Anna sat quietly in a corner at the back of the auditorium. She was glad that nobody could see her, or so she thought.
The auditorium was crowded as everyone was looking forward to the time when the young people that had been selected for the singing competition would start taking to the stage for their presentations.
Backstage, there was a lot of excitement among the contestants. Each one believes he/she will be the one to go with the trophy. They knew what prizes they would go home with if they emerged as the best.
Mr. Jeremy came back to his dressing room. He felt so disappointed that he couldn't find the face he was looking for. The face that belonged to that lovely, sonorous voice he had heard singing alone in the dark when he took lone walks in the night.
The first time he heard that voice, he couldn't believe that it was a human singing, for it sounded so angelic, something out of this world. And then he saw the face... what on earth could make this young girl come out here in the dark to release such beautiful sounds?
The next day, Jeremy had tried to make enquiries about the girl, describing what she looked like. People could match the face to Anna, but not the voice.
This is because Anna hardly joins in any activity going on in the neighbourhood for fear of being bullied or mocked, which happens most of the time. Even when asked questions, she stammers before she would be able to get out a word.
The reason Mr Jeremy decided to organise the competition was because he wanted to bring Anna to the limelight. For several years, he had helped several young people to actualize their dreams of being on the world's largest stage. You could say he was a talents hunter, but now he wanted to retire because of ill-health. This was the reason he came to live in Anna's community in the first place.
"We've found her, Sir!", one of Jeremy's assistants rushed in to inform him with excitement, bringing him back to the present moment.
"That's great!", replied Jeremy. "Be careful not to scare her away. I will find a way to bring her to the stage before we close for the day."
Anna sat in her little corner watching as each contestant came up to the stage to present their songs. How she wished she could be there as well to participate! Almost immediately, she scolded herself for her wishful think. How on earth could she stand the jeers and taunts she would receive from those bullies? She sighed softly, only to realise that something seemed to be wrong.
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The lights where beaming on her where she was, and her name was being called to come up to the stage! But Anna couldn't move, she sat glued to her seat as if she was carved out of stone. And then the jeers, laughter and taunts began, with Anna wishing the ground would open and hide her.
Instead, a hand reached out and held her own. She looked up to find the kindest eyes looking at her. It was Mr. Jeremy, who was gently pulling her up to her feet, leading her to the stage.
When they got to the stage, Mr. Jeremy whispered to Anna, "I know exactly how you are feeling right now. But this is your chance to silence your mockers forever. Close your eyes and pretend they are not here. In your mind go back to that place where you always sing alone in the dark. Follow your heart and don't worry about the rest."
Anna closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. In a moment she found herself back under the tree where she normally does her secret solo singing in the night. By the time she opened her mouth, the crowd in the auditorium could not believe their ears!
Is this the same girl they had underrated for such a long time? Could this be the same mediocre girl who couldn't utter a word without stammering? How could she be the one making the best presentation for the night. Who would have thought...
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Anna had stopped singing. There was a moment silence, and then a deafening and thunderous applause erupted from the audience! It was a standing ovation! Anna opened her eyes to see Mr. Jeremy holding out a beautiful trophy towards her.
While she was still trying to think about it, she saw someone approaching with a bouquet of flowers. It was her grandmother! The only person who never bullied or scolded her.
It was clear to everyone that Anna was not the third rated singer they had believed she was.
Thank you for reading. I @ngwinndave wrote this post. The images used are free-to-use images from pixabay, and have been properly sourced.
I wrote this post in response to the prompt in this post here.
Thank you once again.