Stage-Fright Star and the Smile

Mina's knees wobbled as the curtain began to rise.

She held her small ukulele tight. The strings felt cool. Her palms were warm and sticky. The red curtain brushed her shoes like a whisper.

Backstage Butterflies

Two days before, Mina had been excited. She skipped into the gym. The floor shone like a big yellow lake. She practiced her song in a quiet corner. Her foot tapped. Her braid bounced.

Then came rehearsal. Lights blinked on. They hummed like bees. Mina stepped to the mic. The first note squeaked out, thin and sharp. Her throat closed. Her fingers froze.

"I can't," she blurted, and ran off the stage. Her sneakers thudded on the wood. She hid behind the bleachers. Her heart pawed at her ribs, fast and wild.

At home, Grandma came to visit. She smelled like cardamom tea. She gave Mina a long, warm hug.

"Big stage, huh?" Grandma said, patting Mina's hand.

"It's too big," Mina said into Grandma's scarf. "My note squeaked. My knees shook. I don't think I can be brave."

Grandma nodded, slow and calm. "We can make a plan," she said. "First, we breathe. In for four, out for four. Like waves."

They sat nose to nose. They breathed together. In for four. Out for four. Mina's shoulders dropped. Her chest felt softer.

"Next," Grandma said, fishing in her bag, "pick one friendly face. Just one. Sing to that face." She pinned a bright sunflower to her scarf. The petals sparkled a little.

Grandma also drew a tiny smiling face on a round sticker. "A secret buddy," she said.

Mina pressed the sticker on her ukulele, near the sound hole. The tiny smile looked up at her. It made her giggle.

One Friendly Sparkle

Talent show night arrived. The gym buzzed like a hive. Posters waved on the walls. Folding chairs scraped and bumped. The air smelled like popcorn and markers.

Backstage, Mina checked her tuning. Twang, twang. Her fingers trembled. She wiped them on her jeans.

Jay, her classmate, bounced beside her. He wore silver skates for a silly dance. "You got this, Mina," he said. He held up a fist.

Mina bumped it, but her bump was tiny.

"Remember your grandma's trick," Jay added. "Breathe in four. Out four. Find one face."

Mina nodded. She pressed her thumb on the sticker smile. The tiny face seemed to wink. Her breath steadied a little. She counted in her head. One, two, three, four. Out. One, two, three, four.

The stage manager whispered, "You're next." The whisper still sounded loud. Mina's stomach flipped like a pancake. She peeked through the curtain. The gym looked huge. There were so many heads. So many eyes.

She wanted to run again. Her toes curled in her shoes.

Then the curtain rose. The spotlight found her. It was bright and warm on her cheeks. The rest of the room turned into a soft, dark blur.

Mina blinked. She could not see every face. She could not even see the rows. The lights made little stars in her eyes.

And there-right in front-was a tiny, sunny spark. A sunflower pin glowed like a drop of gold. Grandma's scarf! Mina could not see Grandma's whole face. But the pin shone, steady and bright.

Mina breathed in for four. Out for four. Her shoulders lowered. Her grip eased.

She looked down at the sticker smile on her ukulele. "Hey, buddy," she whispered. The mic did not catch it. Only she and the sticker knew.

Her first chord wobbled, like a bike starting to roll. She almost stopped. Instead, she fixed her eyes on that sunflower. She pictured Grandma's gentle eyes behind the light. She pictured tea steam and hugs.

Strum. The next chord landed better. Strum, strum. Her fingers remembered the path. Her foot found the beat. Tap, tap, tap.

Mina began to sing. Her voice was small but true. It grew with each line. The gym seemed to breathe with her. A few people clapped along, soft and kind. Jay whooped once, then covered his mouth.

Mina smiled, a real, big smile. She sent her song right to the sunflower. The tiny sticker smiled back.

The last note hung in the light. It floated like a feather. Mina let it go. Then the sound fell into happy claps and cheers.

She bowed and almost laughed. Her legs felt light, not wobbly. Backstage, Jay high-fived her so hard it stung.

"You did it!" he said. "Star power!"

Grandma met her by the steps. She wrapped Mina in a hug that smelled like tea and the outdoors. "You found me," Grandma whispered.

"I found your pin," Mina said. "And my breath. And my sticker friend."

They walked through the buzz and shine together. The gym did not feel too big now. It felt like a place where songs could live.

The next morning, Mina pressed the tiny smile onto her notebook. She smoothed the edges with care. She slipped the sunflower pin into her backpack pocket, safe and snug.

At school, a flyer fluttered on the wall: Spelling Bee Next Week! Mina's heart gave a small jump. She touched the sticker on her notebook. She breathed in for four. Out for four. Her steps grew steady.

Jay jogged by. "You signing up?" he asked.

Mina glanced at her sticker friend. She pictured a bright, sunny pin. She felt her feet plant on the floor.

"Yeah," she said, with a grin. "One word at a time."