“It’s
my birthday tomorrow!” screamed little YWS. Having been called
so his entire nine years of existence, he never really bothered to
question the fact that his name sounded like a random string of
letters.
“Go play
somewhere else, little boy. Can’t you see the elders are
talking here?” chastised his mother. Little YWS frowned, an
ugly expression taking over his beautiful features. “But I’m
turning ten tomorrow,” he whined.
Nobody heard the
little boy’s cries as his parents resumed their conversation.
Nobody seemed to care about him anymore.
In a last attempt
to turn his mother’s attention on him, he pulled at her hand
and asked, “Are you baking my favorite cake tomorrow? Are you?”
To which he received a frown. “Not now. Go to your room.”
That was the last
straw. He was done with people ignoring him. It wasn’t
something he had noticed at that moment, but had been observing for a
period of a little over a week now. They didn’t seem to shower
him with as much love and attention as they used to. It stung, badly.
“I’m
running away,” he announced finally. He hoped someone would
stop him and talk to him. But no one even seemed to care. His father
barely gave him a glance that said, “Stop this foolishness and
leave.”
Tears brimmed the
little boy’s eyes and he violently brushed them off.
Fine.
He trotted up the
stairs, his chubby fingers still wiping away tears, and went to his
room, where he took out his backpack. He filled it up with sweets
that he’d received on Halloween and trotted back down the
stairs towards the front door.
With a final
glance at the family room where his parents were seated, he left the
place.
It was almost
sundown, and the world was bathed in a pink glow. Little YWS had no
idea where he was headed to, but he knew he had to get out of there.
The roads were
quiet, and there seemed to be not a single trace of life. Things were
too quiet, and the boy was beginning to regret his decision. Reaching
a hand into his backpack, he pulled out a sweet and quietly munched
on it.
After licking his
fingers dry, the little boy looked up and was surprised to find
himself in the middle of, what looked like a forest. Fear ran through
his veins as he turned around to walk back the way he came.
The problem was
that he didn’t really know which way he came from. They all
looked alike.
How did he end up
in the forest? It was getting dark, and the watch on his hand blinked
seven.
“Mom,”
he called out softly, hoping that his mother would come out of the
shadows and hold him tightly. There wasn’t a sound to be heard
except the silent sobs that emerged from the boy.
Bad things happen
in the forest right? Images of tigers and bears flashed through his
mind which made him sob louder. How far had he walked? Were there
bears in the forest?
He wished he
hadn’t left his parents. They probably hadn’t even
realized that he wasn’t there. Was he going to die here?
How sad, he
wasn’t going to live to see his tenth birthday.
All of a sudden,
there were sounds of footsteps approaching him. Was it his parents?
He straightened
up, ready to run into the arms of his mother. A figure stepped out of
the shadows and he froze. It wasn’t his mother.
It was a girl, of
his age. She had long, golden hair that seemed to reach till her
feet. Her green eyes danced and she wore a small smile.
“Rapunzel,”
he said softly, mesmerized. He remembered the story his mother had
read to him a few weeks ago.
“Come with
me,” she said in a magical voice. “We’ll celebrate
your birthday.”
Without
hesitating, he followed the magical girl. She was barefoot, and
seemed to know the forest very well. She guided him through the
trees, and at last stopped in front of a clearing.
Little YWS peeked
from behind the girl’s shoulder, and his jaw dropped in awe. In
front of him was a banner, bigger than what he’d ever seen,
bearing the words, “Happy Birthday YWS!”
He stepped out
from behind the girl and took in the entire scene. Bright lights
glowed from every side. There were tables and chairs set up with
plates and napkins. Balloons hung from ever branch, and the sight
brought tears to the little boy’s eyes.
“Go on.
It’s for you,” whispered the girl. He took a step
forward, and all of a sudden, a mob of people stepped out from the
trees screaming, “Happy birthday, YWS!”
He was grinning
from ear to ear as he took in the people, that weren’t really
people. Peter Pan stood to the side, a gift in his hand next to
Batman. He spotted Bugs Bunny running around, and also Buzz
Lightyear. All his favorite people were there. This was probably the
best birthday he ever had.
He looked around
and saw Rapunzel carrying in her hands, a huge cake. His eyes were
fixed on the delicacy and he couldn’t wait to eat it. She stood
in front of him, and held it out. He licked his lips, eyeing the
frosting. He could just taste it…
“YWS,”
called out a voice from somewhere.
…Somehow,
a fork magically appeared in his hand as well as a plate. He took his
time, assessing the cake from every angle…
“YWS,”
came the voice again.
…He took a
piece of the dessert and was jumping with joy. Oh, how much he loved
cake.
His mouth moved
towards the fork that was loaded with cake, and just as he was about
to gobble it down…
“YWS, wake
up.” He opened his eyes, and stared into that of his mother’s.
For a second, he didn’t understand what was going on. He sat
up, and looked around. He was in a garden, not his own, with his
backpack on the ground, all emptied out.
“You scared
us! Why did you do that? Do you know how much we were worried? Why
are you in Mrs. Brown’s garden?” his mother seemed to
ramble. Meanwhile, little YWS started piecing everything together.
He’d fallen asleep. At someone’s garden. Not a forest.
That was all a
dream. He felt disappointed, and angry. His mother seemed to notice
that and stopped rambling. She stared down at him, realizing that he
was upset.
“What’s
wrong?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
“You were
ignoring me. It’s my birthday tomorrow, but you don’t
care. Nobody does. I didn’t like it, so I ran away,” he
said.
She didn’t
say anything for a moment. Then,she hugged him and said, “I’m
so sorry for snapping at you like that. Will you forgive me?”
Little YWS looked
up at his mother’s earnest face, and smiled. He could never be
angry with his mother. “Only if you bake a cake for me
tomorrow.”
“It’s
a deal. You can help me out if you like. We’re going to have a
blast tomorrow!” she said, and together they walked back to
home.
And indeed, the
next day they did have a blast. Little YWS’ birthday was
celebrated with lots of cake and presents, and this one became the
best birthday he ever had.
*******
A/N:
Yaaaaaaaaay I always wanted to do this! Happy Birthday YWS! Phew at least I didn't miss this one.
Points: 366
Reviews: 3
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