Månen lyste starkt över den ensliga stranden.

The moon shone brightly over the deserted beach.

Det var en kylig höstkväll, och vinden lekte med de fallna löven längs vattenbrynet.

It was a chilly autumn evening, and the wind played with the fallen leaves along the water's edge.

Astrid och Erik stod tysta bredvid varandra, bara vågornas försiktiga kluckande hördes.

Astrid and Erik stood silently next to each other, only the gentle lapping of the waves could be heard.

Det hade gått många år sedan de sist varit här.

It had been many years since they last were here.

Astrid drog jackan tätare runt sig.

Astrid pulled her jacket tighter around herself.

Hon hade alltid älskat dessa stunder med sin bror.

She had always loved these moments with her brother.

Semesterveckorna på stranden hade varit deras fristad.

The vacation weeks on the beach had been their sanctuary.

Nu kände hon sig tyngd av minnena och pappas bortgång.

Now, she felt weighed down by memories and their father's passing.

Erik, däremot, verkade oberörd.

Erik, on the other hand, seemed unaffected.

Han stod med händerna i fickorna, blicken vänd mot horisonten.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

"Erik, vi måste prata," sa Astrid till sist.

"Erik, we need to talk," Astrid finally said.

Hon försökte fånga hans blick, men han vägrade möta den.

She tried to catch his gaze, but he refused to meet it.

"Vad finns det att säga?

"What is there to say?

Det som hänt har hänt," svarade Erik kort.

What's done is done," Erik replied shortly.

Astrid suckade.

Astrid sighed.

"Jag känner skuld, Erik.

"I feel guilty, Erik.

Jag talade aldrig ut med pappa.

I never opened up to Dad.

Jag vill inte göra samma misstag med dig."

I don’t want to make the same mistake with you."

Erik skakade på huvudet.

Erik shook his head.

"Vi har inget otalt, Astrid.

"We have nothing unsaid, Astrid.

Låt oss bara gå vidare."

Let's just move on."

Men Astrid visste att de bar på outredd smärta.

But Astrid knew they carried unresolved pain.

Hon mindes hur deras far alltid hade ställt krav och hur hon hade dragit sig undan.

She remembered how their father had always made demands and how she had withdrawn.

Erik hade å sin sida blivit hård och stängd.

Erik, on the other hand, had become hard and closed off.

"Du kanske kan gå vidare, men jag behöver förstå, förstå varför allt blev som det blev."

"You might be able to move on, but I need to understand, understand why things turned out the way they did."

Erik stönade frustrerat.

Erik groaned in frustration.

"Tror du inte att jag också har frågor?

"Don’t you think I have questions too?

Men att älta förändrar inget."

But dwelling on it changes nothing."

Brisen rörde sig kallare nu.

The breeze turned colder then.

Astrid tvekade, men bestämde sig för att inte låta rädslan tysta henne.

Astrid hesitated but decided not to let fear silence her.

"Vi älskade honom ändå, eller hur?

"We loved him anyway, didn't we?

Trots allt."

Despite everything."

Erik var tyst länge.

Erik was silent for a long time.

"Jo, det gjorde vi.

"Yes, we did.

Men han kunde vara så hård," erkände han till slut.

But he could be so harsh," he finally admitted.

"Jag ville alltid vinna hans godkännande."

"I always wanted to earn his approval."

Astrid lade en hand på hans axel.

Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Det gjorde vi båda.

"We both did.

Det var hans sätt, men det betyder inte att vi inte var bra nog."

It was his way, but it doesn’t mean we weren’t good enough."

För första gången vände sig Erik mot henne.

For the first time, Erik turned to her.

Månskenet speglade sig i hans ögon.

The moonlight reflected in his eyes.

"Jag antar att jag fortfarande bär på det.

"I guess I still carry that with me.

Men vi har varandra."

But we have each other."

Ett ögonblicks lättnad skimrade mellan dem.

A moment of relief shimmered between them.

Ingen klar lösning, men ett förståelsevävnad hade börjat bildas.

No clear solution, but a fabric of understanding had begun to weave.

Deras gemensamma historia knöt dem samman mer än pappans krav splittrade dem.

Their shared history bound them more than their father's demands tore them apart.

Med vågornas sång i bakgrunden började de gå längs stranden.

With the song of the waves in the background, they began walking along the beach.

Astrid kände en tyngd lätta inom sig.

Astrid felt a weight lift within her.

Hon höll nu den bräckliga freden som en värdefull skatt.

She now held the fragile peace as a precious treasure.

Erik gick tyst bredvid henne, men det kändes som att en ny början väntade dem båda.

Erik walked quietly beside her, but it felt like a new beginning awaited them both.

Tillsammans skulle de hitta ett sätt att minnas det som varit, men viktigare, att skapa nya minnen.

Together, they would find a way to remember what had been, but more importantly, to create new memories.

Månens silverljus följde deras steg, och havets eviga rytm var ett löfte om tidens ständiga rörelse framåt.

The moon's silver light followed their steps, and the ocean's eternal rhythm was a promise of time's constant movement forward.