El
bahth an
Lorna
|
The search for Lorna
|
Kanet
Daisy Hamilton mohaqqiqaten khassah
|
Daisy
Hamilton was a private detective.
|
Kanet
tablogho min el omri thalatheena amen wa saret mohaqqiqaten montho el
amayni el akheerayni.
|
She was thirty years old and had been a detective
for the past two years.
|
Kanet
tathhabo ila maktabiha kolla sabah min ajli el mokalamat el hatifiya aw li
taftaha el bab lizzaba-in el mohtajeena ila khadamatiha.
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Every morning she went to her office to wait for
phone calls or open the door to clients needing her services.
|
Lem
takon Daisy mashhooraten bad wa lakin kanet en-nas tattassilo biha
hatifiyyen min khilali el ilanat el-lati wadha-atha ala el jareedah el
mahalliyyah.
|
Daisy wasn't very well known yet but occasionally
people telephoned her from the advertisement she had put in the local
newspaper.
|
Wa
thata sabah hawali es-sa-a el hadiya ashrah taraqa shakhson bab
maktabiha.
|
One morning at about eleven o'clock someone
knocked on her office door.
|
Kanet
sayyidaton sameenah tartadi farwen hawla onoqiha.
|
It was a fat lady who wore a fur around her neck.
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"ahlen, hel astati-o mossa-adatiki? Sa-alet Daisy
es-sayyidah."min fadhlik ta-ali wajlissi."
|
"Hello,
can I help you?" Daisy asked the lady. "Please come and sit
down."
|
"oh na-am haqqen! Inni bi amassi el hajah ila
mossa-adatiki.
|
"Oh
yes indeed! I need your help desperately.
|
Lorna, sagheerati qad ikhtafat.la arifo matha asna."
|
Lorna, my little one has disappeared. I don't know
what to do."
|
Nawalet
Daisy es-sayyidah es-sameenah finjana qahwatin jahizah wa rahet tantadhiro
et-tafasseel.
|
Daisy offered the fat lady a cup of instant coffee
and awaited the details.
|
Jalasset
es-sayyidah es-sameenah bithiqlin wa wadha-at haqeebataha el jildiyah el
kabeerah that el-lawni el ahmar ala maktabi Daisy.
|
The fat lady sat down heavily and put her large
red leather handbag on Daisy's desk.
|
"min
fadhlik qooli li kolla shay-sayyidah…?"
|
"Please
tell me everything - Mrs. ...?"
|
"sayyidah.
Edwina Humphries howa ismi.akhsha en yatlobo minni noqooden-ana kha-ifah
en takoona Lorna qad ikhtotifet!"
|
"Mrs.
Edwina Humphries is my name. I am afraid they will ask me for money - I'm
afraid Lorna has been kidnapped!"
|
Thalika
shay fadhi, sayyidah Humphries.hel es-sayyed Humphries yataqido aydhen
anna Lorna qad ikhtotifet?"
|
"That's
terrible, Mrs. Humphries. Does Mr. Humphries, too, think Lorna has been
kidnapped?"
|
"zawji
la yahtem itha kanet Lorna qad ikhtotifet em la!"
|
"My
husband is not interested if Lorna has been kidnapped or not!"
|
Haqqen
sayyidah Humphries? wa lakin hel zawjoki howa el walid el haqqeeqi li
Lorna?"
|
"Really,
Mrs. Humphries? But is your husband Lorna's real father?"
|
Fa
raddet es-sayyidah Humphries:"la arif matha taqsideen.laqad
ishtarayna Lorna ma-an."
|
"I
don't know what you mean. We bought Lorna together," replied Mrs.
Humphries.
|
"ishtaraytoma…sayyidah
Humphries,thalika ghayr qanooni,kama tarfeen."
|
"You
bought ............Mrs. Humphries, that's illegal, you know."
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"kalla,laysa
kathalik,laysa fi el hind!"
|
"No
it isn't, not in India!"
|
"ishtaraytoma
Lorna min el hind?"
|
"You
bought Lorna in India?"
|
Na-am
filen! Wa torafiqoni da-imen."
|
Yes indeed! And she always keeps me great company,
you know."
|
"fatahet
es-sayyidah Humphries haqeebataha el jildiyah el kabeerah li ikhraji
mendeel.
|
"Mrs.
Humphries opened her huge leather bag to pull out a handkerchief.
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Wa
fi rob ra-at Daisy makhlooqen yatalawwa wahwa yakhrojo min el haqeebah.
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With horror Daisy saw a wiggling creature come out
of that bag.
|
Fa
sarakhet Daisy:" sayyidah Humphries-ab-idi thalika fawren!"
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"Mrs.
Humphries - move that away immediately!" screamed Daisy.
|
"matha?
Oh Lorna-wajedtoki akheeren!"qalet es-sayyidah Humphries."laqad
ikhtafayti dakhila haqeebati-anti ayyatoha el bint esh-shereerah!"
|
"What?
Oh Lorna - I've found you at last!" said Mrs. Humphries."You hid
in my bag - you naughty girl!"
|
"sayyidah
Humphries.hathihi Lorna?"
|
"Mrs.
Humphries. This is Lorna?"
|
Na-am
hayyatona el banghaliyah.oh shokren ya azeezati.la.la ataqido annani bi
hajatin ila khadamatikia bada
el ann.!"
|
Yes, our Bengali swamp snake. Oh thank you my
dear. No, I don't think I need your services any longer!"
|
Wa
inda ighlaqiha el bab khalfa es-sayyidah Humphries, a-addet fi thihniha
tanbeehen li taktobaho fi el-ilan"mamnoo el hayawanat, mamnoo
eth-tha-abeen.
|
As Daisy shut the door after Mrs. Humphries, she
made a mental note to write in the advertisement: no animals, no snakes.
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