Layla selects twelve bright holiday photographs. Her sister remembers a rainy café, while their mother wants both moments kept.
01Read the Arabic story
عُطْلَةٌ مِثَالِيَّةٌ فِي اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ صُورَةً
اخْتَارَتْ لَيْلَى اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ صُورَةً لِأُلْبُومِ الْعُطْلَةِ، وَكَتَبَتْ عَلَى الْغِلَافِ: أُسْبُوعٌ مِثَالِيٌّ. فِي الصُّورَةِ الْأُولَى، ظَهَرَ الْبَحْرُ صَافِيًا وَالْمَظَلَّةُ الْحَمْرَاءُ مَفْتُوحَةً. وَفِي الْأَخِيرَةِ، رَفَعَ أَخُوهَا كُوبَهُ أَمَامَ الْغُرُوبِ. أَمَّا الْوَقْتُ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَقَدْ رَتَّبَتْهُ بِحَيْثُ تَتَعَاقَبُ الْأَلْوَانُ دُونَ أَنْ يَقْطَعَهَا مَنْظَرٌ بَاهِتٌ. لَمْ تُغَيِّرْ شَيْئًا فِي الصُّوَرِ نَفْسِهَا.
سَأَلَتْهَا أُخْتُهَا عَنْ صُورَةِ الْمَقْهَى الَّتِي الْتَقَطَتْهَا بَعْدَ فَوَاتِ الْحَافِلَةِ. قَالَتْ لَيْلَى إِنَّ الْأَكْوَابَ فِيهَا غَيْرُ وَاضِحَةٍ. ذَكَّرَتْهَا أُخْتُهَا بِالْمَطَرِ الَّذِي أَبْقَاهُمْ هُنَاكَ سَاعَتَيْنِ، وَبِأُمِّهِمَا الَّتِي ضَحِكَتْ حِينَ قَطَرَ الْمَاءُ مِنَ الْمَظَلَّةِ فِي حَقِيبَتِهَا. لَمْ يَكُنِ الضَّحْكُ تَعْوِيضًا عَنِ الرِّحْلَةِ الْمُؤَجَّلَةِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ جُزْءًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الصَّبَاحِ. أَرَادَتِ الْأُخْتُ أَنْ تَبْقَى تِلْكَ الضَّحْكَةُ مَعَ الْأَكْوَابِ الَّتِي بَدَتْ بَاهِتَةً.
اقْتَرَحَتِ الْأُخْتُ حَذْفَ كَلِمَةِ مِثَالِيٍّ، فَاعْتَرَضَتْ لَيْلَى: هَلْ يَجِبُ أَنْ نَحْفَظَ كُلَّ انْتِظَارٍ لِنَكُونَ صَادِقِينَ؟ قَالَتْ أُمُّهُمَا إِنَّهَا تُرِيدُ صُورَةَ الْبَحْرِ؛ فَقَدْ كَانَتْ سَعِيدَةً تِلْكَ السَّاعَةَ، وَالْمَطَرُ بَعْدَهَا لَمْ يَمْحُهَا. ثُمَّ طَلَبَتْ نُسْخَةً مِنْ صُورَةِ الْمَقْهَى أَيْضًا. كَانَ طَلَبُهَا أَبْسَطَ مِنَ الْمُنَاقَشَةِ، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَحْسِمْ عُنْوَانَ الْغِلَافِ.
حَذَفَتْ لَيْلَى صُورَةً جَمَاعِيَّةً مُرَتَّبَةً وَأَضَافَتْ صُورَةَ الْأَكْوَابِ، فَبَقِيَتْ لَدَيْهَا اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ صُورَةً. تَحْتَ الْبَحْرِ كَتَبَتْ: أَجْمَلُ سَاعَةٍ فِي يَوْمٍ لَمْ يَسِرْ كَمَا خَطَّطْنَا. لَمْ تَحْتَجِ الصُّورَةُ إِلَى سَحَابٍ مُصْطَنَعٍ لِتَصِيرَ أَصْدَقَ. أَمَّا الْأَكْوَابُ، فَكَتَبَتْ أُخْتُهَا تَحْتَهَا وَقْتَ الْحَافِلَةِ الَّتِي فَاتَتْهُمْ، ثُمَّ أَضَافَتْ أُمُّهُمَا جُمْلَةً عَنِ الْحَقِيبَةِ الْمَبْلُولَةِ.
