Statue Talks Back: A Ljubljana Tale

In this episode, we'll discover the enchanting encounter between Ana and a human 'statue' that sparks an unexpected bond and transforms the streets of Ljubljana into a stage of life, laughter, and art.

Sl: Nekoč sredi živahnega trga v Ljubljani, na slovitem Prešernovem trgu, je mlada deklica Ana stopila iz reke ljudi, da bi občudovala umetniško dušo mesta.
En: Once in the middle of the lively square in Ljubljana, on the famous Prešeren Square, a young girl named Ana stepped out of the crowd to admire the artistic soul of the city.

Sl: Na svojem obrazu je nosila veselo nasmeh, saj je sonce zlatilo palače in ulice s svojimi topimi žarki.
En: She had a cheerful smile on her face as the sun gilded the palaces and streets with its warm rays.

Sl: Ana je bila navdušena nad uličnimi predstavami, ki so mestu vdahnile pravljični značaj.
En: Ana was thrilled by the street performances that gave the city a fairy-tale character.

Sl: Med sprehodom je nenadoma opazila postavo, ki je stala nepremično kot kip.
En: While walking, she suddenly noticed a figure standing motionless like a statue.

Sl: Oblečena v srebrno barvo in z zamrznjenim nasmehom na ustnicah, je figura izstopala med množico.
En: Dressed in silver and with a frozen smile on its lips, the figure stood out among the crowd.

Sl: Presenečena in radovedna je Ana pristopila.
En: Surprised and curious, Ana approached.

Sl: Napetost je zrasla, ko je čakala, da kip oživi, a nič se ni zgodilo.
En: The tension grew as she waited for the statue to come to life, but nothing happened.

Sl: "Zdravo, kip," je previdno rekla Ana. "Ne vem, ali lahko govoriš, ampak všeč mi je tvoja predstava. Zelo si pogumen, da tako mirno stojiš sredi tega vrveža."
En: "Hello, statue," Ana cautiously said. "I don't know if you can speak, but I like your performance. You're very brave to stand so peacefully in the middle of this hustle and bustle."

Sl: Figura ni odgovorila.
En: The figure didn't respond.

Sl: Matej, ki je v resnici bil talentiran umetnik uličnega gledališča, je z vso samodisciplino vztrajal v svoji vlogi.
En: Matej, who was actually a talented street theater artist, remained in character with all his discipline.

Sl: Ana ni izgubila poguma in nadaljevala svoj monolog. Pripovedovala mu je o svojem dnevu, svojih malenkostih in sanjah.
En: Ana didn't lose her courage and continued her monologue, telling him about her day, her trivialities, and dreams.

Sl: Vrhunec je nastopil, ko je Ana iz svoje torbe vzela sendvič, da bi ga podelila s kipom.
En: The climax came when Ana took out a sandwich from her bag to share it with the statue.

Sl: "Tudi kipi morajo jesti, kajne?" je rekla s smehom.
En: "Even statues need to eat, right?" she said with a laugh.

Sl: Prav v tistem trenutku je Matej prekinil svojo nepremičnost.
En: At that moment, Matej broke his immobility.

Sl: Z gibalom polnim dostojanstva in miline je odklonil ponujeno hrano.
En: With graceful and gentle movement, he declined the offered food.

Sl: Anina oči so se razširila od presenečenja, ko je ugotovila, da ni govorila s kipom, ampak z živo osebo.
En: Ana's eyes widened in surprise as she realized she hadn't been talking to a statue, but to a living person.

Sl: "Oprosti, mislila sem, da si pravi kip," je rekla z rdečico na licih.
En: "Sorry, I thought you were a real statue," she said, blushing.

Sl: Matej je s prijaznim nasmehom odvrnil: "Nič hudega, pravzaprav mi je bilo v veselje slišati tvoje zgodbe."
En: Matej replied with a gentle smile, "No problem. In fact, it was a pleasure to hear your stories."

Sl: Smejala sta se in od tistega dne naprej sta Ana in Matej postala nerazdružljiva prijatelja
En: They laughed, and from that day on, Ana and Matej became inseparable friends.

Sl: pogosto pa sta navduševala obiskovalce Prešernovega trga z novimi uličnimi predstavami, kjer je Ana postala del Matejeve umetniške inovacije, ter skupaj sta pripovedovala zgodbe, polne življenja in smeha.
En: They often delighted the visitors of Prešeren Square with new street performances, in which Ana became part of Matej's artistic innovation, and together they told stories full of life and laughter.