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Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie and Hazel’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I attend Grade 4 and I would like to become
a singer!” Hazel: “And I’m her best friend,
Hazel!” Melanie: “Thank you so much for
your help.” Hazel: “No problem. Hey, so you talked to that mean and scary old
man, didn’t you? What was he
like?” Melanie: “Don’t say that! That’s not true. He’s not a mean and scary old man. I got to talk to him. I did my best to be nice to him, so eventually,
he started talking to me, too, and he’s really quite nice. He’s a good person. He’s another friend I’ve met. And his name is John Wilkins, so I just call
him Mr. Wilkins.” Hazel: “Really? Oh. I
guess people just didn’t understand him, huh?” Melanie: “Yeah, I’ll say. And you know what really surprised me the most
about him?” Hazel: “What is it?” Melanie: “He used to be a song
writer!” Hazel: “A song writer? Hey, doesn’t that mean that he might have connections
with people in the music industry or something?” Melanie: “That’s what I thought,
too. And he said he did! Anyway, he even asked me to sing for him and
he said that he wanted to tell the people at some record company he
used to work with about me!” Hazel: “Oh, wow! Does that mean that you’re going to be a step
closer to fulfilling your dream to become a singer?” Melanie: “Well, we don’t know
yet. I don’t know if I’m good
enough though.” Hazel: “Well, I think you’re
good enough. You’ve got to follow
your dream!” Melanie: “Time for Starry Love
Dream, I wonder what’s going to happen next!
Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue It was night time, just before Melanie was
supposed to go to sleep. Melanie
was sitting near the window of her bedroom, and in another house, Hazel
was lying down in her bed. The
two of them were talking on the phone.
Both of them were in their night clothes so they were ready to
go to sleep. “Hey,
you should be glad that your Grandma let you have a phone in your room,”
said Hazel. “I’m
very glad. There was already
a jack in my room so Grandma gave me a phone.
She said she doesn’t use the phone very much.
Grandma hardly ever calls anyone and nobody really calls her,”
said Melanie. “But I wonder why
it’s like that?” “Does
it really matter? As long as
you have a phone and you can talk as much as you want, right? Isn’t that what matters?” “I
guess so,” said Melanie. She
was silent for a while. “Anyway,
that’s not the reason why I called.” Hazel
was puzzled. “Huh? So why did you call me?” “It’s
that man that everyone keeps saying is a mean and scary old man.” “What
about him?” “His
real name is John Wilkins and he used to be a song writer. And he said that he knows people in the music
industry. He said something about
a place called Regal Records.” Hazel
seemed surprised. “Is that so? Wow! Who
would have thought that someone like him used to be a song writer and
knows people in some record company?
Regal Records, huh? I
don’t really know anything about record companies.” “Yeah,
but that’s not the only thing,” said Melanie. “What
else?” Hazel asked. “The
thing is…well, when I told him that I was a singer, he had me sing one
of my songs, the one I just wrote.” “You
mean the one called ‘My Heart’?” “That’s
right. And he was really shocked,
too. He said I was a very good
singer. He said to me that I had the perfect singing
voice.” Hazel
became very excited. “Oh, wow! Really? So, then what happened?” “He
told me about a new talent audition at that place. He said that I should join if I wanted to be
a singer. And, then, he said
if I wanted, he could talk to someone at Regal Records about me. He wants to tell them that I’m a really good
singer and things like that.” Hazel
sounded like she was screaming at the other end of the phone line. Melanie had to pull the receiver away from her
ear when she did that. “What?! That’s so awesome!
Maybe your career as a singer is about to begin!
Melanie! Your dream might just come true! I mean, not might, but will! Melanie, please, please, please tell me that
you let that John Wilkins guy talk to his connections at Regal Records
about you!” Melanie
hesitated. And Hazel suddenly
became suspicious. “Hey. You did let him, didn’t you?” asked Hazel. “I
did,” said Melanie. “So
what’s the problem? You sound
like you’re not sure of yourself.” Melanie
sighed and she told Hazel what she was feeling, which wasn’t the greatest
thing. “Well…it’s
nice that he would tell them about me.
And it would be nice to go for a new talent audition. But I don’t know if anything is going to happen.
I don’t think anything’s going to happen.
I’m just a kid,” she said softly. Starry Love Dream Episode 6: I’m
going to make my dream come true! Hazel, at the other end of the line, shook
her head. “Melanie, you’re like
so not sure of yourself. Of course,
you can. Something will happen,
I just know it! You have to believe
in yourself.” Melanie
was silent for a while. “Um,
well…” “This
is your dream we’re talking about here.
You have to make your dream come true.
You have to do something about it, even if you’re just a kid. So what’s the worst thing that can happen anyway?
What if they said no? So what? You
can try again later on and they might say yes. You have to work on that dream, you know,” said
Hazel. “And you remember what
I said before, right? Other kids
have done big things like that, too.
Some of them are actors and actresses on television.
You’ve seen them before. And
there were singers who were kids, too.
And some kids have published their own books.” Melanie
was surprised by Hazel’s sudden wisdom and she giggled. “Hmm…Hazel,
you’re right. I hope something
does happen. It might not be now, but it might happen some
other time.” Hazel
smiled. “That’s right. It’s your first audition, right? Even idol pop singers that are famous now probably
didn’t get into the first audition that they wanted to be in. That’s what I think. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’m sure it’s
true. It sounds like a really
difficult thing to get into.” Melanie
sighed softly and she smiled. “Thanks,
Hazel. You know, I am going to
make my dream come true,” she said. “That’s
the right attitude to have,” said Hazel.
