Rania arrives with two plant pots and a drawing. A laundry line and three folding chairs reveal two other plans for the same rooftop.
01Read the Arabic story
سَطْحٌ وَاحِدٌ وَثَلَاثُ خُطَطٍ
رَسَمَتْ رَانِيَا حَدِيقَةً صَغِيرَةً لِسَطْحِ الْعِمَارَةِ، ثُمَّ صَعِدَتْ تَحْمِلُ أَصِيصَيْنِ لِتَبْدَأَ. فَوْقَ الدَّرَجِ، وَجَدَتْ جَارَتَهَا هُدَى تَمُدُّ حَبْلًا بَيْنَ جِدَارَيْنِ، وَجَارَهَا بَشِيرًا يَفْتَحُ ثَلَاثَةَ كَرَاسِيَّ قَابِلَةٍ لِلطَّيِّ. ضَحِكَ بَشِيرٌ وَقَالَ إِنَّ السَّطْحَ الْمَهْجُورَ أَصْبَحَ مَطْلُوبًا فَجْأَةً. لَكِنَّ رَانِيَا لَمْ تَضْحَكْ، لِأَنَّهَا رَأَتِ الْكَرَاسِيَّ فِي الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي اخْتَارَتْهُ لِلزُّهُورِ.
شَرَحَتْ هُدَى أَنَّ شُرْفَتَهَا الصَّغِيرَةَ لَا تَتَّسِعُ لِغَسِيلِ أُسْرَتِهَا، وَأَنَّ الشَّمْسَ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا. وَقَالَ بَشِيرٌ إِنَّهُ يُرِيدُ مَكَانًا يَشْرَبُ فِيهِ الشَّايَ مَعَ جَارَيْنِ فِي الْمَسَاءِ، بَعْدَ أَنْ أُغْلِقَ الْمَقْهَى الْقَرِيبُ. فَرَدَتْ رَانِيَا رَسْمَهَا: أَحْوَاضٌ خَضْرَاءُ عَلَى الْأَطْرَافِ، وَمَمَرٌّ فِي الْوَسَطِ. قَالَتْ إِنَّ الْجَمِيعَ سَيَسْتَمْتِعُونَ بِالْحَدِيقَةِ، لَا هِيَ وَحْدَهَا.
أَشَارَتْ هُدَى إِلَى مُلَاءَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ فِي سَلَّتِهَا وَسَأَلَتْ أَيْنَ سَتَنْشُرُهَا. جَرَّبَتْ رَانِيَا وَضْعَ أَحَدِ الْأَصِيصَيْنِ تَحْتَ الْحَبْلِ، فَغَطَّتِ الْمُلَاءَةُ أَوْرَاقَهُ. نَقَلَتْهُ إِلَى الْبَابِ، فَضَاقَ الْمَمَرُّ. عِنْدَئِذٍ طَوَتِ الرَّسْمَ بَدَلًا مِنْ شَرْحِهِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. أَمَّا بَشِيرٌ فَجَلَسَ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ وَسَأَلَ هُدَى إِنْ كَانَ الْغَسِيلُ يَجِفُّ قَبْلَ الْمَسَاءِ، فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ يَتَوَقَّفُ عَلَى الطَّقْسِ.
أَبْقَوْا الْأَصِيصَيْنِ بِجَانِبِ جِدَارٍ بَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْحَبْلِ وَالْبَابِ، وَتَرَكُوا وَسَطَ السَّطْحِ خَالِيًا. وَافَقَ بَشِيرٌ عَلَى طَيِّ كَرَاسِيِّهِ بَعْدَ اسْتِعْمَالِهَا، وَعَلَى بَقَاءِ الْغَسِيلِ مَكَانَهُ إِذَا لَمْ يَجِفَّ. لَمْ تَعِدْ هُدَى بِإِفْرَاغِ الْحَبْلِ كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ، لَكِنَّهَا وَعَدَتْ بِجَمْعِ الْمَلَابِسِ الْجَافَّةِ دُونَ تَأْخِيرٍ. وَأَعَادَتْ رَانِيَا بَقِيَّةَ أَكْيَاسِ التُّرْبَةِ إِلَى شَقَّتِهَا.
