Stage Fright

Yamini Vijayan

She sings in the bathroom.
And on the roof.
She sings to the hills.
And to the moon.
Champa loves singing more than anything else in the whole wide world.

She sings like a lion.
And like a bee.
She sings through rain.
And through heat.
When Champa sings, she is filled with the most marvellous feeling in the world.

One day, when Champa sings, Basant’s eyes light up.
“I have an amazing idea!” he says.

Basant is Champa’s best friend
and he is always bursting with ideas.
Some are terrific. And some are terrible.

“You should sing on Annual Day!”
says Basant.
“What a terrible idea!” says Champa.
“Why not! You love to sing.”
Champa hasn’t told Basant about the only time she got
on stage and nearly fainted
with fear.

“I...I can’t sing in front of so many people.
I don’t even sing in front of Ma and Pa!”
“You do sing around me!
All you need is a little
practice, Champa.”

“Should I?”
“YES! YES! YES!”
“What if Mahi and Paras laugh at me?”
“If they do, it just makes them silly and mean.
You’re an amazing singer.”

The very thought of singing in front of a crowd fills her stomach with butterflies. Champa is excited and terrified at the
same time.
But she loves singing so much!
She decides to give it a try.

.
Champa practises long and hard.
She rolls out of bed with a soft hum.

She sings while multiplying
and dividing.

She makes her voice go
up and down and down and up
while taking the goats out to graze.

She sings through her mouth.
She sings through her nose.
She even sings upside down!

Everyone at home is excited about Champa’s big day.
They give her advice.
“Throw a broken plate at the door and eat 12 grapes. For luck!”
“Give the audience your widest smile.
Just be yourself.”
“Take looooong and deep breaths before you sing.”

The day before her performance, Champa holds a special rehearsal.
It is a roaring success!

Finally, it’s Annual Day.
Champa is wearing the sweater
that her grandfather knit
specially for the show.

When it’s her turn to sing,
her tongue feels rubbery.
The stage is too big!
The lights are too bright!
There are too many people in the audience!
Champa’s throat tightens
and her hands are clammy.

She remembers to smile
at the audience.
When she begins to sing,
out comes a whisper. It is
as if someone has swallowed
her voice!

Champa takes a long and deep breath and tries again...

...and out comes a SQUEAK!
There is a loud gasp from the audience.
Champa’s heart pounds loudly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Her head starts to spin.

That’s when she sees Basant,
waving wildly at her.
She is so glad to see him.
So she tries again.

At first, the song comes softly.
Although her voice is shaky,
it sounds somewhat right.
Then slowly, the music flows out of her,
smooth and strong and melodic.
It does not matter
that the stage is too big.
Or that the lights are too bright.
Or even that the audience
has a LOT of people.

Champa lets her voice go wild and free.
And as she does, she is filled with the most marvellous feeling in the world.