Changed Somehow by Chloe Flanagan

Author:Chloe Flanagan [Flanagan, Chloe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

17

If someone had told Natalie a week before that she’d be organizing a children’s program, for a church camp of all things, she would have laughed hysterically.

Yet here she was, having spent the last two days teaching a quartet of squirming adolescents how to sing from their diaphragms, and feeling every bit as out of place as Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Sister Act.

The wildest part was that the whole thing had been her idea! Her vague notion that Licha ought to share her talent with her friends had morphed into a vision for a mini program that would include musical help from Glenn, along with some of the other kids.

Somehow, the plan had caught the attention of Father Reuben, the young associate rector from Glenn and Darla’s church, who had stopped by the camp to see how things were going. He had been so pleased that he’d asked the kids to incorporate what they put together into a kind of church service he wanted to hold at the camp at the end of the following week.

On hearing of that development, Licha had dissolved into panic, convinced she’d never be able to present her writing in such a public setting. But after two days of coaching and tips from Natalie for managing stage fright, the girl was beginning to gain confidence.

Now they were checking out the acoustics in the small chapel where the service would be held. Natalie stood at the lectern and nodded in satisfaction. “Can you come up here, where I’m standing, Licha? I’d like you to read the Scripture to test the sound.”

Licha took Natalie’s place and began to read. “The Lord said to Joshua—” she paused and released a weary sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Natalie asked.

“Do I really have to do all this?” The girl’s glasses slid down her nose and she pushed them up again.

Natalie hesitated. Even when expressing her doubts about her ability to speak in front of the group over the past few days, Licha hadn’t posed that particular question.

Stepping up beside the girl, Natalie put a tentative hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to do anything. Everyone will understand if you decide you can’t.”

Licha’s whole frame relaxed.

“But I hope you will.”

“Why?”

She fumbled for the right words, not just a line of dialogue, for once. “Because you have important things to say, Licha. You’ve got a powerful voice in there and others need to hear it.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

She nodded thoughtfully, then returned her attention to the reading. “The Lord said to …” She stopped again and looked up. “Natalie, what if you did this part?”

Natalie blinked in surprise. “You want me to read the Scripture?”

“Yeah! It would be cool because you’re an actress and …” Licha looked down at the paper she was holding, “I think I’d feel better if you were up here with me.”

“O-oh.” Natalie bit her lip. Did Licha really need her? No one had needed her in a long time, and the last time … well, that had been a different story.

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