V Bratislave sa blížilo Vianoce.

In Bratislava, Christmas was approaching.

Mesto bolo plné svetiel a vône vianočného trhu.

The city was full of lights and the scent of the Christmas market.

Marek, Ivana a Jana, súrodenci, sa vydali na tradičný výlet do centra mesta.

Marek, Ivana, and Jana, siblings, set off on their traditional trip to the city center.

Pre Mareka bol tento rok iný.

This year was different for Marek.

Cítil, že medzi ním a jeho sestrami bola priepasť. Obzvlášť s Janou, ktorá bola dlho preč v zahraničí.

He felt a gap between him and his sisters, especially with Jana, who had been abroad for a long time.

Na námestí pred Starou tržnicou sa rozprestieral veľký vianočný trh.

In the square in front of the Stará tržnica was a large Christmas market.

Stánky boli plné remeselných výrobkov a tradičného jedla.

The stalls were full of crafts and traditional food.

Všetko bolo pokryté jemnou vrstvou snehu.

Everything was covered with a fine layer of snow.

Z obloka stánku von sálali vône varenej šunky a kyslej kapusty.

From the stalls wafted the scents of cooked ham and sauerkraut.

Deti sa smiali, hudba hrala a z teplého punču šiel para, ktorá sa miešala s vôňou škorice.

Children laughed, music played, and steam rose from the warm mulled wine, mixing with the aroma of cinnamon.

Ivana hľadala darčeky, zatiaľ čo Jana sa zastavila pri stánku s ručne maľovanými ozdobami.

Ivana was looking for gifts while Jana stopped at a stall with hand-painted ornaments.

Jej oči sa rozžiarili, keď videla sklenenú guľu podobnú tej, ktorú mali doma ako deti.

Her eyes lit up when she saw a glass ball similar to the one they had at home as children.

Marek sa pripojil k sestre a pohľadom skĺzol na tú istú guľu.

Marek joined his sister and glanced at the same ball.

„Pamätáš, keď sme ju rozbili? Mama nebola nadšená,“ povedal Marek s úsmevom.

"Do you remember when we broke it? Mom wasn't thrilled," said Marek with a smile.

Jana prikývla. „Áno, ale potom ju otec zlepil a zavesili sme ju znovu na stromček.“

Jana nodded. "Yes, but then dad glued it back together and we hung it on the tree again."

Marek chcel vtipne posunúť rozhovor ďalej, ale nešikovne mykol rukou a spôsobil, že guľa spadla na zem.

Marek wanted to jokingly move the conversation along, but clumsily moved his hand, causing the ball to fall to the ground.

Rozbije sa na mnoho kúskov, prinášajúc ticho medzi súrodencov.

It shattered into many pieces, bringing silence among the siblings.

„Prepáčte...“ zašepkal Marek a zrazu cítil, že sa v ňom niečo zlomilo.

"Sorry..." Marek whispered and suddenly felt something break inside him.

Ucítia slzy. „Nie je to len o guľke. Chcem, aby sme boli zase rodina.“

He felt tears. "It's not just about the ball. I want us to be a family again."

Ivana chytila Marekovu ruku. „Vždy budeme rodina,“ povedala konejšivým hlasom.

Ivana grabbed Marek's hand. "We'll always be a family," she said soothingly.

Rovno zvierala obe jeho ruky a pripojila sa Jana.

She held both his hands tightly, and Jana joined in.

„Ja viem,“ povedala Jana ticho. „Niekedy sa cítim, akoby som tu nepatrila.“

"I know," said Jana quietly. "Sometimes I feel like I don't belong here."

„Všetci máme veľa, čo dobiehať,“ pokračoval Marek. „Ale môžeme začať znovu, dnes.“

"We all have a lot to catch up on," continued Marek. "But we can start over, today."

V týchto slovách našli súrodenci útechu.

In these words, the siblings found comfort.

Smiali sa nad starými spomienkami a uisťovali sa, že sa budú častejšie stretávať.

They laughed over old memories and assured each other they would meet up more often.

Na konci dňa, keď z trhov odchádzali, vedeli, že si našli cestu k sebe bližšie.

By the end of the day, as they left the market, they knew they had found their way closer to each other.

Zasnežená Bratislava ich sprevádzala domov.

Snowy Bratislava guided them home.

Svetlá vianočného trhu za nimi zablikali a zamávali na rozlúčku.

The lights of the Christmas market flickered behind them, waving farewell.

Spoločne odchádzali v nádeji na lepšie sviatky a obnovili si tichý sľub.

Together, they left with the hope for better holidays and renewed a quiet promise.

Znovu byť spolu.

To be together again.

Na jazde domov Marek pocítil úľavu.

On the ride home, Marek felt relieved.

Vedel, že už viac nemusí skrývať svoje city.

He knew he no longer had to hide his feelings.

A to všetko na mieste, kde sa začína ich každoročná tradícia.

And it all started in the place where their annual tradition began.