A winning model looks like an open pavilion in a cropped photo. A neighbour asks when she can visit.
01Read the Arabic story
الْجَائِزَةُ لِمَشْرُوعٍ لَمْ يُفْتَحْ
وَضَعَتْ لِينَا نَمُوذَجَ جَنَاحِ الْقِرَاءَةِ عَلَى طَاوِلَةِ الْمُسَابَقَةِ. كَانَ النَّمُوذَجُ صَغِيرًا، لَكِنَّ تَوْزِيعَ الْمَمَرِّ الْوَاسِعِ وَالْمَقَاعِدِ الْمُنْخَفِضَةِ ظَهَرَ بِوُضُوحٍ. أَمَّا الْغُرْفَةُ الَّتِي اخْتَارَهَا الْفَرِيقُ فِي الْحَيِّ فَظَلَّتْ مُغْلَقَةً؛ لَمْ تُثَبَّتْ رُفُوفُهَا بَعْدُ. عِنْدَمَا أَعْلَنَتِ اللَّجْنَةُ الْفَوْزَ، كَانَتْ وَرَقَةُ الْمُسَابَقَةِ تَصِفُ الْجَائِزَةَ بِأَنَّهَا لِأَفْضَلِ تَصْمِيمٍ مُقْتَرَحٍ. وَوُضِعَتِ الْجَائِزَةُ بِجَانِبِ النَّمُوذَجِ لِلتَّصْوِيرِ.
نَشَرَ زَمِيلُهَا صُورَةً لِلنَّمُوذَجِ، وَكَتَبَ: «جَنَاحُنَا يُرَحِّبُ بِجَمِيعِ الْقُرَّاءِ». اِقْتَطَعَ الصُّورَةَ حَتَّى اخْتَفَتْ حَافَّةُ الطَّاوِلَةِ، فَبَدَا السَّقْفُ الصَّغِيرُ سَقْفًا حَقِيقِيًّا. أُعْجِبَتْ لِينَا بِالْمَنْشُورِ وَشَارَكَتْهُ؛ فَقَدْ وَجَدَتْ فِيهِ أَخِيرًا مَا يُظْهِرُ جُهْدَ الْفَرِيقِ. وَلَمْ تَسْأَلْ أَيَّ مَكَانٍ سَيَتَخَيَّلُهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرَ النَّمُوذَجَ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْمَنْشُورِ مَوْعِدٌ مُحَدَّدٌ لِلزِّيَارَةِ.
فِي الْمَسَاءِ سَأَلَتْهَا جَارَةٌ عَنْ سَاعَةِ الْفَتْحِ. أَجَابَتْ بِحَدِيثٍ عَنِ الْجَائِزَةِ، فَكَرَّرَتِ الْجَارَةُ سُؤَالَهَا. عِنْدَئِذٍ تَوَقَّفَتْ أَصَابِعُهَا فَوْقَ الْهَاتِفِ قَبْلَ الْجَوَابِ، ثُمَّ كَتَبَتْ لِينَا أَنَّ الْمَكَانَ لَمْ يُفْتَحْ قَطُّ. عَادَتْ إِلَى تَعْلِيقِ أَحَدِ الْحُكَّامِ: «تَوْزِيعٌ جَيِّدٌ لِمَسَاحَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ». كَانَ يَصِفُ حَلًّا مَرْسُومًا، لَا خِدْمَةً يَسْتَطِيعُ الْجِيرَانُ اسْتِعْمَالَهَا الْآنَ.
اِقْتَرَحَتْ تَغْيِيرَ الْعِبَارَةِ إِلَى: «تَصْمِيمُنَا الْفَائِزُ لِجَنَاحٍ لَمْ يَفْتَحْ أَبْوَابَهُ بَعْدُ». قَالَ زَمِيلُهَا إِنَّ ذَلِكَ سَيُظْهِرُهُمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَخْفَقُوا. فَأَبْقَتْ صُورَةَ الْجَائِزَةِ، وَأَضَافَتْ صُورَةَ الْغُرْفَةِ الْخَالِيَةِ. وَسَأَلَتْهُ عَمَّا تَقُولُهُ الصُّورَتَانِ مَعًا. لَيْسَ التَّصْمِيمُ فَاشِلًا، وَلَكِنَّ الْبَابَ مُغْلَقٌ. كَانَ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ تَكْتُبَ هَذِهِ الْجُمْلَةَ بَعْدَ أَنْ سَاعَدَتْ فِي تَغْيِيبِهَا.
