Fear of strangers over a summer camp
Lyla's fear of strangers began to fade, and she felt more at ease with the idea. Sharing her worry with Murali had given her more confidence to face it.
Murali's school was organizing a three-day summer camp after the final exams. Fifty students from eight schools would join, with fifteen from Murali's school as the hosts. Only ninth- and tenth-graders were eligible to participate. Students had to apply voluntarily, and teachers would select the final group.
In Class 9C, the buzz was electric. Boys swapped rumors of midnight treasure hunts; girls traded playlists for the campfire sing-along. Only one desk stayed quiet. Lyla sat with her elbows on the scarred wooden surface, tracing the grain with a fingertip, her dark braid slipping over one shoulder like a question mark.
Lyla was a studious, quiet girl who mostly talked to just a few friends, including Murali. Seeing her lack of interest, Murali asked, " Lyla, you're not applying?"
"No." The word came out flat, final.
He leaned closer, voice dropping to the conspiratorial hush they used during group projects. "Come on. Three days of no homework, no uniforms, just games and ghost stories."
She glanced up, eyes the color of rain on concrete. "Ghost stories with fifty people I don't know? Pass."
Murali waited. He'd learned that with Lyla, silence was an invitation, not a wall.
"It's not the games," she said finally. "It's the... noise. The eyes. Everyone sizing each other up like we're in some reality show audition." She hugged her arms. "I get tongue-tied. My brain freezes, and I stand there like a statue while the moment slips away."
He nodded, remembering the time she'd frozen during the inter-house debate, cheeks flaming as the microphone squealed feedback. "Remember when we had to present that science project on volcanoes? You thought you'd combust."
"I did combust. Inside."
"But you didn't. You spoke. And the volcano erupted baking soda all over Physics teacher’s shoes." He grinned.
"Legendary."
Murali thought for a moment, unsure what to say. Then he asked, "Don't you go to family events?"
"Yes."
"But there are strangers there too—like at a wedding of a family friend. You might meet people you've never seen before." Lyla stayed quiet. Murali added, "At the camp, at least fifteen kids will be from our school, plus our teachers will be there to help."
"I know, but I can't spend three whole days with people I don't know well. What would I even say to them?"
"If that's the worry, let me share something cool. One of the uncles from my morning walk group once said, 'You can handle any new group with simple words like "hello," "how are you," "your face looks familiar," or "have we met before?" And chat a bit about the weather.' I think you should join the camp and try it!"
"That's interesting, but I'm not sure I can do it that easily." She still sounded doubtful.
"How will you know if you don't try?" Murali encouraged her. He pulled a crumpled camp flyer from his pocket, smoothing it on the desk. The paper smelled faintly of the photocopier—hot plastic and ink. "Look, fifteen of us are hosts. We'll be your buffer zone. And the teachers? They're bringing that old bus with the busted air-conditioning. We'll be too busy fanning ourselves to judge anyone."
Lyla traced the camp logo—a cartoon tent under stars. "What if I say something stupid? Like, 'Nice weather' when it's pouring?"
"Then you laugh. Or you blame the monsoon."
She snorted. "Right. What if they ask about hobbies and I blank?"
"Tell them you collect silences. Very rare." Both of them laughed at that.
"Will you be going? If you are, maybe I'll try."
"I'm super excited for it! Promise me you'll apply too."
"Okay... I'll try." She said it with a small smile. Murali knew that was her way of saying ‘yes’. Lyla's fear of strangers began to fade, and she felt more at ease with the idea. Sharing her worry with Murali had given her more confidence to face it.
***
Life-Skills Introduced in This Chapter
Overcoming Shyness: Building courage to interact with new people by recognizing that initial strangeness can disappear through simple conversations.
Using Conversation Starters: Learning basic phrases like "hello" or comments on the weather to ease into talks with strangers and make social situations less intimidating.
Encouraging Others: Supporting friends by listening to their concerns and offering positive advice to help them try new experiences.
Trying New Things: Understanding that you can't judge your abilities without giving something a shot, like joining a camp to grow socially.
Sharing Problems for Support: Opening up about fears with trusted friends to gain confidence and perspective on handling challenges.
