A mapmaking group and a sewing group reach the only available table. Looking closely at what each task needs reveals space they had overlooked.
01Read the Arabic story
الطَّاوِلَةُ الْأَخِيرَةُ فِي مَرْكَزِ الْحَيِّ
ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ فَرِيقِي إِلَى مَرْكَزِ الْحَيِّ لِنَرْسُمَ خَرِيطَةً كَبِيرَةً لِلشَّوَارِعِ الْقَدِيمَةِ. كَانَ مَعْرِضُ الْكُتُبِ يَشْغَلُ مُعْظَمَ الْقَاعَةِ، وَلَمْ تَبْقَ إِلَّا طَاوِلَةٌ طَوِيلَةٌ بِجَانِبِ النَّافِذَةِ. وَضَعْنَا أَوْرَاقَنَا عَلَيْهَا، فَوَصَلَتْ ثَلَاثُ سَيِّدَاتٍ يَحْمِلْنَ قُمَاشًا وَأَدَوَاتِ خِيَاطَةٍ. قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ، وَاسْمُهَا نُورٌ: «نَحْنُ نَسْتَخْدِمُ هَذِهِ الطَّاوِلَةَ كُلَّ خَمِيسٍ».
طَلَبْنَا مُسَاعَدَةَ الْمُوَظَّفِ، فَبَحَثَ عَنْ طَاوِلَةٍ أُخْرَى وَلَمْ يَجِدْ. اِقْتَرَحَ أَنْ تَنْتَظِرَ إِحْدَى الْمَجْمُوعَتَيْنِ، لَكِنَّ الْمَرْكَزَ سَيُغْلَقُ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ. شَرَحْنَا أَنَّنَا نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى سَطْحٍ مُسْتَوٍ لِنَرْسُمَ الْخُطُوطَ بِدِقَّةٍ. وَشَرَحَتْ نُورٌ أَنَّهَا تُرِيدُ قَصَّ قِطَعٍ صَغِيرَةٍ مِنْ قُمَاشٍ طَوِيلٍ. نَظَرْتُ إِلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ؛ كَانَتْ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ خَرِيطَتِنَا بِكَثِيرٍ.
سَأَلْتُ: «هَلْ نَحْتَاجُ فِعْلًا إِلَى كُلِّ هَذِهِ الْمَسَاحَةِ؟» أَبْعَدْنَا الطَّاوِلَةَ عَنِ الْجِدَارِ، فَأَصْبَحَ الْجُلُوسُ مُمْكِنًا حَوْلَهَا. وَضَعْنَا الْخَرِيطَةَ عِنْدَ أَحَدِ الطَّرَفَيْنِ، وَفَرَشَتْ نُورٌ جُزْءًا مِنَ الْقُمَاشِ عِنْدَ الطَّرَفِ الْآخَرِ. لَفَّتِ الْجُزْءَ الَّذِي لَمْ تَحْتَجْ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدُ، وَوَضَعَتْهُ تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ. وَحَدَّدْنَا الْمَسَاحَتَيْنِ بِشَرِيطٍ رَفِيعٍ يُمْكِنُ إِزَالَتُهُ بِسُهُولَةٍ.
بَدَأْنَا الْعَمَلَ، لَكِنَّ عُلْبَةَ الْأَقْلَامِ مَنَعَتْ نُورًا مِنْ تَحْرِيكِ الْقُمَاشِ. نَقَلْتُهَا إِلَى رَفٍّ قَرِيبٍ، وَوَضَعْتُ الْأَقْلَامَ الَّتِي نَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهَا فَقَطْ فَوْقَ الْخَرِيطَةِ. أَمَّا السَّيِّدَاتُ فَوَضَعْنَ الْمَقَصَّ فِي عُلْبَةٍ عِنْدَ طَرَفِهِنَّ. بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، رَسَمْنَا الشَّوَارِعَ، وَقَصَصْنَ الْقِطَعَ دُونَ أَنْ نُحَرِّكَ أَشْيَاءَ بَعْضِنَا كُلَّ دَقِيقَةٍ. بَقِيَ وَقْتٌ لِتَنْظِيفِ الْمَكَانِ قَبْلَ الْإِغْلَاقِ.
فِي الْخَمِيسِ التَّالِي، عُدْنَا لِنُكْمِلَ أَسْمَاءَ الشَّوَارِعِ. وَجَدْنَا نُورًا تُخْرِجُ أُنْبُوبًا مِنَ الْوَرَقِ الْمُقَوَّى مِنْ حَقِيبَتِهَا. وَضَعَتْهُ بِجَانِبِ خَرِيطَتِنَا وَسَأَلَتْ: «هَلْ يُنَاسِبُهَا هَذَا الْحَجْمُ؟» بَعْدَ الْعَمَلِ، لَفَفْنَا الْخَرِيطَةَ وَوَضَعْنَاهَا دَاخِلَهُ. أَزَلْنَا الشَّرِيطَ عَنِ الطَّاوِلَةِ، ثُمَّ أَعَدْنَا الْكَرَاسِيَّ إِلَى أَمَاكِنِهَا. لَمْ نَحْتَجْ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ إِلَى مُنَادَاةِ الْمُوَظَّفِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I went with my group to the community centre to draw a large map of the old streets. A book fair occupied most of the hall, and only one long table beside the window remained. We put our papers on it. Then three women arrived carrying fabric and sewing tools. One of them, whose name was Nour, said, “We use this table every Thursday.”
We asked the staff member for help. He looked for another table but could not find one. He suggested that one group wait, but the centre would close in an hour. We explained that we needed a flat surface to draw the lines accurately. Nour explained that she wanted to cut small pieces from a long piece of fabric. I looked at the table; it was much bigger than our map.
I asked, “Do we actually need all this space?” We moved the table away from the wall so that it was possible to sit around it. We put the map at one end, and Nour spread part of the fabric at the other. She rolled up the part she did not need yet and put it under the table. We marked the two areas with a thin strip of tape that could be removed easily.
We started working, but the pencil box prevented Nour from moving the fabric. I moved it to a nearby shelf and put only the pencils we needed on the map. The women placed their scissors in a box at their end. After that, we drew the streets and they cut the pieces without having to move one another’s things every minute. There was still time to clean up before closing.
The following Thursday, we returned to finish the street names. We found Nour taking a cardboard tube out of her bag. She placed it beside our map and asked, “Is this the right size for it?” After working, we rolled up the map and put it inside. We removed the tape from the table and returned the chairs to their places. This time, we did not need to call the staff member.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَعْرِضُ الْكُتُبِ | the book fair |
| أَدَوَاتِ خِيَاطَةٍ | sewing tools |
| سَطْحٍ مُسْتَوٍ | a flat surface |
| بِدِقَّةٍ | accurately |
| أَحَدِ الطَّرَفَيْنِ | one of the two ends |
| لَفَّتِ | she rolled up |
| بِشَرِيطٍ رَفِيعٍ | with a thin strip of tape |
| رَفٍّ قَرِيبٍ | a nearby shelf |
| الْوَرَقِ الْمُقَوَّى | cardboard |
| مُنَادَاةِ الْمُوَظَّفِ | calling the staff member |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- The two groups need useful working surfaces, but neither needs every part of the table at once.
- Small adjustments to tools and materials make the shared arrangement workable.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Prepositions: In, On, Under and Next To
تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ
Use the location phrase to follow where Nour stores the unused fabric.
Arabic Comparatives: Bigger Than and Better Than
أَكْبَرَ مِنْ خَرِيطَتِنَا
Compare the available table with the actual size of the map.