And the two of them began to laugh. They
continued speaking on the phone for several more minutes, talking about
many other things, and after that, when they were done, they both went
to sleep. Summer was definitely getting closer still.
June had just begun. It was two days after Melanie and Hazel had
that conversation on the phone. Melanie
was walking home from school and she constantly looked around her to
check out the lovely things that were happening in nature. More flowers were blooming and more birds were
singing in the trees. Melanie
passed by the house of John Wilkins and noticed that he was watering
the plants. “Hi,
Mr. Wilkins,” she said to him. Mr.
Wilkins turned around and smiled. “Ah,
Melanie, I’m glad you came by,” he said as he turned off the garden
hose and put it down on the ground.
He approached the front gate of his house.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Melanie
blinked a couple of times, a little puzzled.
She wondered what it was all about.
“Oh, okay. What is it,
Mr. Wilkins?” “Yesterday,
I was at Regal Records,” said Mr. Wilkins. Melanie
gasped with surprise and she could hear the beating of her heart getting
faster slightly. “I
told someone there about you and I told them about your singing. She seemed interested. She’s one of the people I used to work with
there a long time ago. Anyways,
she wants to hear your singing for herself.” “Ah! She does?!” she said with great shock. “Yeah,
so, if it’s possible, can you give me a tape of you singing? It would be great if you could get someone to
record your singing on tape.” Melanie’s
hands flew to her mouth and her eyes were wide open with great surprise. “Oh, my…” she whispered. “Am I…am I really good enough? She hasn’t heard me sing and she’s that interested
already? How could that be?” Mr.
Wilkins was puzzled by Melanie’s reaction.
“She trusts me. We worked
together for many years before. If
I think you’re a good singer, she would be curious about it. If she hears your singing, she would definitely
try to get you into the audition. How
old are you anyway?” “I’m
9 years old.” Mr.
Wilkins thought for a moment. “The
audition is really advertised for kids from Melanie
looked down and thought about it for a long time. She didn’t seem very sure of herself. “But…but am I really that good enough?” Mr.
Wilkins nodded his head and he smiled.
“It’s your dream to become a singer.
I know that you’re good enough.
But what you have to know for yourself is that you are good enough. Don’t worry about it. Even if you still can’t audition, there’s always
next time.” Melanie
thought about that and it sounded like what Hazel had told her the other
night while speaking to her on the telephone.
“That sounds so much like what my friend Hazel said to me the
other night,” she said softly. “Your friend Hazel? I
don’t really know who that person is, but if she said something like
that, I think she definitely knew what she was talking about,” he said
to her. Melanie
looked up at him and she smiled. “Mr.
Wilkins, thank you so much for what you’ve done for me so far. I’ll try to get a tape of myself singing.
I just have to ask around for someone who can help me,” she said. “What
song will it be? Will it be the
one you sang for me last time? That’s
a very good song. And since you
wrote it yourself, your chances of getting into the audition is even
better.” “Yes. That’s the song I’ll sing. It’s called ‘My Heart’.” Melanie had gone home quickly. She quickly took off her shoes, and as she raced
for the stairs, her Grandma Annabelle was coming down the stairs. Melanie nearly bumped into her and she gasped,
frightened that she would be angry. “Melanie,
what are you doing?” her Grandma asked loudly and with a strict tone
of voice. She was angry. Melanie
gasped and felt frightened. “I’m
sorry, Grandma! I was in a hurry! I’m sorry!” she said quickly, her voice sounding
worried. Grandma
shook her head and sighed. “Don’t
go up the stairs so quickly. You’ll
either get hurt tripping over or you’ll bump into someone, like you
almost did with me, and hurt yourself and the person that you bumped
into.” Melanie
looked up. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again…” Grandma
just continued going down the stairs.
Melanie walked up the stairs carefully and she went into her
room. She dropped her schoolbag in the corner and
she quickly went to the phone and began to dial Hazel’s phone number. “Come
on, Hazel, please be home now,” she whispered, as she waited for someone
to answer the phone at Hazel’s house. Someone
did answer, and it was Hazel’s mother Isabelle.
“Callaway residence,” she said. “Hi,
Mrs. Callaway,” said Melanie. “Oh, hi, Melanie. Did
you want to speak with Hazel?” Isabelle asked with a smile on her face. “Yes,
please, if she’s not busy.” “No,
she’s fine. I’ll get her in a
second.” Isabelle was in the living room of the house.
She called out to Hazel who was in the kitchen.
“Hazel, Melanie’s on the phone for you.” Hazel
quickly came out of the kitchen, still in her school uniform. “Oh, thanks, Mom,” she said, and took the phone
receiver from her mother. “Hi, Melanie!” “Hazel!”
Melanie called out, sounding extremely excited.
“Someone at Regal Records wanted to hear my singing so she can
get me into the audition!” Hazel’s
eyes went wide with surprise. “What!
That’s awesome!” “Yeah,
Mr. Wilkins said that the audition is really for kids who are 10 to
15 years old, but he also said that someone can still get me into the
audition. But that someone wants to hear my singing first.
I have to give Mr. Wilkins a tape of my singing!” “You
have to give him a tape?” “Yeah,
I really, really, really need to know if someone can record my singing
for me! Do you know anybody who
can record me while I’m singing?” “Oh,
um, let me see…” said Hazel, as she thought for a moment. Then she remembered that there was a karaoke
system in her mother’s room that hasn’t been used in a long time. “Hey, Melanie, I think I can help you. We got like a karaoke thing in Mom’s room. Maybe we can borrow it. I’ll ask Mom if we can use it for that.” Melanie
gasped with surprise. “Oh, wow,
yes, please, thank you so much!” Hazel
giggled. “You’re really excited. I am, too!”
