The Competition
by Silva Lee Hei Yin 6A
This short story was written for the He(a)rd Zine, a Hong Kong-based magazine that showcases young student writers. The theme of this issue is Soundtrack.
“Harmony, you have three minutes until the competition starts, and you’re the first. Good luck!” The organizer of the Hong Kong Melody Competition told Harmony Lee after she entered the rehearsal room.
Harmony answered hastily as she lifted her hand from the piano, “Ok, thanks.”
The organizer nodded and left.
A week ago, Harmony’s parents got a letter from Miss Fung, Harmony’s teacher. The letter stated:
To the parents of Harmony Lee,
I would like to extend an opportunity to Harmony in a piano competition. At first, the judges didn’t agree, but I insisted and convinced them Harmony really was an excellent pianist. It will be happening exactly next week, and you have three days if you want to reject the place in the competition for your daughter, since the fee is quite expensive. However, I do hope you will give her a chance.
Sincerely,
Miss Fung
Finally, to Harmony’s surprise, her parents decided to support her participation.
Harmony was practicing a few difficult scales in her song in the rehearsal room, which was offered by the competition’s organizers, feeling slightly nervous.
She leapt to her feet and strode down the stairs, having a few shuddering deep breaths. Ten minutes…Ten minutes…Her inner voice repeated. She has waited her whole life to have this chance to show her skills, excited, but now vastly nervous too. But suddenly, she bumped into a girl, who was wearing a tidy, black dress. The girl narrowed her eyes while glaring at Harmony, and crossed her arms.
“You are another competitor?” The girl asked, raising her eyebrows.
Harmony nodded briefly.
“If you were thinking of winning the competition, you’re wasting your time. I am going to win. I own Steinway and Sons, the fanciest piano, with my excellent skills in wonderful studios and being taught by professional teachers. You won’t stand a chance with someone as well-practised as me.” The girl laughed coldly.
Harmony ignored her, and headed for the stage.
Do I have enough practice? Do I really not stand a chance of winning? She was right—-there is a big difference between a poor performer and a rich performer. If it was up to the judges to choose, will they enjoy her more?
Harmony shook her head. She didn’t want to think anymore. She walked to the stage and saw Miss Fung sitting on a chair beside the piano, waiting for her.
“Hello, Harmony. The judges allowed us to have a little last-minute practice before the audience comes in.” Miss Fung smiled, while gesturing to the piano chair.
Harmony sat down as she scanned the empty chairs, and imagined the crowd staring at her. Then, she looked at the piano. It seemed brand new, as it was clean and shiny, and she slowly lifted the cover. A smile appeared on her face.
Miss Fung chuckled as Harmony glanced at her eagerly, “You've never seen anything like this, have you?”
It was true. She was born in a poor family, and her parents can only afford her school fees. However, her parents knew that she loved music, so they reluctantly agreed to buy her a piano. The piano was a cheap Casio, and it was dusty and second-handed, but she still appreciated it very much. Her parents also paid for her lessons, taught by her kind teacher, Miss Fung. Miss Fung normally gives her one lesson every week. Now, gazing at the Yamaha before her, she felt overwhelmed.
“Harmony,” Miss Fung warned her, “This piano is indeed very beautiful, but the tones of it are considerably different from yours. Try it out.”
Miss Fung didn’t have to say it twice. Excited, Harmony pulled out her piano sheet and set it in front of her. After a while, she started playing a song named ‘The Path of the Wind’ which she had trained for at least two months.
5 minutes…
3 minutes until it starts…
1 last minute left…
“Harmony, come backstage now.” Miss Fung whispered.
Harmony hurried to the backstage and sat down on one of the chairs with Miss Fung. She heard loud footsteps; the audience were now pouring through the doors.
The competition is nearly starting… She thought. Will I do well? What if I played the wrong note? What if I stopped all of a sudden? What if I make a mistake, before I even start playing the piano? Will the judges feel disappointed? Will Miss Fung regret giving me this chance, to finally show what I’m capable of?
Lost in her thoughts, she shook her head, brushing them all away, and realized that the host had been introducing the competition rules for a while already, “...results will be announced two days after the competition…”
Miss Fung noticed her feeling uneasy, so encouraged, “Don’t worry! You’ll do well. Just try your best!”
Harmony briefly nodded, and muttered, comforting herself, “Of course…I’m not so bad. I will do well…”
But as she took a peek outside, her heart missed a beat. Dozens of people were watching. Some of them were paying attention to what the host was saying, some of them were quietly whispering into each other’s ears, while some of them read the flyers.
“...Hope you will enjoy it, thank you. First up, Emma Sue.”
Harmony’s eyes squinted. Emma was the girl Harmony met a while ago. Emma strutted up the stage, smiling too brightly, and seemed overly confident. She sat down and played a song, which Harmony realized the second Emma started playing, ‘Alla Turca’–-a grade 8 song. The song is known for sixteenth-note octaves, while loud and fast.
It’s very difficult, so if Emma’s able to do it, the judges must be proud… Harmony thought.
