فِي قَرْيَةِ جَنُوسَانَ، فِي الْبَحْرَيْنِ، مَقْهًى خَاصٌّ بِأَلْعَابِ الطَّاوِلَةِ. وَالْبَحْرَيْنُ بَلَدٌ صَغِيرٌ فِي الْخَلِيجِ. الْمَكَانُ جَمِيلٌ وَمُرِيحٌ، وَتَشْعُرُ فِيهِ كَأَنَّكَ فِي بَيْتِكَ. وَفِيهِ قَهْوَةٌ وَحَلَوِيَّاتٌ. وَعَلَى رُفُوفِهِ أَلْعَابٌ كَثِيرَةٌ. بَعْضُ النَّاسِ يُحِبُّونَ الْأَلْعَابَ الصَّعْبَةَ، وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَفُوزُوا دَائِمًا. وَبَعْضُهُمْ يُفَضِّلُونَ أَلْعَابَ الْوَرَقِ الْهَادِئَةَ. وَهُنَاكَ أَلْعَابٌ لِشَخْصَيْنِ، وَأَلْعَابٌ لِمَجْمُوعَاتٍ كَبِيرَةٍ. فَتَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَخْتَارَ لُعْبَةً سَهْلَةً أَوْ صَعْبَةً. مَثَلًا، تَدْعُو أَصْدِقَاءَكَ إِلَى الْمَقْهَى. تَجْلِسُونَ حَوْلَ طَاوِلَةٍ، وَتَطْلُبُونَ الْقَهْوَةَ. وَتَسْأَلُونَ: هَلْ نُفَضِّلُ لُعْبَةً سَرِيعَةً أَمْ طَوِيلَةً؟ ثُمَّ تَخْتَارُونَ لُعْبَةً مِنْ أَلْعَابٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، مِثْلِ لُعْبَةِ «جِنْغَا». وَبَعْدَ أَنْ تَخْتَارُوا «جِنْغَا»، تَبْنُونَ بُرْجًا مِنْ قِطَعِ خَشَبٍ صَغِيرَةٍ. ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُ كُلُّ لَاعِبٍ قِطْعَةً مِنَ الْبُرْجِ، وَيَضَعُهَا فَوْقَهُ. وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْبُرْجُ، يَخْسَرُ اللَّاعِبُ الَّذِي أَوْقَعَهُ، وَيَضْحَكُ الْجَمِيعُ! وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، تَلْعَبُونَ لُعْبَةً أُخْرَى. فَالْأَلْعَابُ تَجْمَعُ الْأَصْدِقَاءَ، بَعِيدًا عَنِ الْهَوَاتِفِ. وَيُنَظِّمُ الْمَقْهَى أَيْضًا نَوَادِيَ لِلْكُتُبِ، وَلَيَالِيَ لِلرَّسْمِ وَلِلْأَفْلَامِ. وَإِذَا كُنْتَ وَحْدَكَ، تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ كِتَابًا، وَتَجْلِسَ بِهُدُوءٍ. فِي سَنَةِ ٢٠٢١، كَانَ الْمَقْهَى يَفْتَحُ مِنَ الرَّابِعَةِ عَصْرًا إِلَى الْعَاشِرَةِ لَيْلًا. وَهُوَ مَكَانٌ مُنَاسِبٌ لِسَهْرَةٍ هَادِئَةٍ مَعَ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ.
In the village of Jannusan, in Bahrain, there is a café just for board games. Bahrain is a small country in the Gulf. The place is nice and comfortable, and you feel as if you are at home. It has coffee and desserts. There are many games on its shelves. Some people love hard games, and always want to win. Others prefer quiet card games. There are games for two people, and games for big groups. So you can choose an easy game or a hard one. For example, you invite your friends to the café. You sit round a table, and order coffee. And you ask: do we prefer a quick game or a long one? Then you choose a game from many games, such as Jenga. After you choose Jenga, you build a tower of small pieces of wood. Then each player takes a piece from the tower and puts it on top. If the tower falls, the player who knocked it over loses, and everyone laughs! After that, you play another game. Games bring friends together, away from phones. The café also runs book clubs, and drawing and film nights.