Hazel turned to her Mom. “Mom!” “Yes,
dear?” answered Isabelle. Melanie
could hear them as they talked. “Can
we borrow that karaoke stuff that’s in your room? Melanie and I need it to record something and
it’s really important.” “Sure! No problem!” Hazel
gasped with excitement. “Oh,
thanks, Mom!” She turned back
to the phone. “Melanie, Mom said yes! We can use the karaoke set!” Melanie
was so excited that she felt like her heart was going to burst! “Thank you so much, Hazel! I really appreciate it.” “You’re
welcome.” Hazel giggled. “So when do you want to record it? Do you want to do it after school tomorrow?” “Yes,
please! If that’s okay,” said
Melanie. “That’s
perfect. Just tell your Grandma
that you’re coming over to my house for the first time. I think she should be okay with that.” The next afternoon, Melanie was very glad
that Grandma Annabelle allowed her to visit Hazel’s house. Isabelle had picked up Lawrence and Hazel from
the school and also Melanie. When
they got to Hazel’s house, Melanie was very happy and thanked them for
having her there. They got the
karaoke system from Isabelle’s room and with Isabelle’s help they were
able to set it up. In fact, they set it up in Hazel’s room just
in case they need to use it in the future. Hazel
looked up at Melanie. “Are you
ready, Melanie? I’m ready to
record when you’re ready to sing,” she said. Melanie
took a deep breath to try to calm down.
“Okay…I’m ready.” Hazel
was ready to start recording and she began to count down. “Three, two, one…go!” While
Melanie was singing into the microphone, she closed her eyes. She did her best to convey her feelings through
her singing, through the sound of her voice. The sound of her voice was very clear and her
voice sounded like that of an angel.
Isabelle
was watching as well, but as she watched Melanie singing, her eyes began
to widen slightly. She listened
intently to Melanie’s beautiful voice.
She was feeling something in her heart. “Oh,
my…” she said softly. Isabelle
clasped her hands together in front of her heart.
Pretty soon, Melanie was about to finish her song. Why
do I still dream when my heart has been broken? Will
my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please
help me find another way to realize my dream Push
away the cold currents of the torrential stream This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! Hazel
stopped recording a few seconds after the song finished. There was silence for a while. Melanie had her eyes closed, and she opened
them and looked up at Hazel, Lawrence, and their mother Isabelle. “It’s done…” she said softly. “That
was very awesome, Melanie!” Hazel said very excitedly, with a big smile
on her face. Hazel’s
mother seemed just as excitable as her daughter. When she was reacting to Melanie’s singing,
she sounded just like Hazel. When
she screamed with excitement, Melanie and Hazel were totally surprised
and looked at her with startled expressions on their faces. “Aaaaaahhhhh! That was so awesome! Melanie, you have the perfect singing voice!
That song was so nice, I thought I was going to cry!” cried out
Isabelle. Hazel
looked at her in a strange and puzzled way.
“Mom, you are crying,” she said. “Oh,
I am?” Isabelle wiped her tears
away and she started to giggle like a little girl. Melanie
turned to Hazel, who gave her the tape that they had just recorded. Melanie held the tape in her hand and she sighed. “Thank
you so much for this. I’m going
to give it to Mr. Wilkins when I walk to school tomorrow. Then he can give it to that person and she can
hear me sing. And then…who knows
what will happen,” said Melanie. Hazel
smiled and hugged Melanie. “Good
things will happen. Just believe.” The next morning, Melanie just left her
house, carrying her schoolbag and her lunch bag. She walked the sidewalk and she passed by Mr.
Wilkins’ house. She stopped by
his house and saw that he was not outside, so she went through the gate
at the front and she went to the front porch.
She rang the doorbell. After
a minute, the door opened and Mr. Wilkins was there. “Melanie. What can I do for you this morning?” asked Mr.
Wilkins. Melanie
looked a little nervous. “Um,
Mr. Wilkins, the tape, I have it. I
recorded my song last night with the help of my friend.
It doesn’t have any music, but I don’t have anything to make
the music with. Is that okay?” “Oh,
don’t worry about the actual music,” he said with a smile. “You’re not expected to have that. It’s your singing talent that they’re looking
at, not the music. The music
comes later. Anyways, I’m glad
that you were able to pull it off, having your song recorded.” Melanie
smiled at him nervously. “Yes!”
she said a little too loudly. Mr.
Wilkins could tell that she was nervous and he just smiled at that because
he was amused. “Where’s
the tape?” he asked. “Oh! I’m supposed to give it to you.” She realized that she had to give it to him.
She reached into the pocket of her skirt and she took out a cassette
case. She looked at it for a
while, as if she was giving up a prized treasure and was about to give
it away. She offered the case
to Mr. Wilkins. “Here it is.” Mr.
Wilkins took the cassette case from her hand and he opened it. He saw the cassette that was inside it and on
the label was Melanie’s name and the name of the song that she had recorded. “My Heart” Lyrics and vocals
by Melanie Thompson He
smiled at her. “It looks great,
Melanie. I’m going to Regal Records
today and give it to the lady who’s one of my main connections there. She’s going to listen to it and then she’s going
to try to find a way to get you in.” Melanie
smiled brightly and she clasped her hands in front of her heart. “Thank you, Mr. Wilkins!” A few days later…there was no news. Melanie was starting to wonder what was happening,
if anything was happening at all. She
asked Mr. Wilkins every single day if he heard anything from that lady
at Regal Records yet, but each time she asked, he said that he had not
heard anything yet. Also, he
told her not to worry about it. But
Melanie could not help feel a little worried.