The Path of the Wind, Harmony’s song, however, is just a 5th grade song. Some people even say it’s suitable for beginners. She played the original version of the song, which is quite easy and simple, only with a few flats. Harmony gulped as she stared at Emma playing fluently from backstage.
Harmony looked at the judges, they were nodding their heads, seeming to be liking her music very much…
Soon, Emma finished the song perfectly, and Harmony felt scared. Her heart pulsed faster than normal and she breathed rapidly, with her back watering with sweat. Is she better than me? She started panicking, I did the wrong thing…I shouldn’t have come…
But it was too late. The host checked her script, declared, “Second up, Harmony Lee.”, bowed, and stepped out of the stage.
Harmony gulped, Miss Fung smiled cheerfully, and mouthed ‘You can do it’ to her, eagerly waiting for her excellent performance. However, Harmony felt great pressure, as if a rock was pushing her down…down…
I have to go.
With a last deep breath, Harmony stood and opened the curtains, revealing the stage and the large group of crowds. Bravely, she stepped towards the piano, the top of it sparkling. The stage lights shone directly at her head, following her to the piano. Every step she took was heavier, her heart beating faster, she calmed herself down by biting her lips. Harmony knew clearly that all eyes were on her when she sat down.
Harmony glimpsed at the keys, her piano sheets, and glanced at the audience, who were all patiently waiting for her. She hesitated for a moment, but she knew she had waited for a long time for this moment, so she lifted her fingers, and started performing.
First, she did fine, gaining more and more confidence in every note she played. The first part of the song was C minor, so she began with a gentle tone. Slowly, her heart beat normally, her weight lighter, feeling a lot comfortable.
However, thoughts rushed to her mind, again.
My parents paid a total of $1100 for this competition…if I don’t win…they will be very disappointed…they will sell my piano…they won’t trust me anymore…I have to do it better, better than everyone!
She continued. Her hands were slightly trembling. Anxious, her sweaty finger slipped from the B flat to the B note, but luckily, she saved it by instantly lifting her finger. It was a close call.
Too close.
She could feel it, her heart beating quicker…Her eyes blurred a bit…her song wasn’t as beautiful as before. She memorized the second part of the song and peeked at the audience.
Do they like my song? She thought nervously.
The audience didn’t show any feeling or emotions, so Harmony gulped, They don't? As she continued, she stared at her hands, she was sweating a lot.
She was too busy checking for mistakes, so she was completely unaware of the sign, Allegro (Fast), written by Miss Fung on the sheet. The rhythm became slower and slower, when she was supposed to do the opposite, while her hands were shivering.
Again, she fixed the part of the song in her mind, glanced at the audience, and noticed a judge marking something on his paper. Her eyes widened while her heart thumped. Is it bad? She peered at the judges continuously, terrified about what they were writing about.
However, worrying was a grave mistake. When she stared at the judges again, she immediately forgot the next piece of her song.
She stopped playing.
She felt as if the whole world paused.
All that hard work… is it gone? She swallowed; her hand froze in mid-air. But then, she caught a glimpse of her parents, who were almost as nervous as her, in the center of the front row, and her memories filled up her mind…
It was a very sunny Monday, and as she walked home from school along with her parents, she heard a lovely melody. Following where it came from, the young Harmony found a street performer playing his electric piano. At first, he was playing the piano simply. Then, he added harder parallel octaves, making it more melodic, and she knew it was his special style of playing. She was addicted and watched it until it ended, and clapped her hands loudly.
Suddenly, the street performer approached her, “I can let you try the piano for a while, only if you want to.”
She was delighted, and accepted the offer.
She touched the keys on the tip of her tiny fingers softly, enjoying the music herself. Pressing each note one by one, she found the music amazing. She knew it wasn’t as great as the street performer did, of course, but she loved it so much, because of the music.
“I believe you will be a talented pianist. You are a flower that hasn’t grown yet, but once you do, you will shine.” The street performer chuckled.
Ever since, she always practiced her piano at home, being much and much better at it. Then, in this instance, she thought:
And I do this… because I love it.
She started the bridge once again. She played the piano as she usually did, in her own way. I don’t have to be the best. She thought. Then, she added parallel octaves. Her song was a long river, flowing gently, without any mistakes. She interpreted the music with an exciting emotion. She didn’t know what the crowd thought, or what the judges thought, but for once, she didn’t care.
To herself, she was doing perfectly.
She entered the part where the word ‘Adagio’ (Slow) and ‘Legato’ (Smooth) is marked on the sheet. She felt relaxed—the song was near to its end.
Two days later, on a cloudy afternoon, an envelope was sent to Harmony’s house. Harmony strolled to the mailbox and opened the envelope:
Harmony Lee, you are placed 5th in the Hong Kong Melody Competition! Congratulations! You did wonderfully, full of emotions, and performed a lovely melody. The judges say: I must say that I made the right decision to let you have a chance to join the competition; you are brilliant.
“I got 5th place, but I can do better. I promise to overcome the anxiety standing in my way.”
Harmony smiled cheerfully.