Stage Fright

I’m done! ” It was Wednesday night, and Lily had just finished typing her report on icebergs. For a moment she was relieved. But then her heart sank. On Friday she would have to stand in front of her class and present the report. She hated speaking in public. What if she made a fool of herself? On Thursday Lily was talking with her friends.

“ The Green Guys are coming to our school tomorrow, ” Sandeep said. The Green Guys were a theater group. They acted, played music, and performed magic tricks. ” That will be fun, ” Lily said. Then her stomach did a flip. Tomorrow was Friday— she had to present her iceberg report to the class.

” I’ll be so nervous that I won’t be able to enjoy the Green Guys at all, ” she thought. That night Lily practiced reading her report. She hated the sound of her voice, and at one point, she said “ icebug” instead of “ iceberg. ” She groaned. “ I’m going to make so many mistakes. Everyone is going to laugh at me. ”

Lily watched some public speaking tutorials online. They all said basically the same thing: be prepared, be relaxed, and be confident. In the morning Lily’s stomach was in knots. ” Maybe the school bus will get a flat tire, ” she thought. “ Then I won’t have to go to school. ”

An hour later Lily was in the school auditorium. Everyone laughed as the Green Guys did a silly dance. Even Lily was enjoying the show. One Green Guy walked into the crowd of students. He needed a volunteer. All around Lily, kids raised their hands and shouted. " I’ll volunteer! ”

" Pick me! ” Lily sank as low as she could, trying to be invisible. She gulped when the Green Guy looked directly at her and waved her over. Lily wanted to escape. But everyone was staring at her. Reluctantly she followed the Green Guy up onto the stage.