Maybe that person who listened to her song didn’t like the song
that she wrote and sang. “Did
you hear anything yet, Melanie?” asked Hazel. Both
of them were at the front of the school after classes were done already. Melanie
looked down and she shook her head.
“No, nothing, I didn’t hear anything yet.” “Oh.” Hazel paused for a while. To her, Melanie looked a little bit down, so
she tried to think of a way to cheer her up.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. So
if that person didn’t like your singing.
You can always try again, right?” she said. Melanie
thought about that. That’s the
same thing that Hazel said before and the same thing that Mr. Wilkins
said one time. She looked up
at Hazel. “I guess you’re right,” she said and she slowly
smiled. “That’s okay. I can always try again, right?” Hazel
smiled at her and nodded. “That’s
right.” Then they both noticed
that Isabelle was coming with her car.
“Oh, here comes Mom.” The
car parked in front of them. “Hi,
Melanie,” said Isabelle. Melanie
smiled at her. “Hello, Miss Callaway,”
she said sweetly. “I’ll
see you in school tomorrow, okay?” said Hazel and she gave Melanie a
hug. “And if you want to talk, call me tonight.” Melanie
nodded. “Okay.” Hazel
and Lawrence got into the car and they waved at her as the car began
to drive away. Melanie got home and she parked her shoes
near the front door. She placed
her schoolbag on the floor near the door as well as she went to the
couch and she sat down. She leaned
back and closed her eyes, for she felt rather tired.
She fell asleep for a few minutes and then she awoke because
the telephone was ringing. She
was unable to answer it so Grandma answered it upstairs. “Melanie,”
said Grandma, who was standing in the stairway. Melanie
was startled and she turned to look at the stairway. “Grandma?” she said. “The
phone call is for you.” Melanie
was puzzled. “Oh, okay. Thank you. I
got it,” she said. Grandma began
to walk up the stairs again and Melanie picked up the phone. Could that be Hazel? She thought it was a little early for Hazel
to be calling her. “Hello?” “Hello. Good afternoon. Is this Melanie Thompson?” Melanie
was startled. It was not Hazel. “Oh, um, yes, this is Melanie. May I please ask who is calling?” she said. “This
is Sheryl Winfield calling from Regal Records.
I believe John Wilkins told me some very interesting things about
you.” Melanie
was even more startled and she felt speechless for a few seconds. This must be the lady that Mr. Wilkins was talking
about, his contact at Regal Records. “Oh,
um…yes, he did. Mr. Wilkins. He asked me to record my singing for you.” “He
certainly did. And I got the
tape from him a few days ago. I
wanted to call you at home, but Mr. Wilkins told me that you would be
at school so I thought I’d call you at around this time instead.
I got the tape a few days ago and I was listening to it several
times.” “Oh…you
listened to it?” Melanie said, feeling even more nervous that she already
was before. She wondered what
the lady thought about it. Miss
Winfield seemed amused by the nervousness that was in Melanie’s voice. “Yes, I did.
And I must say that I’m very, very impressed. When Mr. Wilkins told me that he’s found new
talent, that she had an excellent singing voice, I got really curious. I think you have an excellent singing voice,
too. In fact, I think it’s more
than excellent. I totally loved
your song! I understand that
you wrote it by yourself? Isn’t
that right?” Melanie
was speechless for a second. She
regained composure as quickly as she could.
“Yes, I wrote it myself. It’s
called ‘My Heart’.” “It’s
a very beautiful song. I’m very
impressed! Of all the people
who are going for the audition for new talent that’s coming up, none
of them wrote their own songs. All
of them are singing popular songs that have already been sung by professionals.” “Oh,
um, thank you!” Melanie whispered excitedly. “I
would like to invite you to the audition.
I would like you to join the audition, in fact. If that’s okay with you and your guardian,”
asked Miss Winfield. “I’m the
only one who’s heard your singing here at Regal Records, so I think
it would be great to surprise the people who are running the audition.” Melanie
felt like her heart was going to burst from all the excitement. “Oh, my… Um,
I’m sorry, I’m just really speechless. It’s just so exciting, I feel like my heart
is going to burst.” Miss
Winfield laughed a little. “I
totally understand that.” “I’ll
ask my grandmother if I can go for the audition,” said Melanie. “Yes,
please do that. I would really
like it if you participated in the audition for new talent and surprise
everybody that’s there. Your
singing talent is amazing. I
want them to experience it for themselves.
It’s just beyond words.” Melanie
smiled and sighed. “Thank you
so much.” “When
your grandmother gives permission, please tell John Wilkins. Once you do, he’ll tell you what to do next.” “Thank
you so much!” Melanie said again. “Great! I’m really looking forward to this. I hope you have a good night, Melanie. I’m sure that things will work out for you starting
from here. I better go and continue
with what I’m working on here in the office at Regal Records. So you have a good night, okay?” Melanie
smiled. “Thanks for calling. I’m so glad that you liked my song.” “You’re
welcome! Bye for now,” said Miss
Winfield. “Bye,”
said Melanie, as she hung up the telephone. She
sat down on the couch quietly for several moments and clasped her hands
together very hard on her lap. She
wanted to scream with excitement as she placed her hands on her heart,
which was beating very fast. She
looked up and closed her eyes and almost screamed, but she did her best
not to, because her Grandma Annabelle would not like it one bit. “I’m…I’m
going to make my dream come true!” It was time for dinner. Melanie was eating in the kitchen with her Grandma
Annabelle. Melanie needed to
tell Grandma about the audition for new talent and that she wanted to
join that audition. Grandma had
an opened newspaper on the table and she was reading it without holding
it as she ate her dinner. Melanie
seemed very happy for some reason and Grandma noticed that. “Grandma?” Grandma
looked up at Melanie, who had a big and delightful smile on her face,
and it surprised Grandma. “What
is it, Melanie?” she asked. “Did
you know I like singing?” asked Melanie. “Huh?” Grandma was puzzled by that and she tried to
remember some things that Sarah and Mark had told her about Melanie
from a long time ago. “I think
so. I think I know that you like singing. I believe your mother told me that. What about it?” “Um…well…”
Melanie started, but she started to become nervous. “There’s…there’s this audition that’s coming
up. It’s an audition for new
talent. They’re looking for kids
who can sing really well. And
I was…I was wondering if I could join the audition.
