Aya sat on her colorful mat. The phonics posters glowed all around her.
The teacher held up a shiny card. 'Let's try gggg!' she said.
Aya opened her mouth. No sound came out.
Other children cheered, 'gggg! gggg!' in happy voices. Aya fidgeted with her pink shoes, scuffing the carpet.
The teacher knelt down and whispered, 'That's okay, one more try.'
Aya took a deep breath. Her tiny hands clenched into fists.
She whispered, 'aaaa...' soft as a breath.
The teacher smiled and held up a paper gargoyle. 'Again! Big voice!' Aya closed her eyes tight.
When she opened them, the gargoyle's mouth was carved wide open.
Aya stood up on her mat. She took a huge breath and shouted, 'GGGG!'
The paper gargoyle actually jumped off the shelf and landed on her shoulder. She giggled.
She shouted 'GGGG!' again and again. The gargoyle danced on her shoulder.