Who is on the Stage

-You’ll never know unless you try it. And don’t worry, everything will be fine.

It was around 5 pm when they stopped in front of the building with a huge banner hanging on the door which says "Tenth Literacy Competition". The woman in the driver's seat checked her hair and make-up after she finished talking to her daughter and got out of the car. She was wearing an orange suit that she had made with her monthly salary. She tidied up her slightly wrinkled skirt and straightened her back. Her husband also got off and was chatting with the owner of the car right next to his.

The only person who did not get out of the vehicle was their 12-year-old daughter. The woman put her hand on the door and looked at her husband before opening it. The man, who his husband was chatting with was a worker at the same company with her husband, looked lonely. His family had either already moved in or they hadn't arrived yet. Realizing this, the woman took a deep breath and turned to her daughter.

"What are you doing? Get out of the car! Don't worry, I'm telling you. Nothing will happen.”

The girl didn't say anything. His body was still facing the driver's seat and she just sat there. She looked as if she had been frozen with the eyes which were open as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. Months ago, a teacher called her mother and said, "It was like she had a sudden stroke." She couldn't understand how the student she had spoken on the board had suddenly froze as if she had been touched by a magic wand. But the woman standing by the car was used to it. “Oh, when are you going to get off?” she asked. A few seconds later, the girl raised her hand. It was clear what she meant. “Okay,” the woman said. “But just know that, I won't wait a minute more. We need to rehearse.”

Not even a few minutes had passed, another vehicle arrived and parked next to their car. The men were still chatting, while the woman was waiting for her daughter. She couldn’t wait any longer and pulled her daughter out of the car by her arm. Following that, she reformed her daughter’s appearance and herself. A short time later, a woman and her daughter got out of the other vehicle and came next to them. The woman looked like a picture on the back cover of a novel. She was in brown pants, and a cream-colored shirt, and bone-framed glasses. The girl was wearing a solid black dress.

" Hi! How are you doing?" asked the woman with the glasses. “Hello, what a surprise. I am good, how are you, doing. You look great." The woman in the brown pants threw her head back and put one of her hands in her pocket. Her other hand was on her daughter's shoulder. “It was a surprise to me, too! You haven't been attending for a few years, so I didn't think you would come. It's been a while since we met, hasn't it? Look honey, this is a friend of mine from school, say hi.” The girl in the black dress smiled as if boasting about the beauty of her teeth. “Is your daughter going to read a poet, too? Hello, sweetie." said the woman with the glasses.

Meanwhile, she was staring at the girl in front of her with a strange expression. Realizing this, the woman slowly lay down on her daughter's back, who didn't utter a word. The girl was startled, but soon managed to salute. “Yes, she loves poetry. But she is a little excited that she’s going to be on stage!” “Oh dear, is this going to be the first time to be on stage? My daughter was also very excited at first, but now she's used to it. Really, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Did you finish the book you were talking about?”

The woman straightened her hair again and took her daughter's hand. "Unfortunately, it's not over yet. I'm still working on it, it'll probably be finished soon." Since the beginning of the conversation for the first time, her daughter lifted her head and looked at her mother. It was like she was asking a question.

The woman shook her hand lightly and laughed. "Well so what's up with your books?" The woman in the brown hat said, “Don't ask, I can't follow these days. One was a bestseller, you know, and now the other two are in their 4th edition. Signature days, seminars, offers from so many places that I can't even catch up. I was about not to come here today either, but when our dear teacher said that there will be a competition with the children this year, I couldn't turn down. He also made a surprise. And think about it, our children will take the stage in our school!” she said.

“How beautiful…” said the other. “I didn't know your books were out of print. Congratulations. Ah, what’s the surprise?” she laughed.

 The brown clothed woman was so busy staring at the quiet girl standing before her that she didn't answer right away. Seeing this, the woman turned suddenly to the girl in front of her. "By the way, your dress is beautiful, little lady." The girl in the black dress seemed to want to show how well she spoke this time. "Thank you miss. You look beautiful, too.”