If that’s okay with you…” Grandma
seemed speechless for a while and Melanie wondered why. “Grandma?” Grandma
looked sideways and saw the newspaper.
She was looking at a small article in the corner about Premiere
Thompson. His picture was in
there as well. Grandma sighed
and she closed her eyes for a few seconds.
“So you want to go for an audition.
It’s a singing audition?” “Yes, Grandma. I love
singing. I want to participate
in the audition. Could I please
do that?” Several
seconds passed by and Melanie was looking at Grandma with great anticipation,
but her silence was staring to make her worried. Grandma looked at Melanie and a frown appeared
on her face. Her voice changed
from a calm voice to one that had a strict tone in it. “No,
Melanie.” Melanie
was shocked. “Huh?” “You
heard what I said. I said no. You cannot participate in a singing audition.
I will not allow it.” Melanie
felt pain shoot through her heart, just like before when her classmates
were being mean to her. Her heart
was beating fast and she felt her heart starting to crack.
“But…but, Grandma! It’s
a singing audition and I like singing and I want to…I want to…” “You
want to what?” Grandma said more loudly and even more strictly. “I said I’m not going to allow it and that decision
is final. And don’t bother asking
me why, either.” If
Melanie’s heart was made of glass, it would have exploded into thousands
of tiny little pieces right about now.
Melanie’s eyes were beginning to tear so she looked down at her
food. “Are
you about to cry, Melanie?” asked Grandma. Melanie
hesitated and she tried to shake her head a little. “Um…could I please be excused?” “No,
you may not be excused. Finish
your dinner.” Melanie
forced herself to finish her dinner, but it was extremely difficult. She had wiped away the tears that were building
up in her eyes quickly so that Grandma would not notice them. She didn’t say anything anymore. She felt very sad as she tried to finish her
dinner. Grandma had finished
her dinner before her and Melanie sat there, trying to finish. She found it very difficult. Her
heart was broken. Just as she
thought that maybe, just maybe, her dream might come true, Grandma told
her that she could not participate in the audition. Hazel stared at Melanie for a while. Melanie was sitting on a swing in the school
park and Hazel was looking straight at her while she was standing in
front of her. Melanie had told
her that Grandma did not allow her to join the audition for new talent. Of course, Hazel was also quite upset about
it. “You
have to tell Mr. Wilkins about that,” said Hazel, rather loudly. “That your Grandma is not letting you go for
the audition. That’s just…that’s
just so unfair!” Melanie
looked very sad. “I’ll…I’ll tell
Mr. Wilkins when I come home from school,” she said very softly. “It’s my dream to become a singer. I want to be a singer. But why is it that Grandma won’t even let me
try? I wanted to ask her why
but I was too scared to ask why. I
don’t think she even wanted me to ask why…”
Tears started to come down slightly from Melanie’s eyes. Hazel
sighed. “I don’t know why she
wouldn’t let you. But it shouldn’t matter what her reasons are for saying something
like that!” she shouted. Melanie
looked up at Hazel, who liked like she was angry. “It’s
your dream to become a singer!” Melanie
started to cry and Hazel stopped herself.
Tears came down Melanie’s cheeks and Hazel went closer to her
and she sighed and put her hands on top of Melanie’s head. Melanie was walking home from school when
she passed by Mr. Wilkins’ house. He
was taking care of his garden as usual at this time of the day. She stood at the gate quietly and didn’t really
say anything to grab his attention.
But he saw her anyway when he looked up. “Hey,
Melanie,” he said as he went closer to the gate. Then he noticed the sad look on Melanie’s face. “Uh oh. The look on your face tells me something’s wrong.
What happened? What’s wrong?” Melanie
was silent for a while. She sighed
and she gathered up the courage to say what was on her mind. “Your
friend from Regal Records called me at home.
And she said that she really liked my singing and she wanted
me to go for the audition,” Melanie answered. Mr.
Wilkins smiled a little. “She
did? Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?” Melanie
hesitated, and then she nodded her head.
“But…but I had to ask my grandmother if I could join the audition.” Mr.
Wilkins lost his smile quickly. “And
then what happened. What did
she say?” Melanie’s
eyes became a little misty. “And…Grandma
said no.” There
was a long moment of silence between the two of them. Mr. Wilkins sighed and he closed his eyes and
he shook his head. He tried to
think about what he could do in this kind of situation. However, Grandma Annabelle was Melanie’s guardian
at the moment. If she decides
something about Melanie, that was going to be the final decision. “I
see,” said Mr. Wilkins. “I…really
want to be a singer. It’s my
dream to become a singer!” Melanie cried out as she looked up at Mr.
Wilkins, who glanced down at her with surprise.
She was a very quiet and very gentle girl so when she started
raising her voice, it was very surprising.
