From Leaves to Hope: Matej's Journey of Belonging

Fluent Fiction - Slovenian : From Leaves to Hope: Matej's Journey of Belonging Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more: fluentfiction.com/sl/episode/2025-10-02-07-38-20-sl Story Transcript: Sl: Matej je sedel v svoji sobi. En: Matej was sitting in his room. Sl: Zunaj so listi počasi padali na vrt. En: Outside, the leaves were slowly falling onto the garden. Sl: Jesen je ovijala dom za otroke v Ljubljani z mehkimi oranžnimi in rjavimi barvami. En: Autumn was wrapping the children's home in Ljubljana in soft orange and brown colors. Sl: Matej je gledal skozi okno. En: Matej watched through the window. Sl: Videl je starejše otroke, ki so v vrtu delali kup listja, smejali so se in skakali po njem. En: He saw older kids making a pile of leaves in the garden, laughing and jumping on it. Sl: A Matej se ni pridružil. En: But Matej didn't join them. Sl: Danes je bil poseben dan. En: Today was a special day. Sl: Prišli bodo potencialni posvojitelji. En: Potential adopters would be coming. Sl: V domu je zavelo po sveže pečenem kruhu. En: The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the home. Sl: Matej je vdihnil vonj, ki ga je pomiril. En: Matej breathed in the scent, which calmed him. Sl: Potem je vzel svojo mapo z risbami in se odpravil v skupni prostor, kjer so čakali Tanja in Irena. En: Then he took his folder with drawings and headed to the common room, where Tanja and Irena were waiting. Sl: Bile so nove obraze zanje in zanj. En: There were new faces for them and for him. Sl: "Zdravo," je rekla Tanja z nasmehom. En: "Hello," said Tanja with a smile. Sl: Sedela je poleg Irene. En: She was sitting next to Irena. Sl: Njune oči so toplo sijale. En: Their eyes shone warmly. Sl: Matej je pokimal. En: Matej nodded. Sl: Njegovo srce je bilo težko. En: His heart was heavy. Sl: "Zdravo," je tiho odgovoril. En: "Hello," he replied quietly. Sl: Sedli so za mizo. En: They sat at the table. Sl: Pogovarjali so se o šoli, Matejevem življenju v domu in njegovih hobijih. En: They talked about school, about Matej's life in the home, and about his hobbies. Sl: Matej je sramežljivo odgovarjal. En: Matej answered shyly. Sl: Bil je tiho in premišljen, z rahlim nasmehom. En: He was quiet and thoughtful, with a slight smile. Sl: Irena je opazila mapo. En: Irena noticed the folder. Sl: "Matej, kaj je to? En: "Matej, what is this?" Sl: " je vprašala prijazno. En: she asked kindly. Sl: "Moje risbe," je rekel Matej. En: "My drawings," Matej said. Sl: Bil je okleval. En: He hesitated. Sl: Risanje je bilo njegov svet – njegov skriti prostor. En: Drawing was his world—his hidden space. Sl: "Bi jih pokazal? En: "Would you show them to us?" Sl: " je vprašala Tanja z iskrenim zanimanjem. En: asked Tanja with genuine interest. Sl: Matej je pogledal mapo in potem Tanjine oči. En: Matej looked at the folder and then into Tanja's eyes. Sl: Odločil se je, da jim pokaže eno risbo. En: He decided to show them one drawing. Sl: Bila je slika vrta pozimi z velikimi svetlimi zvezdami na nebu. En: It was a picture of the garden in winter, with big bright stars in the sky. Sl: Njegova ljubezen do detajlov in barv je oživela na papirju. En: His love for details and colors came to life on the paper. Sl: "To je čudovito! En: "This is wonderful!" Sl: " je rekla Irena. En: said Irena. Sl: "Imam enako sliko v mislih vsako zimo," je dodala Tanja. En: "I have the same picture in my mind every winter," added Tanja. Sl: Matej se je prvič nasmehnil, počutil se je malo bolj upanja polnega. En: Matej smiled for the first time, feeling a bit more hopeful. Sl: "Hvala," je rekel. En: "Thank you," he said. Sl: Tanja in Irena sta ga občudovali, kot da resnično vidita njegovo srce. En: Tanja and Irena admired him as if they truly saw his heart. Sl: "Če se boš kdaj želel naučiti še več o risanju, bomo veseli, da ti pomagamo," je rekla Irena. En: "If you ever want to learn more about drawing, we would be happy to help," said Irena. Sl: Matej je čutil, kako mu srce postaja lažje. En: Matej felt his heart growing lighter. Sl: Pogledal je svojo risbo in potem Tanjo in Ireno. En: He looked at his drawing and then at Tanja and Irena. Sl: Gradila se je zaupanje – nežna, a prisotna. En: Trust was building—gentle but present. Sl: Ko so odhajali, je Matej gledal za njimi skozi okno. En: As they were leaving, Matej watched them through the window. Sl: Listje je znova padalo, a zdaj ga je napolnil občutek, da bi lahko nekje pripadal – da bi lahko vstopil v novo družino, in kljub strahu, bil sprejet takšen, kot je. En: The leaves were falling again, but now he was filled with the feeling that he could belong somewhere—that he could join a new family, and despite the fear, be accepted as he is. Sl: V svoji sobi je ponovno odprl mapo in dodal novo risbo – dom, ki ne nosi le spominov, ampak priložnost za nov začetek. En: In his room, he opened the folder again and added a new drawing—a home that not only holds memories but also offers a chance for a new beginning. Vocabu