by Sylvia Olsen
“M—” For a split second, when the announcer’s lips formed the letter M, Molly’s heart stopped. “Melanie Yang.”
The beautiful tap dancer stepped behind Molly and said, “Excuse me.”
Molly moved aside to let Melanie past. Her heart sank. She had let herself imagine being in the top five.
“Are you ready, Valley people?” the announcer asked. He stood back and let the sound of the drums fill the hall.
The audience was on its feet. The announcer took the mic and tried to drown out their screaming. The remaining contestants had huddled so close together that Molly could hardly move.
“Quiet now. Get ready for the moment you all have been waiting for,” the announcer shouted. He waited until the crowd had calmed somewhat.
“The winner of the Central Valley Youth Talent Competition iiiiiisssssssss Mmmmmolly Jacobs!”
Molly didn’t know how she got to the stage. Later, Veronica said that she and Paige had pushed her toward the stage and then the line of performers picked her up and carried her up the stairs. Molly found her feet and walked to the announcer, who high-fived her so hard that she almost fell over. He draped a blue sash over her head and handed her a large envelope with a gold rosette on the front.
The soundman played a track of Molly singing. It was Billie Holiday. It was Mom. It was Molly, and it was wonderful.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Maddy, my lovely granddaughter. You are truly an inspiration. Orca Book Publishers, as usual, trusted in me and supported me, even though the first pass at this story needed a lot of work. Thank you also to Christi Howes, who provided the much-needed editing.
Sylvia Olsen is a writer, storyteller and public speaker living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. She is the author of several picture books and a number of first readers and novels for young adults, including Murphy and Mousetrap and A Different Game. She has also written one nonfiction book for adults. For more information, visit www.sylviaolsen.ca.