“It’s my dream! Grandma
won’t let me go for the audition. That
means I can’t fulfill my dream!” Mr.
Wilkins sighed. “That’s what
you want to do, isn’t it?” he said softly.
“It’s your dream to become a singer, isn’t it?” Melanie
nodded and sniffed a couple of times as a couple of tears came down
her cheeks. “But…but my Grandma
won’t let me…” she said very softly. “Did
she tell you why?” Melanie
shook her head. “I don’t think
she wants me to ask her why…” Mr.
Wilkins was thinking for a while, and then he smiled at her, which made
her feel a little puzzled. “Well…since
it’s your dream and it’s something that you really, really want to do…I
guess that means that there is only one thing left to do.” “Huh?”
said Melanie, wondering what he meant. “I
guess that means that you would have to join the audition…without telling
your grandmother.” Melanie
gasped, for she was totally shocked.
“Go to the audition without telling Grandma?
I mean…isn’t that like…cheating or something? You want me to lie to her?” “It
doesn’t matter what I want,” Mr. Wilkins said with a smile. “What matters is what you want, Melanie. Sometimes, singers have done many things that
were drastic just to follow their dreams.
I know many singers who have done many outrageous things just
to follow their dreams. Some
of them…even went against their parents’ will.” Mr.
Wilkins paused and Melanie could have sworn she saw a shadow of sadness
cross Mr. Wilkins’ face. She
wondered what that was all about, but Mr. Wilkins quickly recovered
from it. “Anyways,
it’s their dream and it’s up to them to follow that dream. It’s not up to anyone else. This is your dream,” he said to her. Melanie
was silent for a very long time. She
looked down and she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. She sighed and she looked up at Mr. Wilkins. “It’s
my dream, right?” Melanie asked. “That’s
right,” said Mr. Wilkins. “Whatever
you decide, I will support it. I
will support whatever you decide…no matter how outrageous it might seem.” Melanie
sighed and gathered as much courage as she possibly could to try to
tell Mr. Wilkins what she really wanted to do.
“Mr. Wilkins! Please help
me get into the audition! Even
if…even if I have to say lies to my grandmother, please help fulfill
my dream!” Mr.
Wilkins sighed and smiled at her and he nodded.
“Thank you, Melanie, for deciding to fulfill your dream,” he
said quietly. Melanie
began to smile a little and she nodded in response. Hazel was sitting on the swings this time
at the school park and she seemed surprised by what Melanie was asking
her. Melanie stood in front of
her, her hands clasped together at her heart. “What? You want me to do what?” asked Hazel. “Please,
Hazel! I’m…I’m going to the audition!
Even if Grandma said no, I’m going to the audition anyway,” said
Melanie. Hazel
giggled softly. “Wow. Someone as sweet as you would do something like
that? That’s pretty daring of
you, especially against the wishes of someone as strict as your grandmother.” “I’m
scared to death, but I’ll be even more scared and I would be so hurt
if I couldn’t fulfill my dream. I
want to be a singer. I want to
go to the audition. Please, Hazel. I’m going to tell my Grandma that I’m coming
over to your house tonight to work on some homework together. And Mr. Wilkins will take me to Regal Records.” Hazel
sighed and thought about it for a while.
She really wanted to do this for Melanie, but she also had to
think about what her mother would say if, for some reason, heaven forbid,
Grandma Annabelle called her house or her mother called Grandma Annabelle’s
house. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath,
and then opened them again. She
looked up at Melanie with determination. “Melanie,”
she said. She stood up from the
swing and put her hands on Melanie’s shoulders. Melanie
looked up at her, wondering what she had decided. “Please
do your best at the audition. And
I’ll do my best, too. I promise,”
said Hazel, and she smiled at her as well. Melanie’s
eyes widened and one of her beautiful, bright smiles appeared. “Thank you so much, Hazel!” she said with great
excitement. “That’s
what friends are for, right?” said Hazel.
Both she and Melanie started giggling. Mr. Wilkins was driving his car. He was wearing a suit and tie, and was very
well-groomed while Melanie, who was sitting on the passenger seat, was
still in her school uniform. She
did not go straight home after school, but to his house.
Her schoolbag and lunch bag were in the back. “So
you’re sure about this, Melanie?” asked Mr. Wilkins. Melanie
nodded and looked very determined. “Yes,
I am. I told Grandma that I would
be at Hazel’s house. And I told
Hazel, too. She’s part of the
conspiracy,” she said softly. “Conspiracy, huh?” Mr.
Wilkins began to laugh. “That’s
an interesting way of putting it. But we are on a mission to fulfill your dream,
after all. Are you ready?” Melanie
looked up at Mr. Wilkins and she smiled and nodded. “Yes. I’m
ready.” “Oh,
there’s something else, too, that you need to do. It’s very important.” When the car was stopped by a stop light at
an intersection, he took a clipboard with some sheets of paper that
were stuck in it. “These are
registration forms for the audition.
You need to register because you haven’t yet.” Melanie
took the clipboard from him as he started to drive again when the light
turned green. She looked at the
few sheets of paper that were in the clipboard.
“I have to fill out all this?
There’s so much to fill out,” she said. “It’s
a pain, I know, but it’s important.” Melanie
began to fill out the form, starting with her name and her age. She also put down the school that she was going
to. There was a space that asked
who her vocal teacher was and she put down the name of her vocal teacher
from “Primary contact? What’s
that?” Melanie asked. Mr.
Wilkins thought about that for a while.
