A visitor count suggests an easy cut to opening hours. Salma’s conversations reveal why a quiet hour can matter more than the numbers show.
01Read the Arabic story
مَكْتَبَةٌ مَفْتُوحَةٌ بِمِيزَانِيَّةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ
عِنْدَمَا وَصَلَ خَبَرُ تَخْفِيضِ مِيزَانِيَّةِ الْمَكْتَبَةِ، نَظَرَتْ سَلْمَى إِلَى جَدْوَلِ الزِّيَارَاتِ. كَانَ الْمَسَاءُ أَقَلَّ ازْدِحَامًا مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ، فَاقْتَرَحَ زَمِيلُهَا إِغْلَاقَ الْمَبْنَى مُبَكِّرًا. بَدَا ذَلِكَ أَقَلَّ الْخِيَارَاتِ إِزْعَاجًا، لَكِنَّهَا أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ الْقُرَّاءَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَشْطُبَ سَاعَاتٍ مِنَ الْجَدْوَلِ. فَتَحَتْ دَفْتَرًا، وَسَجَّلَتْ خِلَالَ أُسْبُوعٍ أَسْبَابَ اخْتِيَارِ كُلِّ زَائِرٍ لِوَقْتِهِ.
كَانَتْ طَالِبَتَانِ تَأْتِيَانِ مَسَاءً، لِأَنَّ بَيْتَيْهِمَا مُزْدَحِمَانِ وَلَا تَجِدَانِ فِيهِمَا مَكَانًا هَادِئًا لِلدِّرَاسَةِ. وَكَانَ رَجُلٌ يَسْتَعِيرُ كُتُبًا بَعْدَ عَمَلِهِ، وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ الْحُضُورَ صَبَاحًا. أَمَّا مَحْمُودٌ الْمُتَقَاعِدُ، فَيَقْرَأُ الصُّحُفَ صَبَاحَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ، ثُمَّ يَذْهَبُ لِرِعَايَةِ حَفِيدِهِ. قَالَ لِسَلْمَى إِنَّ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ هِيَ الْوَقْتُ الْوَحِيدُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ فِيهِ وَحْدَهُ خَارِجَ الْبَيْتِ.
عَرَضَ بَعْضُ الْقُرَّاءِ التَّطَوُّعَ، لَكِنَّ أَحَدًا لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ تَحْدِيدَ مَوَاعِيدَ ثَابِتَةٍ. لَمْ تَشَأْ سَلْمَى أَنْ تَبْنِيَ الْجَدْوَلَ عَلَى وُعُودٍ غَيْرِ مُؤَكَّدَةٍ، أَوْ أَنْ تَطْلُبَ مِنْ زَمِيلِهَا عَمَلًا بِلَا أَجْرٍ. اقْتَرَحَتْ إِلْغَاءَ نِصْفِ طَلَبَاتِ الْكُتُبِ الْجَدِيدَةِ وَإِغْلَاقَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ صَبَاحَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ الْأَقَلَّ ازْدِحَامًا، مَعَ الْحِفَاظِ عَلَى مَسَاءَيْنِ مَفْتُوحَيْنِ. بَعْدَ مُرَاجَعَةِ الْحِسَابَاتِ، وَافَقَ الْمُدِيرُ عَلَى الْخُطَّةِ.
أَخْبَرَتْ مَحْمُودًا قَبْلَ تَعْلِيقِ الْجَدْوَلِ، وَعَرَضَتْ أَنْ تَحْفَظَ لَهُ الصُّحُفَ حَتَّى الْأَرْبِعَاءِ. سَأَلَهَا إِنْ كَانَتْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَيْضًا أَنْ تَحْفَظَ لَهُ سَاعَةً فَارِغَةً فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ. ابْتَسَمَ، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَجْلِسْ كَعَادَتِهِ. شَرَحَتْ لَهُ لِمَاذَا أَبْقَتِ الْمَسَاءَيْنِ، وَأَضَافَتْ أَنَّ قَرَارَهَا لَا يَعْنِي أَنَّ وَقْتَهُ أَقَلُّ قِيمَةً. طَلَبَ مِنْهَا الِاحْتِفَاظَ بِالصُّحُفِ ثُمَّ غَادَرَ.
فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ التَّالِي، سَأَلَ قَارِئٌ عَنْ كِتَابٍ كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُ وُصُولَهُ، فَأَخْرَجَتْ سَلْمَى قَائِمَةَ الطَّلَبَاتِ الْمُلْغَاةِ. وَفِي الْمَسَاءِ، اسْتَمَرَّتِ الطَّالِبَتَانِ فِي الدِّرَاسَةِ تَحْتَ الْمِصْبَاحِ الْقَرِيبِ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ. حَضَرَ مَحْمُودٌ يَوْمَ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ لِدَقِيقَتَيْنِ، وَأَخَذَ الصُّحُفَ مَطْوِيَّةً إِلَى الْبَيْتِ. سَجَّلَتْ سَلْمَى زِيَارَتَهُ، ثُمَّ نَظَرَتْ إِلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ الْفَارِغِ، وَأَضَافَتْ فِي دَفْتَرِهَا خَانَةً لِمُدَّةِ الْبَقَاءِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
When news of the library’s budget reduction arrived, Salma looked at the visitor log. Evenings were less busy than mornings, so her colleague suggested closing the building earlier. That seemed the least disruptive option, but she wanted to ask the readers before crossing hours off the schedule. She opened a notebook and, over a week, recorded why each visitor chose their particular time.
Two female students came in the evening because their homes were crowded and they could not find a quiet place there to study. A man borrowed books after work and could not come in the morning. Mahmoud, who was retired, read newspapers on Tuesday mornings before going to care for his grandson. He told Salma this was the only hour when he sat alone outside his home.
Some readers offered to volunteer, but nobody could commit to fixed times. Salma did not want to base the schedule on uncertain promises or ask her colleague to work without pay. She proposed cancelling half the new-book orders and closing the library on Tuesday mornings, the quietest mornings, while keeping two evenings open. After reviewing the accounts, the manager approved the plan.
She told Mahmoud before displaying the schedule and offered to keep the newspapers for him until Wednesday. He asked whether she could also save him a free hour that day. He smiled, but did not sit down as usual. She explained why she had kept the two evenings and added that her decision did not mean his time mattered less. He asked her to keep the newspapers, then left.
The following week, a reader asked about a book whose arrival he had been waiting for, and Salma brought out the list of cancelled orders. In the evening, the two students continued studying under the lamp near the window. Mahmoud came on Wednesday for two minutes and took the folded newspapers home. Salma recorded his visit, then looked at his empty chair and added a column to her notebook for the length of each stay.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَخْفِيضِ مِيزَانِيَّةِ | a reduction in the budget of |
| الْقُرَّاءَ | the readers |
| تَشْطُبَ | cross off |
| الْمُتَقَاعِدُ | retired |
| التَّطَوُّعَ | volunteering |
| مَوَاعِيدَ ثَابِتَةٍ | fixed times |
| وُعُودٍ غَيْرِ مُؤَكَّدَةٍ | uncertain promises |
| عَمَلًا بِلَا أَجْرٍ | work without pay |
| الْمُلْغَاةِ | cancelled |
| خَانَةً | a column; an entry field |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- Attendance alone does not show how dependent someone is on a particular opening time. Salma asks about alternatives before making cuts.
- Collecting the same newspapers is not the same experience as having an hour to read them quietly. The final record begins to reflect that difference.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ بَيْتَيْهِمَا مُزْدَحِمَانِ
Use lianna to connect the students’ crowded homes with their need for library space.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الْوَقْتُ الْوَحِيدُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ فِيهِ وَحْدَهُ
Read the relative clause as one unit to see why Mahmoud values this particular hour.
