A broken park bench gains new boards overnight. Lina follows a few practical clues and discovers the personal reason behind its quiet repair.
01Read the Arabic story
مَنْ أَصْلَحَ مَقْعَدَ الْحَدِيقَةِ الْمَكْسُورَ؟
كَانَ الْمَقْعَدُ الْقَرِيبُ مِنْ مَدْخَلِ الْحَدِيقَةِ مَكْسُورًا مُنْذُ أُسْبُوعَيْنِ. وَضَعَ الْحَارِسُ عَلَيْهِ وَرَقَةً تَمْنَعُ الْجُلُوسَ، وَصَارَ كِبَارُ السِّنِّ يَبْحَثُونَ عَنْ مَكَانٍ آخَرَ لِلرَّاحَةِ. فِي صَبَاحِ السَّبْتِ، وَجَدَتْ لِينَا أَلْوَاحًا جَدِيدَةً وَطِلَاءً أَزْرَقَ لَامِعًا. كَانَتْ هُنَاكَ وَرَقَةٌ تَقُولُ: «يُرْجَى انْتِظَارُ جَفَافِ الطِّلَاءِ». لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهَا اسْمُ أَحَدٍ.
قَالَ جَارٌ إِنَّ عُمَّالَ الْبَلَدِيَّةِ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونُوا قَدْ جَاءُوا لَيْلًا. لَكِنَّ لِينَا رَأَتْ عَلَى أَحَدِ الْأَلْوَاحِ نَجْمَةً صَغِيرَةً مَحْفُورَةً، تُشْبِهُ عَلَامَةً عَلَى خِزَانَةِ الْكُتُبِ فِي مَرْكَزِ الْحَيِّ. سَأَلَتْ مَسْؤُولَةَ الْمَرْكَزِ عَنْهَا، فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ عِمَادًا، مُعَلِّمَ النِّجَارَةِ الْمُتَقَاعِدَ، صَنَعَ الْخِزَانَةَ. كَانَ يَضَعُ تِلْكَ النَّجْمَةَ عَلَى أَعْمَالِهِ مُنْذُ سَنَوَاتٍ.
ذَهَبَتْ لِينَا إِلَى وَرْشَتِهِ الصَّغِيرَةِ، فَوَجَدَتْهُ يُنَظِّفُ فُرْشَاةً بَيْنَمَا يُرَتِّبُ حَفِيدُهُ الْأَدَوَاتِ. كَانَتْ عَلَى قُفَّازَيْهِ بُقَعٌ زَرْقَاءُ. سَأَلَتْهُ: «هَلْ أَصْلَحْتَ مَقْعَدَ الْحَدِيقَةِ؟» اِبْتَسَمَ وَقَالَ: «نَعَمْ، بِمُسَاعَدَةِ حَفِيدِي وَبِإِذْنِ إِدَارَةِ الْحَدِيقَةِ. اِنْتَظَرْنَا مُغَادَرَةَ الزُّوَّارِ حَتَّى نَسْتَطِيعَ الْعَمَلَ بِهُدُوءٍ، وَتَأَكَّدَ الْحَارِسُ مِنْ ثَبَاتِ الْمَقْعَدِ بَعْدَ الِانْتِهَاءِ».
شَرَحَ عِمَادٌ أَنَّ صَدِيقَهُ الْقَدِيمَ يَتَعَبُ سَرِيعًا أَثْنَاءَ الْمَشْيِ. كَانَ يَسْتَرِيحُ عَلَى هَذَا الْمَقْعَدِ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ، لَكِنَّهُ تَوَقَّفَ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الْحَدِيقَةِ بَعْدَ كَسْرِهِ. قَالَ عِمَادٌ: «لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَجْعَلَ الطَّرِيقَ أَقْصَرَ، لَكِنَّنِي أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أُعِيدَ إِلَيْهِ مَكَانَ الرَّاحَةِ». لَمْ تَكُنْ لِينَا تَعْرِفُ أَنَّ غِيَابَ مَقْعَدٍ وَاحِدٍ قَدْ يُغَيِّرُ عَادَةَ شَخْصٍ.
فِي الصَّبَاحِ التَّالِي، رَأَتْ لِينَا عِمَادًا وَصَدِيقَهُ جَالِسَيْنِ عَلَى الْمَقْعَدِ، يَتَحَدَّثَانِ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ. لَمْ تَقْطَعْ حَدِيثَهُمَا، بَلْ لَوَّحَتْ لَهُمَا وَابْتَسَمَتْ. كَانَتْ قَدْ بَدَأَتِ الْبَحْثَ لِتَعْرِفَ مَنْ أَمْسَكَ الْمِطْرَقَةَ، وَانْتَهَتْ بِمَعْرِفَةِ سَبَبٍ أَهَمَّ. لَمْ يُصْلِحْ عِمَادٌ خَشَبًا مَكْسُورًا فَقَطْ، بَلْ سَاعَدَ صَدِيقًا عَلَى الْعَوْدَةِ إِلَى مَكَانٍ يُحِبُّهُ.
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The bench near the park entrance had been broken for two weeks. The guard put a notice on it prohibiting sitting, and older people began looking for somewhere else to rest. On Saturday morning, Lina found new boards and shiny blue paint. There was a note saying, “Please wait for the paint to dry.” Nobody’s name was on it.
A neighbour said that municipal workers must have come at night. But Lina saw a small carved star on one board, resembling a mark on the bookcase at the neighbourhood centre. She asked the centre’s coordinator about it, and the coordinator said that Imad, a retired carpentry teacher, had made the bookcase. He had been putting that star on his work for years.
Lina went to his small workshop and found him cleaning a brush while his grandson organised the tools. There were blue spots on his gloves. She asked, “Did you repair the park bench?” He smiled and said, “Yes, with my grandson’s help and the park management’s permission. We waited until the visitors left so that we could work quietly, and the guard checked that the bench was stable when we finished.”
Imad explained that his old friend tired quickly when walking. He used to rest on this bench every morning, but stopped visiting the park after it broke. Imad said, “I can’t make the path shorter, but I can give him back his resting place.” Lina had not known that the loss of one bench could change a person’s routine.
The following morning, Lina saw Imad and his friend sitting on the bench, talking beneath the tree. She did not interrupt them, but waved and smiled. She had begun the search to find out who had held the hammer and ended up discovering a more important reason. Imad had not only repaired broken wood; he had helped a friend return to a place he loved.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| كِبَارُ السِّنِّ | older people |
| جَفَافِ الطِّلَاءِ | the paint drying |
| عُمَّالَ الْبَلَدِيَّةِ | municipal workers |
| مَحْفُورَةً | carved |
| النِّجَارَةِ | carpentry |
| الْمُتَقَاعِدَ | retired |
| وَرْشَتِهِ | his workshop |
| بُقَعٌ زَرْقَاءُ | blue spots |
| ثَبَاتِ الْمَقْعَدِ | the stability of the bench |
| الْمِطْرَقَةَ | the hammer |
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
- A carved star gives Lina a lead, and Imad confirms the repair and explains why he did it.
- A small improvement to a shared place can restore an important routine for someone who uses it.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, and Why
هَلْ أَصْلَحْتَ مَقْعَدَ الْحَدِيقَةِ
Notice how Lina checks her idea directly with a yes-or-no question.
Arabic Dual Case Endings: When to Use Ani and Ayni
جَالِسَيْنِ عَلَى الْمَقْعَدِ
Recognise the dual ending in the description of two seated friends.