“That’s who they contact first if they want to reach you. Normally, it would be your parents, or in this
case, your grandmother, but right now…put my name down as the primary
contact.” “Your name?” Melanie
seemed surprised. “That’s
fine. Besides, if they call your
house looking for your grandmother, I don’t think she would like it. As for your parents, well, in the situation
they’re in right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Melanie
nodded in agreement. “Okay.” After several more minutes, she was able to
complete the forms Of course,
she had to ask a few more questions before she could completely fill
out the forms. There was a place where there had to be a signature.
Mr. Wilkins signed one area and Melanie had to sign another area
as well. “Looks
like you’re completely set up. You
just have to bring that clipboard to the receptionist,” said Mr. Wilkins. Melanie
nodded. “Okay.” The car arrived at Regal Records. It was a building that had 10 floors with a
big huge sign at the front. Mr.
Wilkins escorted Melanie out of the car and through the front entrance. There were several people waiting in the lobby
and talking. Melanie was carrying
the clipboard in front of her. “There’s
the reception area,” said Mr. Wilkins, and Melanie saw it. “Go on over there, Melanie. Tell her that you’re here for the audition.” Melanie
was nervous but she gathered up her courage and she nodded. “Here I go,” she said softly. She began to walk to the receptionist. “Um, excuse me?” The
receptionist looked up and smiled. “Hi!
Can I help you?” she asked. “I’m
here for the audition,” said Melanie, and she was nervous about it. “I’m supposed to give this to you, too, I think.” Melanie
gave her the clipboard with the registration information and the receptionist
looked at it. She smiled at Melanie.
“Yup, that’s right. Thanks.” She
stood up from her chair. “Could
you please come with me? I’ll
take you to the room where all the people who are here for the audition
are waiting. Is there anyone
else with you? Did you come here
with your parents?” “I
came with Mr. Wilkins,” said Melanie, who pointed at Mr. Wilkins who
was standing near the entrance. The
receptionist looked up and saw Mr. Wilkins and she smiled. “Oh, right, Mr. Wilkins. Everyone knows Mr. Wilkins. Please follow me to the waiting area.” “Thank
you,” said Melanie. The receptionist
began to lead Melanie to a different area.
Melanie looked back at Mr. Wilkins, who gave her thumbs up. Melanie smiled. The receptionist led her into a room with glass
doors. “Just
wait in here. They’ll call you
for an interview when it’s your turn,” said the receptionist. “Thank
you,” said Melanie. She entered
the room and she looked around. There
were many girls here. She tried
to count how many girls there were and it came out to about 25.
All of them were from However,
when Melanie counted the number of people auditioning, she did not see
the little girl who was sitting in the corner that was behind her and
to the left. That little girl
looked up from under her large sunhat and she gasped when she Melanie. “What? What are you doing here?” whispered that little
girl. Her face could not be seen
under the shadow of her sunhat. But
Melanie was too far away to hear what she said, and she did not see
her either, because she was behind her. Every now and then, a young man would come
in, wearing a business suit, and he would call out someone’s name. The person would then go with that young man,
probably to the interview. Mr.
Wilkins had told Melanie that the interview would include a lot of questions
and it would come from a group of people, not just one person. She would also be asked to sing for them. After
about a half hour, the young man came back and he called out the next
person’s name. “Melanie. Melanie Thompson?” he called out. Melanie
hesitated and then she raised her hand. The
young man saw her. “Could you
come with me, please?” he said. “Yes, sir!” Melanie replied, perhaps a little too excitedly.
She stood up from her chair and she followed the young man through
the glass doors. The
little girl wearing the sunhat, whose face could not be seen, gasped
again. “What? Why did she go before me?” she said softly. The
young man led Melanie into a room that was rather large. There were several people sitting down behind
a long table and they all had pieces of paper in front of them to write
notes on. There were lights shining
down on a certain part of the floor in front of the table they were
sitting at. And there were video cameras as well, all pointing
at that same area. “This
is the interview room,” said the young man who led her in here. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Melanie Thompson.”
With that, he started to leave the room. “Ah,
Melanie, I’m glad you made it. Your
registration was a little late, but that’s okay,” said one interviewer,
who was a young woman. There
were 7 interviewers there, and all of them were wearing business casual
clothes. “Could you please have a seat right there?” Melanie
curtsied in front of them. “Thank
you for having me,” she said to them softly.
She sat down on the seat where the lights and the cameras were
pointing at. “You’re
the daughter of Premiere Thompson, isn’t that right, Melanie?” said
another interviewer, who was a young man. Melanie
gasped and was startled, but she did her best to hide it. “Um…yes, sir.” “Don’t
worry, Melanie. This has nothing
to do with him anyway,” said another interviewer.
“This is an audition for singing talent, new singing talent,
nothing else.” “Tell
us a little about your self,” said another interviewer. “What kind of music do you like?” “I
like different kinds of pop music. Especially
from here in “It
says here you’re in Grade 4 and that you’re 9 years old. We have another Grade 4 student who’s trying
out for this audition later on, but she’s almost a year older than you. The audition is really for 10 to 15 year olds.
Is that okay with you? You do understand that, right?” “Yes, sir. Mr. Wilkins
told me about that.” “Mr.
Wilkins?” asked one interviewer, but another interviewer answered his
question. “He
used to work for Regal Records. He
retired some years ago but he still has some contacts with the company,
which is a wonderful thing.” Melanie
smiled at them and she nodded. “So
tell us what your favorite subjects are in school, Melanie.” “I
like math, science, and English. I
actually like all of my subjects, but those are my favorite ones,” answered
Melanie. “Great. It also says here that you want to be a singer.
