Fluent Fiction - Afrikaans: Redemption in the Flames: Francois' Heroic Rescue
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/redemption-in-the-flames-francois-heroic-rescue

Story Transcript:

Af: Die koue winterwind suis deur die stil woonbuurt.
En: The cold winter wind whispers through the quiet neighborhood.

Af: Francois stap stadig straat af, sy gedagtes swaar.
En: Francois walks slowly down the street, his thoughts heavy.

Af: Hy dink aan sy verlies, die skuldgevoel wat hom pla.
En: He thinks about his loss, the guilt that haunts him.

Af: Skielik breek 'n harde geluid deur sy gedagtes.
En: Suddenly, a loud noise breaks through his thoughts.

Af: Sirenes. Hy kyk op en sien rook opstyg uit 'n huis naby.
En: Sirens. He looks up and sees smoke rising from a nearby house.

Af: Francois voel sy hart klop vinniger.
En: Francois feels his heart beat faster.

Af: Hy haat dit om magteloos te voel.
En: He hates feeling powerless.

Af: Vandag kan hy iets doen.
En: Today, he can do something.

Af: Hy hardloop na die huis.
En: He runs toward the house.

Af: Die rook is dik en die vlamme slaan uit die vensters.
En: The smoke is thick, and flames leap from the windows.

Af: Hy hoor mense skree binne.
En: He hears people screaming inside.

Af: Francois bly staan by die voordeur.
En: Francois hesitates at the front door.

Af: Hy voel bang.
En: He feels afraid.

Af: Wat as hy weer iemand in die steek laat?
En: What if he lets someone down again?

Af: Maar die gedagtes van hulpeloosheid ry hom vorentoe.
En: But the thoughts of helplessness drive him forward.

Af: Hy kan nie weer faal nie.
En: He can't fail again.

Af: Hy trek sy trui oor sy mond en snak na asem.
En: He pulls his sweater over his mouth and gasps for air.

Af: Binne is alles chaos.
En: Inside, everything is chaos.

Af: Die rook verbloem alles.
En: The smoke obscures everything.

Af: Hy skree om homself oor die geraas te hoor, "Is iemand hier?".
En: He shouts to hear himself over the noise, "Is anyone here?"

Af: Hy hoor 'n flou gehuil van 'n kind.
En: He hears a faint cry of a child.

Af: Sy hart ruk.
En: His heart wrenches.

Af: Hy beweeg versigtig deur die huis, voel voel met sy hande oor meubels en mure.
En: He moves carefully through the house, feeling his way over furniture and walls with his hands.

Af: Die vlamme kom nader en die hitte slaan hom amper dood.
En: The flames are getting closer, and the heat is almost unbearable.

Af: Uiteindelik vind hy die kamer waarvandaan die gehuil kom.
En: Finally, he finds the room where the crying is coming from.

Af: 'n Kind sit in die hoek, huilend en angstig.
En: A child sits in the corner, crying and anxious.

Af: Met die laaste krag wat hy het, tel Francois die kind op.
En: With the last bit of strength he has, Francois picks up the child.

Af: Die rook maak dit moeilik om asem te haal, maar hy druk voort.
En: The smoke makes it hard to breathe, but he pushes on.

Af: Hy beweeg so vinnig moontlik deur die rook en hitte, na die voordeur toe.
En: He moves as quickly as possible through the smoke and heat, towards the front door.

Af: Francois breek deur die deur net toe die dak begin ineenstort.
En: Francois bursts through the door just as the roof starts to collapse.

Af: Hy val hard op die koue grond buite, die kind stewig in sy arms.
En: He falls hard on the cold ground outside, the child tightly in his arms.

Af: Die brandweer het opgedaag en hardloop na hom toe.
En: The firefighters have arrived and run towards him.

Af: Hulle neem die kind van hom af en begin hom te ondersoek.
En: They take the child from him and begin to examine them.

Af: Francois lê op die grond, uitgeput, met roet gesmeer oor sy gesig.
En: Francois lies on the ground, exhausted, smeared with soot across his face.

Af: Hy het dit gedoen. Hy het iemand gered.
En: He did it. He saved someone.

Af: Trane wel op in sy oë, nie van die rook nie, maar van verligting.
En: Tears well up in his eyes, not from the smoke, but from relief.

Af: Die gevoelens van magteloosheid en skuld begin verdwyn.
En: The feelings of helplessness and guilt begin to disappear.

Af: Hy het bewys hy kan 'n verskil maak, dat hy nie heeltemal nutteloos is nie.
En: He proved he could make a difference, that he isn't completely useless.

Af: Die brandweerman kom na hom toe en knik goedkeurend.
En: The firefighter comes over to him and nods approvingly.

Af: Francois staan op, sy liggaam seer maar sy hart ligter.
En: Francois stands up, his body sore but his heart lighter.

Af: Voor die huis, met die brandende puin agter hom, herken hy 'n nuwe gevoel—hoop.
En: In front of the house, with the burning wreckage behind him, he recognizes a new feeling—hope.


Vocabulary Words:

• whispers: suis
• quiet: stil
• neighborhood: woonbuurt
• thoughts: gedagtes
• guilt: skuldgevoel
• haunts: pla
• noise: geluid
• sirens: sirenes
• smoke: rook
• rising: opstyg
• powerless: magteloos
• hesitates: bly staan
• afraid: bang
• fail: faal
• gasps: snak
• chaos: chaos
• obscures: verbloem
• child: kind
• wrenches: ruk
• unbearable: amper onhoudbaar
• flames: vlamme
• crying: huilend
• anxious: angstig
• strength: krag
• exhausted: uitgeput
• soot: roet
• relief: verligting
• wreckage: puin
• hope: hoop
• helplessness: hulpeloosheid