Her mother involved in to the conversation immediately. “What were we saying? Oh, I'm glad you like it. You must have heard the name of one of my favorite poems, "Bright Black". My daughter will read it tonight. It was surprise for me that I found out at the last minute. Luckily, we were able to have a beautiful black dress sewn in time. If it were up to my husband, a girl this age would only wear white or pink! You know, those who don't have an artistic spirit don't understand such things!”

The woman was just about to answer when the other two men approached them. “Are you talking about me?” said the man as he hugged his wife. The woman with the glasses laughed. “Oh, Are you here too? You said you'd be late, but you have come even before us." "Yes, I finished my jobs early." said the man.

The woman in the brown pants immediately glanced at her watch. “I wanted to say hello to my teacher, let's run away from the front then. See you inside." The woman, holding the hand of her silent daughter in a white dress, stared as they headed toward the building's massive stairs. She turned to her husband as if she wanted to say something, but only a grumbling came out.

After 30 minutes, the children and their families were in the rehearsal room to recite the poem. The room was quite large, with high ceilings and walls filled with sponges. There were hangers full of costumes all around, and the rest of the place was filled with items such as huge speakers and a few foldable armchairs. A group of people gathered in the middle of the room, chatting with the woman in the bone glasses and brown pants.

“I love your book! I even brought it with me, can you sign it?" said one. Another said, “I absolutely loved it too! I read it at the suggestion of my friend, you really have a very unique style.” ' she said, and she took a book out of her bag. The woman in the middle burst out a laughing at this, “Thank you very much. I keep hearing this all the time, but I still have a long way to go. It is my pleasure to sign, let me do it!”

Beyond this scene, the girl in the white dress and her mother were sitting opposite each other, and they were looking at a piece of paper in their hands. “Look” said her mother, by drawing a spot on the piece of paper in her hand, while looking at the crowd gathered ahead. “You should read it a little louder as we speak before. Do not forget to emphasize. Also, look at the audience while reading, if you read with your head down, no one will be affected by it. You should read every sentence with emotion. Okay?"

The girl was listening as the paper in her hand went up and down. She nodded. "Speak up, girl." said the woman. I know you're excited, it's perfectly normal. But it won't do any good if you don't rehearse. You're not going to do that on stage, are you? Let's read it once." The girl watched her mother to draw the same line on her copy of the paper, and before a new rehearsal start, she suddenly clung to her mother’s hands.

Even though she looked at his mother with moistened eyes, not a word came out of her mouth. She was trembling in her thin dress, as if she were at the North Pole, pressing her colorless lips more and more tightly together. But her response was to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

When the man came to check his wife and daughter, woman was looking at papers while her back to the crowd and the girl was coughing. "What happened my daughter?" asked the man. “Are you feeling bad again? Look, if you're feeling this bad, you may not go." Upon this statement, the woman put the papers in her hand on to the empty chair. She approached her daughter, who had stopped coughing and was looking at her father. While the woman was looking her husband, she straightened her daughter’s collar. She glanced at the crowd ahead, and after making sure they weren't being followed and spoke up.

“Do you hear what you are saying? Do not talk like this. Look at what you say as his father instead you should encourage her.” Hearing this caused the coughs to reappear. The girls eyes were always on her parents. “Actually, don't be silly. Don’t you see how the girl is? Anyway, if this is the first time, you know how difficult situations like this are for her. She couldn't even read poetry in class. Now you're trying to get it in front of thousands of people who have come. I cannot believe you! It is the fault of the one who followed you and came here!”

The woman touched her husband's elbow after looking at the watch on her wrist and the people slowly entering the room. “Look, I understand your concern, but am I doing this for my own benefit? She has to overcome this cowardice. Believe me, I was like that too. But one day I gathered my courage and I overcame my fear. That's how she should do it too. And remember what the doctor said. She said she had to get used to being in social situations. Believe me, it will be good for her.”

“Did she tell you to go into a setting this big?” said the man. “What the doctor was talking about was that she started with small groups. It's not that she reads poet in front of thousands of people just because his mother wants it! We both know you didn't do this for her, stop lying! Please stop this pointless thing!” The woman withdrew her hand from the man's arm and took a step closer. "What are you saying? Be quiet! Of course, I'm doing it for her. You'll thank me when she gets over this discomfort!” “What if she gets sick again? She looks bad even now, like about to throw up! Will it be better if the girl faints on stage?” said the man in a whisper. He turned his back to his daughter. “How do you know she will overcome her fear?”

