Every fall hides a rise. Every pause carries a beat

 

Dreams don’t faint ::

It was a bright, bustling morning at The Khaitan School. The campus buzzed with creativity - an SPIC MACAY event had arrived. Stalls were alive with color and culture, and the arena brimmed with eager hearts. Among them stood Ananya, a 9th-grade scholar, glowing with nervous excitement.

Today was special. Her very first solo mic performance awaited—
not just alone, but leading her newly formed all-girls music band. She had dreamt of this moment, practiced every note,
imagined the applause, and felt the stage beneath her feet in her dreams. The lights dimmed. The spotlight warmed the wooden floor. Thunderous applause erupted… Ananya was called on stage.

But just as she took her step forward…a wave of heat swept over her. Her vision blurred, knees buckled and she collapsed. Gasps echoed across the hall. Students rushed in. Teachers lifted her with care and brought her to the medical room.
The PT teacher stayed beside her, gently administering glucose, wiping her forehead, whispering comfort. 

Minutes turned to an hour.
Finally, Ananya stirred, her  confused eyes scanned the room. Her friend leaned close and recounted the fall. “The performance… is it over?” she asked, a tremble in her voice,
“Did I lose my only chance? Tears rolled down her cheeks. “All that work… all my dreams ..Why did this happen to me?” “It’s all my fault…” she whispered, broken, blaming herself, her dreams slipping away.

At that moment, her PT teacher came forward, calm yet strong.
She knelt by the bed, looked into Ananya’s teary eyes, and spoke the words that would change everything, “My dear child, I’ve seen you rehearse, felt the passion in your voice, heard the harmony you created with your band. This is not your fault, it was just a heatstroke”. “The event is still going on, your principal has allowed you to perform again.” “So take this moment. Hold your mic. Give wings to your dreams. Because a winner never quits.”Ananya sat up, wiped her tears. The room seemed brighter now, not because the lights had changed. but because she had. She stood, took a deep breath, and walked back to the stage, where her dream still waited. And this time, she didn’t just sing, she soared.  

Every fall hides a rise. Every pause carries a beat. All you need is courage to stand back up and sing, because dreams don’t faint. 

- Nitu Mathur