Dont judge a book by its cover

Edward was a weakling . He was all skins and bones

to add to his woes , he had a pimpled face. It was no
surprise that he was not a hit with the girls in the class.
Whenever he was shy or nervous, he would stutter . However,
none of his friends knew that this self-contemptuous boy had a
beautiful voice as he practised only in the bathroom. His voice was
a clear, high and steady tenor.
Once, Edward was caught unaware by his
classmates singing in the corridor. They were shocked beyond
words and was dumbstruck by his attractive voice.
Yet, the moment Edward saw them, he denied that the
beautiful song they heard was not from him. IIreally did
didnt sing Edward stammered out of nervousness. Of
course, all his friends were convinced when his voice went to a
characteristic stutter.
It came to a day when the class of secondary 4B, which
Edward was studying in heard about a singing competition that was
to be held in the nearby community centre. A prize would be
awarded for the best singer, it was a well-known yearly competition
and many students support John , their classmate. John had a nice
baritone voice and good showmanship . So it was really
jaw-dropping for the students to see Edwards name besides
Johns on the notice board, announcing the competition on 15 May.
It soon caused a commotion in class 4B. You can sing,
Edward? Get real! Dont make me laugh! these unkind
remarks directed at him when they saw Edwards name.
Edward felt awkward and dejected . His heart was
sinking to his toes . It was enough that they did not support
him but ridiculing him was too much. A few of Johns friends
escorted Edward in the toilet. They forced him to sing a
favourite song. Of course, under such disbelieving eyes and
prejudice from his classmates, poor Edward could not sing. He
could only stutter! Ill try my best in the competition! Edward
vowed to himself. In the week before the competition, he was
fortunate to have the serviced of his fathers friend, a former
singing instructor who polished up his delivery and
improved on his expression in singing.
The singing competition finally arrived. Johns supporters were
out in full force . Mr Mok, the principal, and some
teachers caused quite a stir among the students when
they turned up to support the two students from their school. John
sang to the crowds delight. Apparently , he was the clear
favourite. His resonant and modulated voice , together with his
good showmanship, endeared him to the audience.
Edward was next. There was a hushed silence before he
began. The claps were few, coming from the principal, teachers and
his only friend. Some subdued boos came from a few disbelieving
schoolmates. When Edward mounted the stairs to get on the stage,
he was determined to prove them wrong. Mr. Chan, his singing
instructor, had told him to focus on himself and the song. To the
encouraging smile of his instructor, he sang his heart out. His song
was The Climb. He adapted his tone and expression to the
lyrics and his voice hit the right notes and pitch.
When he finished singing, there was very few dry eyes. Then
there was tone anticipation from the audience as the judges
decided on the winner. Despite Edwards outstanding performance,
almost everyone felt that John would be the winner. They were
wrong. When Mr. Tan, the chief judge announced Edward as the
winner, the audience sat in stunned silence. Suddenly, everyone
cheered and rose to give him a standing ovation The
winner had finally tasted the sweet spoils of victory .