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Sima's Shy Hello

Ages 6-9 | Story and 9 activities

Sima is the kind of girl who likes to watch.

At parties, she stands by the wall and watches the others play. At recess, she sits near the fence and watches the game of tag. At shul, she hides behind her mother's skirt when someone says hello.

It isn't that she doesn't want to talk. She does. But the words always get stuck somewhere between her heart and her mouth.

On Sunday, a new family moves in next door. A girl about Sima's age is carrying a box up the front walk. She has curly dark hair and a bright green backpack.

Sima watches from her bedroom window.

Hi, she thinks. She can picture herself saying it. She can picture going over and waving. But the thought makes her tummy do flips.

"Why don't you say hello?" asks Mommy, who has noticed.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"What if she does?" says Mommy.

Sima hugs her knees. "I don't know what to say."

"Let's make it small. What if you just say one word?"

"Which word?"

"Hi."

"That's all?"

"That's all. Then see what happens."

Sima practices. "Hi," she whispers to the mirror. "Hi." She says it in a high voice, a low voice, a smiley voice.

On Monday afternoon, she sees the new girl sitting on her front steps, drawing in a notebook. Sima's heart thumps. She takes a breath and steps out the door.

The girl looks up.

"Hi," says Sima. It comes out as a squeak.

"Hi!" says the girl, smiling widely. "I'm Gila. I just moved here."

"I'm Sima."

There is a short silence. Sima's mind goes blank. She stares at the notebook. "What are you drawing?"

"A dragon," says Gila, turning the page around. It is green, with big wings and tiny spikes along its back. "He's named Fluffy."

Sima giggles. "A dragon named Fluffy?"

"He's a very gentle dragon. He likes marshmallows."

"I like marshmallows too," says Sima, surprised to hear herself talking.

"Do you want to draw one?" asks Gila.

Sima nods. She sits on the step. Gila hands her a pencil, and they draw side by side. Sima makes a small purple dragon with a curly tail and a polka-dot belly.

"That's amazing," says Gila. "What's his name?"

"Pickles."

"Fluffy and Pickles," says Gila. "They'd be best friends."

They draw until the sun goes down. When Mommy calls Sima in for supper, Gila waves. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes," says Sima.

All through supper, Sima can't stop smiling. "It was just one word," she says.

"And then another," says Mommy.

The next day, Sima sees Gila waiting at the bus stop. She goes over right away and says, "Hi!" Her voice is louder this time.

The words aren't stuck anymore. They've been loosened, just a bit. She still feels shy sometimes, and that is fine. But she knows now that a small hello can be the start of something big.

On Friday, she asks Gila to come to her house for Shabbos lunch. Gila says yes. And they bring both dragons to the table.