جَدَّتِي وَالْمِفْتَاحُ الْقَدِيمُMy Grandmother and the Old Key

اِسْمِي لَيْلَى، وَعُمْرِي اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً.

My name is Layla, and I am twelve years old.

أَسْكُنُ مَعَ أُسْرَتِي فِي مَدِينَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ قَرِيبَةٍ مِنَ الْبَحْرِ.

I live with my family in a small town near the sea.

فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ، أَذْهَبُ إِلَى بَيْتِ جَدَّتِي.

Every Friday, I go to my grandmother's house.

بَيْتُ جَدَّتِي قَدِيمٌ، وَلَهُ بَابٌ أَخْضَرُ كَبِيرٌ.

My grandmother's house is old, and it has a big green door.

فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ شَجَرَةُ لَيْمُونٍ كَبِيرَةٌ، وَقِطَّةٌ بَيْضَاءُ اسْمُهَا نُور.

In the garden there is a big lemon tree, and a white cat called Nour.

جَدَّتِي تُحِبُّ الشَّايَ بِالنَّعْنَاعِ، وَتُحِبُّ الْحِكَايَاتِ الْقَدِيمَةَ.

My grandmother loves mint tea, and she loves old stories.

فِي يَوْمٍ مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ، كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ، فَوَجَدْتُ مِفْتَاحًا صَغِيرًا تَحْتَ شَجَرَةِ اللَّيْمُونِ.

One day, I was playing in the garden, and I found a small key under the lemon tree.

كَانَ الْمِفْتَاحُ قَدِيمًا جِدًّا، وَلَوْنُهُ أَصْفَرُ مِثْلَ الذَّهَبِ.

The key was very old, and its colour was yellow like gold.

أَخَذْتُ الْمِفْتَاحَ وَذَهَبْتُ إِلَى جَدَّتِي بِسُرْعَةٍ.

I took the key and went to my grandmother quickly.

قُلْتُ لَهَا: «يَا جَدَّتِي، مَا هَذَا الْمِفْتَاحُ؟»

I said to her: "Grandma, what is this key?"

نَظَرَتْ جَدَّتِي إِلَى الْمِفْتَاحِ، ثُمَّ ابْتَسَمَتِ ابْتِسَامَةً كَبِيرَةً.

My grandmother looked at the key, then gave a big smile.

قَالَتْ: «هَذَا مِفْتَاحُ الصُّنْدُوقِ الْقَدِيمِ!»

She said: "This is the key to the old box!"

سَأَلْتُهَا: «أَيُّ صُنْدُوقٍ؟ أَنَا لَا أَعْرِفُ صُنْدُوقًا قَدِيمًا فِي الْبَيْتِ.»

I asked her: "Which box? I don't know of any old box in the house."

قَالَتْ جَدَّتِي: «تَعَالَيْ مَعِي.»

My grandmother said: "Come with me."

صَعِدْنَا إِلَى الْغُرْفَةِ الْعُلْوِيَّةِ.

We went up to the upstairs room.

كَانَتِ الْغُرْفَةُ مُظْلِمَةً، وَفِيهَا غُبَارٌ كَثِيرٌ.

The room was dark, and there was a lot of dust in it.

فَتَحَتْ جَدَّتِي النَّافِذَةَ، فَدَخَلَ النُّورُ.

My grandmother opened the window, and the light came in.

فِي الزَّاوِيَةِ كَانَ هُنَاكَ صُنْدُوقٌ خَشَبِيٌّ كَبِيرٌ.

In the corner there was a big wooden box.

وَضَعْتُ الْمِفْتَاحَ فِي الْقُفْلِ، فَانْفَتَحَ الصُّنْدُوقُ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ.

I put the key in the lock, and the box opened with a loud sound.

كَانَ فِي الصُّنْدُوقِ رَائِحَةُ الْخَشَبِ وَالزَّمَنِ.

Inside the box was the smell of wood and of time.

فِي الصُّنْدُوقِ وَجَدْنَا صُوَرًا قَدِيمَةً، وَرَسَائِلَ كَثِيرَةً، وَفُسْتَانًا أَبْيَضَ جَمِيلًا.

In the box we found old photos, many letters, and a beautiful white dress.

قَالَتْ جَدَّتِي: «هَذَا فُسْتَانُ عُرْسِي. لَبِسْتُهُ قَبْلَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً.»

My grandmother said: "This is my wedding dress. I wore it fifty years ago."

ثُمَّ أَخَذَتْ صُورَةً وَقَالَتْ: «وَهَذَا جَدُّكِ عِنْدَمَا كَانَ شَابًّا.»

Then she picked up a photo and said: "And this is your grandfather when he was young."

كَانَ جَدِّي يَعْمَلُ بَحَّارًا، وَكَانَ يُسَافِرُ بَعِيدًا عَنِ الْبَيْتِ شُهُورًا طَوِيلَةً.

My grandfather worked as a sailor, and he used to travel far from home for long months.

جَلَسْنَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ سَاعَتَيْنِ.

We sat on the floor for two hours.

قَرَأَتْ جَدَّتِي الرَّسَائِلَ، وَأَنَا اسْتَمَعْتُ إِلَيْهَا.

My grandmother read the letters, and I listened to her.

كَانَتِ الرَّسَائِلُ مِنْ جَدِّي، وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ لَهَا كُلَّ أُسْبُوعٍ.

The letters were from my grandfather, and he used to write to her every week.

بَعْضُ الرَّسَائِلِ كَانَتْ مُضْحِكَةً، وَبَعْضُهَا كَانَ حَزِينًا.

Some of the letters were funny, and some were sad.

فِي رِسَالَةٍ كَتَبَ: «الْبَحْرُ وَاسِعٌ، لَكِنَّ قَلْبِي فِي بَيْتِنَا الصَّغِيرِ.»

In one letter he wrote: "The sea is wide, but my heart is in our little house."

ضَحِكَتْ جَدَّتِي وَبَكَتْ فِي الْوَقْتِ نَفْسِهِ.

My grandmother laughed and cried at the same time.

فِي الْمَسَاءِ، قَالَتْ لِي جَدَّتِي: «شُكْرًا يَا لَيْلَى.»

In the evening, my grandmother said to me: "Thank you, Layla."

قُلْتُ: «لِمَاذَا يَا جَدَّتِي؟ أَنَا وَجَدْتُ مِفْتَاحًا فَقَطْ.»

I said: "Why, Grandma? I only found a key."

قَالَتْ: «لَمْ أَفْتَحْ هَذَا الصُّنْدُوقَ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً. ضَاعَ الْمِفْتَاحُ، وَضَاعَتْ مَعَهُ الذِّكْرَيَاتُ.»

She said: "I haven't opened this box for twenty years. The key was lost, and the memories were lost with it."

ثُمَّ قَالَتْ: «لَا، أَنْتِ لَمْ تَجِدِي مِفْتَاحًا فَقَطْ. أَنْتِ وَجَدْتِ الْمَاضِيَ.»

Then she said: "No, you didn't just find a key. You found the past."

الْآنَ، فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ، نَفْتَحُ الصُّنْدُوقَ وَنَقْرَأُ رِسَالَةً وَاحِدَةً.

Now, every Friday, we open the box and read one letter.

وَأَنَا أَكْتُبُ قِصَّتَهَا فِي دَفْتَرِي الصَّغِيرِ، لِأَنَّ الْقِصَصَ الْجَمِيلَةَ لَا يَجِبُ أَنْ تَضِيعَ مَرَّةً ثَانِيَةً.

And I write her story in my little notebook, because beautiful stories should not be lost a second time.