It was a cool day, and clouds hung over the dull sky above the towering buildings. Ahmed was enjoying music on his headphones as his father dropped him off at school in the car.

Groaning and grumbling, Ahmed mumbled a hasty goodbye to his father before walking into the school. He had no friends, so he sat quietly in the corner seat of the class. The day went on as usual — he didn’t answer any questions, since he never raised his hand and he remained silent.

During the English lesson, the teacher, Miss Maria, announced an upcoming speech contest. All the students eagerly raised their hands to participate — except Ahmed, who kept his head down, hoping to go unnoticed.

“Ahmed, you are selected for participation in the speech!” said Miss Maria.

Surprised, Ahmed looked up to see everyone whispering and staring at him, while the teacher gave him an encouraging smile. At the end of class, when recess began, all the students rushed out. Ahmed was left in the room with Miss Maria, who was gathering her papers.

He walked up to her and mumbled, “Miss, I can’t participate.”

“Sorry dear, I couldn’t catch that,” Miss Maria said.

Ahmed repeated himself and when she asked why, he replied self-consciously that he was shy and couldn’t face people.

Miss Maria smiled and said, “That’s completely normal. Most of us go through this feeling at one point, and sometimes many times. But it would be wrong to hold yourself back just because you feel shy in front of a large audience. I think this is the right time to face your fear.”

Ahmed reluctantly said yes, though deep down he knew he wouldn’t turn up on the day. He ignored the speech completely until his brother found the circular lying on his desk. His brother immediately confronted him.

Ahmed stayed silent at first, then admitted that he felt too nervous and didn’t want to take part. His brother looked at him thoughtfully and said, “There are still some days left, and I’ll help you. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone to succeed. You just have to face your fear once, and you’ll notice the change it brings in your life.”

Ahmed agreed, and from then on, gave it his all. With his brother’s help, he prepared his speech and practiced it several times, first aloud in front of the mirror, then in front of his family.

Finally, the day came, the moment Ahmed had dreaded all his life. The auditorium was filled with students, teachers and guests. His legs trembled at the thought of stepping onto the stage. But his brother was there, encouraging him.

To his surprise, even his classmates came up to him and said they were counting on him to win against the other section. Their words gave him a sudden boost of confidence — an energy he had never felt before. He walked up to the podium and gave the speech his best.

Even though Ahmed didn’t win the first prize, his section won in their grade overall, and that was all he and his classmates had hoped for.

Ahmed felt relieved and proud that he had faced his fear. The best part was, he never felt nervous again. With the support of his brother and the encouragement of his classmates, he was now always ready to give his best.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 6th, 2025