فِي الصَّبَاحِ حَمَلَتْ مِسْطَرَةً إِلَى الْغُرْفَةِ وَفَتَحَتْهَا لِلْفَرِيقِ، لَا لِلْقُرَّاءِ. وَضَعُوا قِطَعَ خَشَبٍ مَكَانَ الرُّفُوفِ الْمُقْتَرَحَةِ. سَأَلَتْ: «هَلْ يَبْقَى الْمَمَرُّ وَاسِعًا بَعْدَ تَثْبِيتِهَا؟» لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ طَعْنًا فِي الْحُكْمِ، بَلْ سُؤَالًا عَنِ الْخُطْوَةِ التَّالِيَةِ. بَقِيَتِ الْجَائِزَةُ فِي الْمَكْتَبِ، وَبَقِيَ سُؤَالُ الْجَارَةِ عَلَى لَوْحَةِ الْعَمَلِ بِلَا مَوْعِدٍ مَكْتُوبٍ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Lina placed her model of the reading pavilion on the competition table. The model was small, but the layout of its wide passage and low seats was clearly visible. The room the team had chosen in the neighbourhood remained closed; its shelves had not yet been installed. When the committee announced the winner, the competition sheet described the prize as being for the best proposed design. The prize was placed beside the model for photographs.
Her colleague posted a picture of the model and wrote, “Our pavilion welcomes all readers.” He cropped the picture until the edge of the table disappeared, making the little roof look like a real one. Lina liked the post and shared it: at last, she found something that showed the team’s effort. She did not ask what place someone who had not seen the model on the table would imagine. The post gave no specific visiting time.
That evening, a neighbour asked her about opening time. She answered by talking about the prize, so the neighbour repeated her question. Lina’s fingers paused over her phone before she replied; then she wrote that the place had never opened. She returned to one judge’s comment: “A good layout for a small space.” He was describing a solution on a drawing, rather than a service the neighbours could use now.
She suggested changing the wording to “Our winning design for a pavilion that has not opened its doors yet.” Her colleague said that would make them look as though they had failed. She kept the prize picture and added a picture of the empty room. She asked him what the two pictures said together. The design was not a failure, but the door was closed. She needed to write that sentence after helping to leave it out.
In the morning, she took a ruler to the room and opened it for the team, rather than for readers. They placed pieces of wood where the proposed shelves would go. She asked, “Will the passage remain wide after they are installed?” This was no challenge to the judging, but a question about the next step. The prize remained in the office, and the neighbour’s question remained on the work board without a date written beside it.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| نَمُوذَجَ | model; scale representation |
| الْمَمَرِّ | the passage |
| وَالْمَقَاعِدِ الْمُنْخَفِضَةِ | and the low seats |
| تَصْمِيمٍ مُقْتَرَحٍ | a proposed design |
| اِقْتَطَعَ | he cropped; cut down |
| الْمَنْشُورِ | the post |
| تَوْزِيعٌ | layout; arrangement |
| تَغْيِيبِهَا | concealing it; leaving it out |
| مِسْطَرَةً | a ruler |
| طَعْنًا فِي الْحُكْمِ | a challenge to the judging |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Track voices, omissions and competing accounts. Choose the reading best supported by the Arabic text.
What to remember
- Recognition for a proposal does not establish that its promised service is available.
- Cropping and omission shape what a truthful award announcement appears to claim.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَ النَّمُوذَجُ صَغِيرًا
See how kana keeps the noun nominative and makes its past-state adjective accusative.
Laysa in Arabic: Is Not and Is Not Here
لَيْسَ التَّصْمِيمُ فَاشِلًا
Review laysa with a nominative noun and accusative adjective denying a present description.
