The girl stood confidently at center stage. She was one of the last to audition, and based on what she’d seen so far, she stood a good chance. With a clear voice she announced, “My name is Lucia Frank, and I’d like to audition for the role of Dorothy.”
“Go ahead,” the director said from somewhere in the darkened theater. “What song will you be singing?”
“ ‘ Part of Your World,’ from The Little Mermaid.”
She heard someone snickering backstage. Then a familiar voice whispered, “As if she’ll ever be part of our world. Dorothy? The Cowardly Lion, maybe . . .”
Somehow the other girl’s teasing gave her strength. This was her chance to show everyone—especially herself—that she deserved this. She didn’t deserve to be stuck in the shadows. She would never know how bright she could shine unless she gave herself the chance.
She knew she was perfect for the part of Dorothy, a girl who chased after her dreams to find her own happiness. Dreams, she was beginning to realize, really do come true.
Summoning courage from within, she sang her song beautifully. When she walked off the stage and into the shadowy wings, she marched past the other girl and her friends and muttered, “That was me, making things happen.”