By Sofía
Sofia is eleven years old. She lives in Valencia, a beautiful city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia is full of bright colors, tall buildings, good weather, and friendly people. Sofia loves her city very much.
Sofia is a fallera. A fallera is a girl who wears a traditional dress during Fallas, the biggest festival in Valencia. Fallas happens every March. People build huge statues, light fireworks, and have parades. For Sofia, it is the most exciting time of the year.
Sofia also plays the violin. She practices almost every day. She plays in a small orchestra with other children. The director says she is very talented. When Sofia plays, she forgets her problems and feels calm.
Tomorrow, Sofia has something important to do. She has a Fallas presentation, where she must walk in front of many people to give a gift to another fallera named Olivia. Olivia is nine years old and very sweet. Sofia likes her a lot, so she wants the presentation to go perfectly.
But that afternoon, something surprising happens. The mayor of Valencia calls Sofia. At first, Sofia thinks it is a joke.
But the mayor says, “Hello, Sofia. I would like you to play the violin at the town hall tomorrow. It is the biggest square in Valencia.”
Sofia almost drops her phone. She feels proud, excited… and a little scared. But then she remembers: the presentation for Olivia is on the same day as the concert.
Sofia bites her lip. What should I do? She thinks for a long time. Then she has an idea.
Maybe she can do both things in the same place. She calls the mayor back and asks, “Can I play the violin and also do the presentation in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento? There is lots of space there.”
“Of course,” the mayor says. “That is a wonderful idea.”
The big day arrives. When Sofia wakes up, her stomach feels strange. She is nervous. She puts on her fallera dress, which is red with beautiful flowers. Her mother helps her fix her hair with golden pins.
“You look amazing,” her mother says.
At the town square, there are about 80,000 people! Sofia stares at the crowd with wide eyes. The noise is loud, and the air smells like flowers and street food.
Sofia steps onto the stage. For a moment, she feels like she might faint. But then she lifts her violin. The moment she begins to play “Spring” by Antonio Vivaldi, something magical happens. She stops feeling nervous. The music flows out of her like water in a river.
When she finishes, the crowd goes wild. People clap, cheer, and wave flags. Sofia smiles so big her cheeks hurt.
The mayor walks to her and gives her a big silver trophy cup filled with colorful flowers. The flowers smell sweet and fresh.
Next, Sofia does the presentation with Olivia. Olivia looks adorable in her yellow fallera dress. The crowd claps loudly again, and Olivia gives Sofia a shy smile.
When everything is finally over, Sofia feels tired but proud. Her feet hurt from standing so long. She just wants to go home.
At home, her little sisters run to her.
“Show us the trophy!” they shout.
Sofia laughs and shows the trophy to her two sisters. The sisters take the flowers out of the trophy and put them in water. Then they fill the trophy cup with popcorn and begin eating while watching TV.
“You two are crazy,” Sofia says, laughing.
Later that night, after a hot shower, Sofia puts on her soft pajamas and joins her sisters on the sofa. They watch KPop Demon Hunters together. Sofia relaxes at last.
It really was a very long day for Sofia—but she was happy, proud, and excited to tell her friends everything tomorrow.