An Accomplishment

"Come on, you can do it!" My parents encouraged me as I broke down in tears, overcome with stress. It was the day that I had feared: the day of my storytelling competition. My family, friends, and even my teacher Mrs Lim, had come to support me. Although I had done these kinds of competitions many times before, this was different. The script I had to memorise was two pages long! Even worse, we were only allowed to memorise the script they had given, and they had only distributed it just one hour before the competition. The practice room was in chaos, with everyone fervently practising.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly memorised the lines. As time flew by, I started getting more and more anxious. My face was red and I was shaking. Looking around, it seemed like everyone was feeling the same way. Mrs Lim exclaimed, "you can do it! Try reciting it to me." I nodded my head and took a deep breath. Slowly, I recited the script, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. As I came to the end, Mrs Lim commented, "you did alright, but you sound so impassive! Maybe add some emotion?" 

Taking heed of that advice, I practised and practised. Before I knew it, it was time to perform. The first few participants went onstage. The more I watched them perform, the more scared I felt. 

"Next up, let's welcome Contestant Number 86!" announced the host. I stood up and walked towards the stage. With a last deep breath, I stepped onstage. As I began my performance, I encountered stage fright for the first time. I started to stutter, and then my fears came true: My mind went blank! I stood frozen at the microphone, struggling to recall my lines. Those few seconds felt like minutes, or eternity. My eyes darted around nervously. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the encouraging look from my parents. Inspired, I recalled my lines and continued like nothing had happened. My words flowed smoothly like honey. As I finished, I went down the stage and ran to my parents with tears streaking down my face.

"You were amazing! Did you know? When you seemed to slow down and pause at the end, you sounded like a professional! Just wait. I bet you can get on the podium!" My mother praised me.

As I was the last contestant, the results were out in no time. My heart skipped a beat as the announcer began to speak. I was struck with surprise when I found out I had won third place! I jumped around happily, tears falling down my face. I was extremely grateful to Mrs Lim and proud of myself too for accomplishing my goal.