Hiba finds a reminder between the pages of a gardening book. A missing library label gives her a reason to ask where the book came from.
01Read the Arabic story
كِتَابٌ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ وَوَرَقَةٌ بَيْنَ صَفَحَاتِهِ
ذَهَبَتْ هِبَةُ إِلَى مَكْتَبَةِ الْحَيِّ لِتَبْحَثَ عَنْ كِتَابٍ يُسَاعِدُهَا عَلَى زِرَاعَةِ الْوُرُودِ. فَقَدْ اشْتَرَتْ شَتْلَتَيْنِ، وَلَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْرِفُ كَيْفَ تَعْتَنِي بِهِمَا فِي بَيْتِهَا. وَجَدَتْ كِتَابًا أَخْضَرَ عَلَى رَفٍّ قَرِيبٍ مِنَ الْبَابِ، فَجَلَسَتْ تَقْرَأُهُ. كَانَتْ صُوَرُهُ وَاضِحَةً، وَفِيهِ جَدْوَلٌ لِمَوَاعِيدِ سَقْيِ النَّبَاتَاتِ. وَعِنْدَمَا قَلَبَتْ صَفْحَةً، سَقَطَتْ وَرَقَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. ظَنَّتْ أَنَّهَا قَائِمَةُ مُشْتَرَيَاتٍ نَسِيَهَا قَارِئٌ سَابِقٌ.
لَكِنَّ الْوَرَقَةَ كَانَتْ تَقُولُ: «يَا يُوسُفُ، أَعِدِ الْكِتَابَ إِلَى مَرْيَمَ بَعْدَ نَسْخِ الْجَدْوَلِ». لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَاكَ رَقْمُ هَاتِفٍ أَوْ عُنْوَانٌ. نَظَرَتْ هِبَةُ إِلَى الْغِلَافِ مِنْ جَدِيدٍ، وَلَاحَظَتْ أَنَّ مَلْصَقَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ غَيْرُ مَوْجُودٍ. لَمْ تَأْخُذِ الْكِتَابَ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ، بَلْ حَمَلَتْهُ مَعَ الْوَرَقَةِ إِلَى الْمُوَظَّفَةِ.
بَحَثَتِ الْمُوَظَّفَةُ عَنِ الْعُنْوَانِ فِي الْحَاسُوبِ، فَلَمْ تَجِدْهُ. ثُمَّ تَذَكَّرَتْ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الرَّفَّ يَحْمِلُ كُتُبًا تَبَرَّعَ بِهَا أَهْلُ الْحَيِّ، وَلَمْ تُسَجَّلْ بَعْدُ. فَتَحَتْ سِجِلَّ التَّبَرُّعَاتِ، وَوَجَدَتْ اسْمَ يُوسُفَ وَرَقْمَ هَاتِفِهِ. كَانَ قَدْ أَحْضَرَ صُنْدُوقًا قَبْلَ يَوْمَيْنِ. اِتَّصَلَتْ بِهِ وَسَأَلَتْهُ عَنِ الْكِتَابِ الْأَخْضَرِ.
قَالَ يُوسُفُ إِنَّهُ اسْتَعَارَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْ جَارَتِهِ مَرْيَمَ، وَكَتَبَ الْوَرَقَةَ لِيُذَكِّرَ نَفْسَهُ بِإِعَادَتِهِ. لَكِنَّهُ وَضَعَهُ فِي صُنْدُوقِ التَّبَرُّعَاتِ خَطَأً أَثْنَاءَ تَرْتِيبِ غُرْفَتِهِ. وَكَانَ يَبْحَثُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَيْنِ عَنِ الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي اسْتَعَارَهُ. جَاءَ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ فِي الْعَصْرِ، وَشَكَرَ هِبَةَ وَالْمُوَظَّفَةَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ الْكِتَابَ لِيُعِيدَهُ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهِ.
وَجَدَتِ الْمُوَظَّفَةُ لِهِبَةَ كِتَابًا آخَرَ عَنِ الْوُرُودِ يَحْمِلُ مَلْصَقَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ. وَقَبْلَ أَنْ تَغَادِرَ هِبَةُ، رَأَتْهَا تَضَعُ بِطَاقَةً عَلَى الرَّفِّ: «كُتُبٌ تَنْتَظِرُ الْفَحْصَ وَالتَّسْجِيلَ». اِبْتَسَمَتْ هِبَةُ؛ فَالْوَرَقَةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ أَعَادَتْ كِتَابًا إِلَى مَسَارِهِ الصَّحِيحِ، وَسَاعَدَتْ أَيْضًا عَلَى تَوْضِيحِ مَا يُمْكِنُ لِلْقُرَّاءِ اسْتِعَارَتُهُ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Hiba went to the neighbourhood library to look for a book to help her grow roses. She had bought two seedlings and did not know how to care for them at home. She found a green book on a shelf near the door and sat down to read it. Its pictures were clear, and it contained a schedule for watering plants. When she turned a page, a small piece of paper fell onto the table. She thought it was a shopping list a previous reader had forgotten.
But the note said, “Yusuf, return the book to Maryam after copying the schedule.” There was no telephone number or address. Hiba looked at the cover again and noticed that the library label was missing. She did not take the book home; she carried it and the note to the librarian.
The librarian searched for the title on the computer but did not find it. Then she remembered that this shelf held books donated by local residents which had not yet been registered. She opened the donation record and found Yusuf’s name and telephone number. He had brought a box two days earlier. She called him and asked about the green book.
Yusuf said that he had borrowed the book from his neighbour Maryam and written the note to remind himself to return it. But he had put it in the donation box by mistake while tidying his room. He had been looking for it for two days. He came to the library that afternoon, thanked Hiba and the librarian, and took the book to return it to its owner.
The librarian found Hiba another book about roses with a library label. Before Hiba left, she saw her placing a card on the shelf: “Books awaiting checking and registration.” Hiba smiled: the small note had put a book back on the right path and also helped clarify what readers could borrow.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| زِرَاعَةِ الْوُرُودِ | growing roses |
| سَقْيِ النَّبَاتَاتِ | watering plants |
| قَائِمَةُ مُشْتَرَيَاتٍ | a shopping list |
| الْغِلَافِ | the cover |
| مَلْصَقَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ | the library label |
| سِجِلَّ التَّبَرُّعَاتِ | the donation record |
| اسْتَعَارَ الْكِتَابَ | borrowed the book |
| لِيُذَكِّرَ نَفْسَهُ | to remind himself |
| خَطَأً | by mistake |
| الْفَحْصَ وَالتَّسْجِيلَ | checking and registration |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story for evidence. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- Combine several clues: the note names a borrower, the absent label prompts a catalogue check, and the donation record supplies contact details.
- Distinguish a book being on a library shelf from its being registered and available to borrow.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
بَعْدَ نَسْخِ الْجَدْوَلِ
Use before and after expressions to follow the book’s journey.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَتْ صُوَرُهُ وَاضِحَةً
Recognise a past description of the book’s pictures.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي اسْتَعَارَهُ
See how a relative clause identifies the particular book Yusuf was looking for.
