I smiled and raised a hand to quiet them. I stepped onto a small stage and, without help of a microphone(medieval times, remember?), began to speak.

“Okay, everyone, this is the kid I told y’all about. This is Joshua. I know he looks puny—”

“HEY!” Joshua yelled. I dismissed him and continued talking.

“I know he looks puny, but please try to get along with him. Just try.” I smiled mockingly back at Joshua. He’d understand, I hoped. I looked out at them and started to sing, loud, clear, and as they said it, beautifully.