Why do you want to sing?” Melanie
hesitated but she kept her smile on her face.
“I want to sing…because I want to touch people’s hearts with
music. I want to use singing to convey my feelings,”
she said very easily. It made
some of the interviewers smile. “That’s
wonderful. Anyways, if you don’t
mind, we’d really like to hear you sing now.
Please stand and step up to the microphone stand and take the
mic.” “Yes,
ma’am,” she said softly and she stood up.
She went to the mic and she took it from the stand. She felt her hands shake a little from the nervousness
but she took another deep breath and held her hands together to try
to calm down. “So
what will you sing for us, Melanie?” asked one of the interviewers. Melanie
smiled at them sweetly. “This
song…I wrote by myself. It’s
called ’My Heart’.” My
heart, oh, my heart, I feel like it’s been broken Shattered
pieces blown away, forgotten and forsaken Carried
away by the cold wind of the winter storm That
took my life away, too much pain to form I
feel like the whole world has crashed around me I
want to hide away, to a place where I can be free But
it might be nothing more than a cruel illusion The
cold world’s chill has broken my concentration If
only there was a way to pick up the pieces and move on If
only there was a way to dream again and carry on Why
does my heart continue to dream despite it all? The
starry love dream, I hope would give me a call Why
do I still dream when my heart has been broken? Will
my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please
help me find another way to realize my dream Push
away the cold currents of the torrential stream This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! Melanie
was excited. All the interviewers
were looking at her with a shocked look on their faces. Melanie even saw one of them tapping on the
table with his fingers as he listened and watched her sing. She began to add more physical movements as
she sang the song and she smiled as well.
She made sure that the feelings in the song were on her face
as well, and not just in her voice. So
far away, even if you’re so far away from me I‘ll
never forget you, I’ll fulfill my promise, you see I
feel sad and I feel lonely, like I’m the only one here But
I know that you’re here, to chase away my fear My
heart is longing for you; I don’t want to be alone We
have to bear the pain, the sadness, the hurt, all alone Oh,
I want to keep dreaming, oh, I want to keep singing Diamond
dust flying in the sky, my broken heart is crying There
is a way to pick up the pieces and move on There
is a way to dream again and carry on My
heart needs to continue to dream despite it all The
starry love dream, I know it will give me a call Why
do I still dream when my heart has been broken? Will
my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please
help me find another way to realize my dream Push
away the cold currents of the torrential stream This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! Melanie
closed her eyes and she gave a curtsey to the interviewers, who were
her audience. She looked up at
all of them with bright eyes. The
interviewers still looked very speechless and very shocked. “Thank
you so much for listening,” she said to them softly. However,
she was starting to feel a little uneasy as they just stared at her. And then the silence was broken. “My
God, she’s amazing!” one of the interviewers shouted. “That’s
it! Call Mr. King immediately!”
shouted another. Melanie was
wondering what had just happened and she looked a little confused. “She
has the perfect singing voice! Tell
them the audition is over! Send
everyone home!” “We’re
choosing Melanie Thompson!” Everyone
was in chaos. Melanie was totally
shocked as well and she looked around as the interviewers began calling
people on the phone and they seemed extremely excited.
Melanie stared at them all in shock.
It took a while for it to sink in, but she realized that they
absolutely loved her song and they have chosen her for the new talent
audition! “I’ve
been chosen!” Melanie whispered to herself.
“I’m…I’m going to be a singer!” The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “Dream” by Starry~en~Luv Dream… Oh, make a wish upon a star (wish upon a
star) Oh, make your dream come true (your dream
come true) Dreaming a dream The quest for a wish might make you happy,
make you sad But in the end, it will all be worth it,
you will be glad! Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Sing a song or write a story, anything you
want to do Whatever good thing your dream might just
be Never lose your hope, never lose your energy Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Go on a journey, you’ll go to many places
afar Always remember that I will stay and walk
with you And keep in your heart whatever it is you
want to do Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Look up at the night and watch for a shooting
star It’s a long and difficult road to get to
where you’re going No matter what happens, we should always
keep trying Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Don’t be discouraged and always be true
to you Leave behind all the troubles that made
you cry The dream would only be a waste if we did
never try Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true!
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream (dreaming a dream) Just dream! Preview for Next
Episode Melanie and Hazel’s narration: Melanie: “Oh, my, I can’t believe
it! At the audition at Regal
Records, I was chosen! I sang
for them and they chose me! I’m
so shocked! I still haven’t gotten over it!” Hazel: “Aaaaaahhhhh! That’s so awesome! Now you’re one step closer to fulfilling your
dream of becoming an idol pop singer!” Melanie: “Yikes! Hazel! Don’t
scream so loud!” Hazel: “Sorry! But I’m just so excited for you! So what’s going to happen next?” Melanie: “Well, I guess they
have to do some preparations for me or something like that, so we’re
going to have a little break from my quest to fulfill my dream. Hey, you know what, just for that, there’s going
to be a play at our school. I
guess it’s what you call an end-of-the-school-year performance. The school year is almost over and we’re going
to have a school play!” Hazel: “Oh, a school play. You should join, Melanie!” Melanie: “I’ll see what I can
do. Maybe there’s a singing part,
too. I would so love that! The play is a romantic school play! I just love romance!” Hazel: “Hey, who are those older
kids who are playing the really important parts anyway? They’re going to play the part of the girl and
boy in the play that will fall in love, right? But, don’t you think they would be cute together
if they started going out in real life?” Melanie: “Really? That would be so romantic!” Hazel: “Oh, I think so, too!” Melanie and Hazel: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream! Episode 7: How romantic, just like a school
play” |
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