Unlike the man, the woman replied in a loud voice. "You’ll never know unless you try it."

A little while later, the rehearsal room was completely full. “Two people later, the story chapter will be over. Those who are going to recite poetry, get ready.” said someone who had hurried in. Thereupon, there was a separation in the crowd and some of them lined up in front of the corridor leading to the stage. The girl in the black dress was going to go out first, then it was the turn of the girl in the white dress. "You still can't get over your excitement?" said the woman to her daughter. The face of the girl beside her was now in harmony with her dress. "You're just going to read a poem, don't exaggerate like that, calm down." The girl neither looked up at her mother nor did she answer.

Meanwhile, the name of the girl in the black dress was announced and her mother called after her. “Come on girl, get on stage and show them who you are. I have no doubt that he will be the first. After all, you're my daughter!”

The girl in the white dress shook her mother's hand as the other woman left the room. With a scowl, the woman leaned over her daughter and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm fine. Do not worry. But I only want one thing from you. Please go, go and be the first. Remember to pay attention to what I say. You can do this."

After saying that, she hugged her daughter and left the room without waiting for her answer.

The audience began to murmur when the presenter once again announced the last participant expected for the poetry contest. A group of spectators right next to the woman said, “Where is that? How long will we wait?” while the other was talking about how beautiful a girl in a black dress recited poetry. The woman, who was waiting for her daughter to take the stage, was grateful that she was sitting in a place where her graduate friends were not.

She continued to watch the stairs leading up to the stage while squinting her eyes. A moment later, the host announced her daughter's name and a little girl in a white dress stepped onto the stage. Immediately, an emotional but vague background music filled the hall. The woman took a deep breath and sat back. Now all her daughter had to do was walk to the microphone in the middle of the stage and read the poem they had been working on for days. However, the girl slowly stepped in front of the microphone, as if imitating the first person to walk on the moon.

"Do not worry." said the woman to her husband, who was sitting next to her. Look here now. She will win!”

As the minutes passed, the only thing that accompanied the low melody in the hall was the whispers of the audience. Standing like a stick in the middle of the stage, the girl was looking at the crowd with her shaking head. Her eyes wandered around the hall for a while, but then they met the microphone in front of her. The woman covered her mouth with her hands, looking at her daughter and the people sitting in the front row. “We will be disgraced,” she said, turning to her husband. “God I can't believe it. Is it that hard to read a poem?"

The man got up. He said “Do you think about that now? Look at how she is trembling!” and began to pass the seats seemingly endless. Meanwhile, the woman's eyes lit up. “I will not be disgraced.” she said. “All she needs is a little motivation.” Then she raised both hands and started hitting each other.

Clap clap clap.

Only a few seconds later someone from the side accompanied. In a short time, the hall was filled with the sound of thousands of hands hitting each other. It was such a powerful sound that it made two babies in the room cry. As the applause continued, the little girl took a step back. She started coughing as stared at the crowd with her big eyes. One hand went over her heart, and with this applause, she moved the crowd, who tried to encourage the girl on the stage.

The hands were hitting each other even harder now. So much so that no one heard what she was saying when she muttered. The little girl took the microphone and came to the edge of the stage with slow and unsteady steps. She was still holding her heart with one hand. She opened her mouth, but when the audience stopped clapping, all they heard was a terrifying sound.

The girl who had been standing up on the stage was now lying on the floor in front of the audience. Her lifeless body was under the lights on the stage now.

The coughing was gone, the lines on her face disappeared.

A moment later, some audience members were talking among themselves as the hall was shaken by the sobs of a man kneeling in front of the stage. “Oh baby, it's a pity... it was going to hit my heart when i heard that sound. I thought it was the microphone, but I think it might came out of a kitten…” Then she gestured with her fingers at a woman sitting in the back row. “Look at that woman over there,” she said. “She is still sitting there, as if she have been watching theater.”

The woman, whose eyes were turned, stood motionless, not even uttering a word. She reminded someone to those who looked at her, but no one spoke about it.