Kjetil hesitated for a moment.

Deretter trakk han frem noe fra innerlommen.

Then he pulled something from his inner pocket.

En gammel medaljong, den siste påminnelsen om sin mor, glitret i hånden hans.

An old medallion, the last reminder of his mother, glittered in his hand.

"Jeg kan gi deg denne," sa han, stemmen tøff men klar.

"I can give you this," he said, his voice tough but clear.

Astrid hevet øyenbrynene, tiltrukket av den sentimentale verdien.

Astrid raised her eyebrows, attracted by the sentimental value.

Plutselig ble de avbrutt av harde stemmer og fottrinn som nærmet seg.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by harsh voices and footsteps approaching.

En rivaliserende gruppe nærmet seg, klare til å plyndre hva de kunne.

A rival group was nearing, ready to plunder what they could.

Astrid snudde seg, handlet raskt.

Astrid turned, acting quickly.

"De vil ta medisinene! Vi må jobbe sammen," ropte hun.

"They will take the medicines! We must work together," she shouted.

Kjetil kastet seg rundt, ryggen mot Astrid.

Kjetil spun around, his back against Astrid.

Han så de skyggefulle figurene komme nærmere.

He saw the shadowy figures coming closer.

De hadde steiner og pinner, klare til å slåss.

They had stones and sticks, ready to fight.

Uten et ord, men med et stille samspill, forsvarte Kjetil og Astrid seg.

Without a word, but with a silent understanding, Kjetil and Astrid defended themselves.

Kjetil brukte gjenstander fra boden som skjold.

Kjetil used items from the stall as shields.

Astrid klarte å distrahere dem med høye rop og lur manøvrering.

Astrid managed to distract them with loud cries and clever maneuvering.

Til slutt, etter mye dramatikk, trakk rivalene seg tilbake, tomhendte.

Finally, after much drama, the rivals retreated, empty-handed.

Kjetil og Astrid pustet lettet ut.

Kjetil and Astrid breathed a sigh of relief.

Kjetil tilbød medaljongen igjen, men nå med en ny forståelse.

Kjetil offered the medallion again, but now with a new understanding.

"Vi gjorde det sammen. Kanskje vi kan stole på hverandre," sa han.

"We did it together. Maybe we can trust each other," he said.

Astrid smilte, overrasket over samholdet de hadde funnet i kaoset.

Astrid smiled, surprised by the camaraderie they had found in chaos.

Hun tok medaljongen, men forandret flasken til en rimelig byttehandel.

She took the medallion but changed the bottle to a reasonable bargain.

"Vi er kanskje konkurrenter, men vi trenger hverandre også," sa hun.

"We may be competitors, but we need each other too," she said.

Medisinen var hans.

The medicine was his.

Kjetils hjerte slo av lettelse, men også en ny lærdom lå gjemt der inne.

Kjetil's heart beat with relief, but also a new lesson lay hidden inside.

I en ødelagt verden var ikke alt materiale.

In a broken world, not everything was material.

Noen ganger var samhold like viktig som smykker.

Sometimes camaraderie was as important as jewelry.

Mens han forlot markedet, kjente han vinden av høstens blader bringe med seg en ny styrke.

As he left the market, he felt the wind of the autumn leaves bring with it a new strength.

Oslo var fortsatt der ute, med sine ødelagte bygninger og stille gater, men midt i det hele fant Kjetil noe mer enn akkurat det øyeblikket trengte.

Oslo was still out there, with its ruined buildings and silent streets, but amidst it all, Kjetil found something more than what the moment needed.

Han fant en alliert.

He found an ally.

En venn.

A friend.