På den kalde februardag i utkanten av skolegården, lå den hemmelige bunkeren gjemt.

On the cold February day at the edge of the schoolyard, the secret bunker lay hidden.

Bare noen få visste om den.

Only a few knew about it.

Sigrid var en av dem.

Sigrid was one of them.

Hun åpnet den knirkete døren og gikk inn i det dunkle rommet som tidens tann hadde glemt.

She opened the creaky door and entered the dim room that time's passage had forgotten.

Her var det gammelt utstyr, alt dekket av et tynt lag støv.

Here, there was old equipment, all covered by a thin layer of dust.

Men mest av alt, her var det stillhet.

But most of all, here there was silence.

Sigrid satte seg ned ved et av de slitne bordene.

Sigrid sat down at one of the worn-out tables.

Hun la fra seg bøkene med kjeminotater og en tjukk bunker med notater for prosjektet sitt.

She set down her books with chemistry notes and a thick stack of notes for her project.

Hun hadde jobbet i ukevis.

She had been working for weeks on end.

Mange søvnløse netter var gått med til å perfeksjonere formelen sin.

Many sleepless nights had been spent perfecting her formula.

"Jeg kan gjøre dette," hvisket hun til seg selv, mens hun så på det tomme rommet som var hennes publikum.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself, as she looked at the empty room that was her audience.

Erik, hennes beste venn, kom ofte til bunkeren for å hjelpe.

Erik, her best friend, often came to the bunker to help.

Han fylte rommet med varme og latter som jaget bort det kalde draget.

He filled the room with warmth and laughter that chased away the cold draft.

Men nå var han ikke der, og hennes følelser for ham var som en ekstra vekt på hennes skuldre.

But now he wasn't there, and her feelings for him were like an extra weight on her shoulders.

"Hva vil Erik si?

"What will Erik say?"

" tenkte hun ofte.

she often thought.

Sigrid begynte å øve.

Sigrid began to practice.

Hun lukket øynene og så for seg forsamlingen i aulaen.

She closed her eyes and imagined the audience in the auditorium.

Uansett hvor mange ganger hun prøvde, kom nervene snikende.

No matter how many times she tried, the nerves crept in.

Hun bestemte seg endelig for å be Erik om hjelp.

She finally decided to ask Erik for help.

Ikke bare fordi hun trengte det, men fordi hun ønsket hans nærvær.

Not just because she needed it, but because she wanted his presence.

Dagen for presentasjonen kom.

The day for the presentation came.

Skolen var dekket av et tynt snølag som skinte under den svake vintersolen.

The school was covered with a thin layer of snow that shone under the weak winter sun.

Aulaen var fylt med elever og lærere.

The auditorium was filled with students and teachers.

Lars, hennes rival, sto der allerede, selvsikker og trygg.

Lars, her rival, was already there, confident and secure.

Han presenterte sitt prosjekt med stor bravur.

He presented his project with great bravado.

Sigrid kikket forsiktig mot Erik som smilte oppmuntrende til henne.

Sigrid glanced cautiously at Erik, who smiled encouragingly at her.

Sigrid gikk opp på scenen.

Sigrid went up on stage.

Hendene hennes skalv litt, men hun følte likevel en indre ro.

Her hands trembled slightly, but she still felt an inner calm.

"Hei," begynte hun.

"Hi," she began.

Stemmen var tynn, men den holdt.

Her voice was thin, but it held.

Så, med bilder fresende bak henne og bordet fullt av kjemikalier, begynte hennes reise gjennom prosjektet.

Then, with images flashing behind her and the table full of chemicals, she began her journey through the project.

Hver forklaring og hvert eksperiment gikk som planlagt.

Every explanation and every experiment went as planned.

Publikum ble mer og mer fascinert.

The audience became more and more fascinated.

Da hun ble ferdig, var stillheten i rommet overveldende før applausen brøt ut.

When she finished, the silence in the room was overwhelming until the applause broke out.

Det var en befrielse.

It was a relief.

Erik var den første som løp opp til henne.

Erik was the first to run up to her.

"Du var fantastisk, Sigrid," sa han og klemte henne.

"You were amazing, Sigrid," he said and hugged her.

Stolthet lyste opp ansiktet hans.

Pride lit up his face.

Selv Lars måtte innrømme: "Det var imponerende.

Even Lars had to admit: "That was impressive."

"Med denne suksessen følte Sigrid en nyfunnen selvtillit.

With this success, Sigrid felt a newfound confidence.

Hun visste nå at hun, med grundig forberedelse og støtte fra de rette personene, kunne overvinne frykt.

She now knew that, with thorough preparation and support from the right people, she could overcome fear.

Dette var bare begynnelsen.

This was only the beginning.

Snøen begynte å falle igjen utenfor, men inne i Sigrids verden var det blitt lysere.

The snow began to fall again outside, but inside Sigrid's world, it had become brighter.