Na skrajnem severu, kjer veter kroji pokrajino in noč traja dolgo, se je odprla bela tundra.

At the far north, where the wind shapes the landscape and the night lasts long, the white tundra had opened up.

Matijevik, kraj, kamor je šola iz Ljubljane vsako zimo prirejala ekskurzijo, je bil čisto na robu sveta.

Matijevik, the place where the school from Ljubljana organized a trip every winter, was right on the edge of the world.

Razen snega in ledu tu ni bilo ničesar drugega.

Apart from snow and ice, there was nothing else here.

Tomaž, student devetega razreda, je s svetlečimi očmi in neustavljivo željo po dogodivščinah strmel v bele neskončnosti.

Tomaž, a ninth-grade student, gazed with bright eyes and an irresistible desire for adventure into the white expanses.

Njegova strast je bila polarno okolje.

His passion was the polar environment.

Nekje tam daleč je slišal o prav posebni ledeniški tvorbi, ki jo je tako želel videti.

Somewhere out there, he had heard about a very special glacial formation that he so wished to see.

A to ni bilo v načrtu ekskurzije.

But it was not part of the trip's itinerary.

Nina, njegova najboljša prijateljica, je stala ob njem.

Nina, his best friend, stood beside him.

Zaskrbljeno je pogledovala proti vetrovkam drugih učencev, ki so se premikale kot majhne pisane pike po beli pokrajini.

She looked worriedly at the other students' jackets, moving like small colorful dots across the white landscape.

Kot nadzorniki, učitelji niso izgubljali časa.

The teachers, like overseers, did not waste time.

Pazili so, da nihče ne zaide iz skupine.

They made sure no one strayed from the group.

"To moram videti, Nina," je rekel Tomaž, gledajoč proti severu, kjer so ledeni kristali začeli svetiti ob sveži svetlobi.

"I have to see it, Nina," said Tomaž, looking toward the north, where ice crystals began to shimmer in the fresh light.

"Ne bi smela," mu je odgovorila.

"We shouldn't," she replied.

Toda nekaj v Tomaževem pogledu ga je izdajalo - odločenost.

But something in Tomaž's gaze betrayed him—determination.

Nina je čutila, da ga ne more pustiti samega.

Nina felt she couldn't leave him alone.

"Prav.

"Alright.

Grem s tabo," je vzdihnila.

I'm going with you," she sighed.

Veter je bil hladen kot nož, ki se je zabadal v ušesa.

The wind was as cold as a knife, stabbing at their ears.

Sneženje se je začelo okrepiti, a Tomaž in Nina sta korakala.

The snowfall began to intensify, but Tomaž and Nina marched on.

Navdušenje je premagalo mraz.

Enthusiasm overcame the cold.

Toda nenadoma se je nebo zavrtilo in belina okoli njiju je postala neprekinjen zid snega.

But suddenly, the sky spun, and the whiteness around them became an unbroken wall of snow.

"Ne vidim poti nazaj," je Nina v paniki vzklikala.

"I can't see the way back," Nina cried out in panic.

Tomaž se je poskušal spomniti, kje so zadnjič videli skupino.

Tomaž tried to remember the last place they saw the group.

A vse je bilo enako.

But everything looked the same.

Vse belo.

All white.

Čas je tekel, prsti so otrpnili in strah se je prikradel v njune srce.

Time passed, fingers numbed, and fear crept into their hearts.

"Tukaj!

"Over here!"

" Tomaž je nenadoma zaklical, s svetilko, ki se je tresla na njegovi zmrznjeni roki.

Tomaž suddenly shouted, with a flashlight trembling in his frozen hand.

Svetloba je zablisnila na refleksni črtici učiteljeve jakne v daljavi.

The light caught the reflective strip of a teacher's jacket in the distance.

Upanje!

Hope!

Po napornem spopadu z vetrom sta končno pritekla do skupine.

After a difficult struggle with the wind, they finally ran back to the group.

Učitelji so ju sprejeli z olajšanjem in malo jeze.

The teachers welcomed them with relief and a little anger.

Malce ozebla, a varna, sta stala ob strani in spet dihala mirno.

Slightly frostbitten but safe, they stood aside and breathed calmly again.

Doma, nazaj v toplih prostorih šole, je Tomaž sedel ob Nini.

Back home, in the warm school premises, Tomaž sat beside Nina.

"Bilo je strašljivo, ampak vredno," je rekel, nasmejan, čeprav z rahlo modrimi ustnicami.

"It was scary, but worth it," he said, smiling, though with slightly blue lips.

"Sem se naučila nekaj," je odgovorila Nina.

"I learned something," Nina replied.

"Včasih je vredno tvegati.

"Sometimes it's worth taking risks.

Ampak previdno.

But with caution."

"Tomaž je pokimal, globoko zadovoljen z naukom in še bolj s prijateljstvom, ki ju je zbližalo.

Tomaž nodded, deeply satisfied with the lesson learned and even more so with the friendship that had brought them closer together.

Tundra je postala lekcija.

The tundra had become a lesson.

Ni le čista pustolovščina, ampak tudi spoštovanje do narave in njene nepredvidljivosti.

Not just pure adventure, but also a respect for nature and its unpredictability.

Lekcija, ki je ne bosta pozabila.

A lesson they would not forget.