Abuela’s Advice

Written for MLMM Monday Wordle;
the prompt words are shown below.
Here’s where the prompts took me.

late ~ high ~ sugar ~ waste ~ thinking ~ silly
rough ~ eventually ~ allow ~ shy ~ coax ~ surprise

The kitchen light was still on late into the night when Isabella found her abuela at the stove stirring a pot of something that smelled like burnt sugar. “You’re up well past your bedtime,” her grandmother said, not turning around.

“I couldn’t sleep, Grandma. I keep thinking about the audition.”

“Ah…. the piano one.”

Isabella nodded, even though her grandmother couldn’t see it. She felt silly admitting how scared she was. Tomorrow she’d play in front of a room full of strangers, and her hands had been shaking all day, fingers stumbling over rough patches in the piece she’d practiced for months.

“Sit,” her grandmother said, sliding a small bowl toward her. Caramel, still warm. “Don’t waste it. It’ll harden eventually.”

Isabella ate slowly, the sweetness settling something in her chest.

“You know, Bella,” her grandmother continued, “I used to be shy, too. Terrified of being seen. My mother would coax me onto the stage with sugar candy, just like this.”

“Did it help?”

“No…. but it gave me something to look forward to afterward.” She smiled. “Bella, allow yourself to be nervous. It doesn’t mean you’ll fail.”

The next day, Isabella’s hands trembled through the first measures, then found their rhythm, and steadied. When she finished, the cold silence in the room was an unwelcome surprise …. until the judges broke into excited applause.

Isabella smiled with joyful relief. What a high!

NAR©2026
#MLMM
#Wordle

This is “Chocolate y Caramelos” by David Rees

MLMM Monday Wordle #481

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}