The Hummingbird's Song

The flyer, tacked to the corkboard outside Mrs. Gable’s bakery, seemed to shimmer in the afternoon sun. Addie paused, her breath catching in her throat, a familiar flutter of something akin to panic, but also a wild, soaring hope, unfurling in her chest. “Community Talent Showcase,” it read, in cheerful, slightly wobbly lettering. Below, a list of categories: Singing, Instrumental, Dance, Comedy, and “Other Wonders.” Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs, a percussion section all its own, drowning out the gentle murmur of the street. A talent show. A chance.

She traced the words with a fingertip, imagining the stage lights, the hush of the crowd, the swell of music. It felt like a dream, a fragile bubble of possibility that her parents’ practical pronouncements would surely pop. “Distraction,” they’d called her singing, her flute. “Focus on your studies, Addie. That’s where your future lies.” But her future felt so… colorless when it was stripped of melody.

Aunt Clara, her silver hair pulled back in a neat bun, emerged from the bakery, a paper bag rustling in her hand. “What has caught your eye, dear heart?” she asked, her voice a warm, low hum that always soothed Addie’s jangled nerves.