The Shy Singer

Every morning in the shower, Idris sang. He sang loud, beautiful songs that bounced off the bathroom walls. He sang old songs, new songs, and songs he made up himself. In the shower, he was a superstar.

But outside the shower? Idris never sang. Not once. Because singing in front of people was the scariest thing he could imagine.

"You should join the school choir," said his friend Tomás one morning at the bus stop.

"No way," said Idris. "I can't sing."

"I hear you singing from my bedroom window every morning," said Tomás, who lived next door. "Dude, you're really good."

Idris turned red. Someone had HEARD him?

At school, the choir teacher Mrs. Adhikari put up a sign: "Spring Concert Auditions — All Welcome!" Idris walked past the sign four times that day.

That evening, he told Abba about it. "I want to try, but my voice disappears when people watch."

Abba thought about it. "What if you close your eyes? Pretend you're back in the shower?"

"That's weird."

"All the best ideas are weird."

The next morning, Idris went to the audition room. His hands were sweating. Mrs. Adhikari smiled. "Whenever you're ready."

Idris closed his eyes. He imagined the warm water, the bathroom tiles, the steam. And he sang.

When he opened his eyes, Mrs. Adhikari had tears in hers. "That was beautiful, Idris. Where have you been hiding that voice?"

"In the shower," he said honestly. Everyone laughed, but it was kind laughter.

He joined the choir. At the spring concert, he closed his eyes for the first verse. But by the second verse, he opened them. He saw his family in the front row. Abba gave him a thumbs up.

He didn't need the shower trick anymore. Because now he knew the truth: his voice belonged everywhere.