حِينَ رَأَى أَخُوهُمَا الصَّفْحَةَ، طَلَبَ الصُّورَةَ الْجَمَاعِيَّةَ الْمَحْذُوفَةَ لِيَضَعَهَا فِي غُرْفَتِهِ. أَرْسَلَتْهَا إِلَيْهِ لَيْلَى، وَلَمْ تَقُلْ إِنَّ اخْتِيَارَهُ خَاطِئٌ. عَلَى الْغِلَافِ مَحَتْ كَلِمَةً وَكَتَبَتْ: أُسْبُوعٌ عِنْدَ الْبَحْرِ. بَعْدَ طِبَاعَةِ الصَّفْحَةِ، سَأَلَتْهَا أُخْتُهَا أَيْنَ ذَهَبَتِ الْمَظَلَّةُ الْحَمْرَاءُ. بَحَثَتْ عَنْهَا لَيْلَى فِي الْخِزَانَةِ؛ كَانَ قُمَاشُهَا لَا يَزَالُ يَحْمِلُ أَثَرَ الْمِلْحِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Layla selected twelve photographs for the holiday album and wrote “A perfect week” on the cover. In the first picture the sea looked clear and the red umbrella was open. In the last, her brother raised his cup against the sunset. She had arranged the time between them so that colours followed one another without a dull view interrupting them. She had changed nothing in the photographs themselves.
Her sister asked about the café picture taken after they missed the bus. Layla said the cups in it were unclear. Her sister reminded her of the rain that kept them there for two hours, and their mother laughing when water dripped from the umbrella into her bag. The laughter did not compensate for the postponed outing, but it was part of that morning. Her sister wanted that laugh to remain alongside the dull cups.
Her sister suggested deleting “perfect.” Layla objected: “Must we preserve every wait to be honest?” Their mother said she wanted the sea picture: she had been happy in that hour, and the rain afterward had not erased it. Then she asked for a copy of the café picture too. Her request was simpler than the discussion, but it did not settle the cover title.
Layla removed an arranged group photograph and added the picture of the cups, leaving the total at twelve. Under the sea she wrote, “The loveliest hour in a day that did not go as we planned.” The picture needed no artificial clouds to become more truthful. Under the cups her sister wrote the time of the bus they missed, then their mother added a sentence about the wet bag.
When their brother saw the page, he asked for the removed group photograph to put in his room. Layla sent it without saying his choice was wrong. On the cover she erased one word and wrote “A week by the sea.” After the page was printed, her sister asked where the red umbrella had gone. Layla searched for it in the cupboard; its fabric still carried traces of salt.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| لِأُلْبُومِ | for the album of |
| الْغِلَافِ | the cover |
| تَتَعَاقَبُ | follow one another |
| بَاهِتٌ | dull; lacking vivid colour |
| فَوَاتِ | missing; the passing of |
| تَعْوِيضًا | compensation |
| لِيَضَعَهَا | to put it |
| مُصْطَنَعٍ | artificial |
| الْمَبْلُولَةِ | wet |
| أَثَرَ | traces of |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Follow the changing perspectives and distinguish what the text shows from what its characters assume.
What to remember
- A photograph can preserve a genuine happy moment without representing the whole holiday.
- The revised captions make room for different memories; the brother’s separate choice remains meaningful.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ جُزْءًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الصَّبَاحِ
Follow lakinnahu qualifying the laughter without cancelling its place in the morning.
Plural Arabic Relatives: Alladhina and Allati for People
الْأَكْوَابِ الَّتِي بَدَتْ بَاهِتَةً
Use singular allati to connect the nonhuman plural cups to their description.