فِي الْخَمِيسِ التَّالِي، صَعِدَتْ رَانِيَا لِتَسْقِيَ النَّبَاتَيْنِ، فَوَجَدَتْ بَشِيرًا وَجَارَيْهِ جَالِسِينَ بَيْنَ صَفَّيْنِ مِنَ الْمَلَابِسِ. تَمَنَّى بَشِيرٌ لَوْ كَانَ الْمَنْظَرُ أَوْسَعَ، ثُمَّ دَعَاهَا إِلَى الشَّايِ. رَفَضَتْ لِضِيقِ وَقْتِهَا وَبَقِيَتْ تُحَدِّثُهُمْ دَقَائِقَ. وَحِينَ عَادَتْ إِلَى شَقَّتِهَا، أَخْرَجَتِ الرَّسْمَ مِنْ جَيْبِهَا، وَأَضَافَتْ إِلَيْهِ مَوْضِعَ الْحَبْلِ، ثُمَّ حَفِظَتْهُ مَعَ صُوَرِ النَّبَاتَاتِ الَّتِي جَمَعَتْهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
Rania drew a small garden for the apartment building’s rooftop, then went upstairs carrying two plant pots to begin. Above the stairs, she found her neighbour Huda stretching a line between two walls and her neighbour Bashir opening three folding chairs. Bashir laughed and said the neglected rooftop had suddenly become popular. But Rania did not laugh, because she saw the chairs in the spot she had chosen for the flowers.
Huda explained that her small balcony could not hold her family’s laundry and received very little sunlight. Bashir said he wanted somewhere to drink tea with two neighbours in the evening, after the nearby café had closed. Rania spread out her drawing: green planters around the edges and a passage down the middle. She said everyone would enjoy the garden, not just her.
Huda pointed to a large sheet in her basket and asked where she would hang it. Rania tried placing one pot under the line, but the sheet covered its leaves. She moved it to the door, narrowing the passage. Then she folded the drawing instead of explaining it again. Bashir sat on a chair and asked Huda whether the laundry dried before evening. She said that depended on the weather.
They kept the two pots beside a wall away from the line and the door, leaving the middle of the rooftop clear. Bashir agreed to fold his chairs after using them and to let the laundry stay if it had not dried. Huda did not promise to clear the line every evening, but promised to gather dry clothes without delay. Rania took the remaining bags of soil back to her apartment.
The following Thursday, Rania went up to water the two plants and found Bashir and his two neighbours sitting between two rows of clothes. Bashir wished the view were more open, then invited her to tea. She declined because she had little time, but stayed talking to them for a few minutes. Back in her apartment, she took the drawing from her pocket, added the position of the line, and saved it with the plant pictures she had collected.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| أَصِيصَيْنِ | two plant pots |
| حَبْلًا | a line; a rope |
| لِلطَّيِّ | for folding |
| الْمَهْجُورَ | neglected; unused |
| شُرْفَتَهَا | her balcony |
| أَحْوَاضٌ | planters |
| بِإِفْرَاغِ الْحَبْلِ | to clearing the line |
| أَكْيَاسِ التُّرْبَةِ | bags of soil |
| لِتَسْقِيَ | to water |
| مَوْضِعَ الْحَبْلِ | the position of the line |
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
- Trying the proposed layout reveals practical conflicts that a drawing alone hides. Each resident then gives up part of an ideal arrangement.
- Rania keeps and revises her drawing. The ending suggests continued interest without promising that a larger garden will eventually be possible.
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 الْحَبْلِ
Track how the pot’s position under the laundry line changes what can share the space.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي اخْتَارَتْهُ لِلزُّهُورِ
Use alladhi to connect a specific place with Rania’s earlier plan for it.
