The Birthday
Ingrid Christensen
Copyright 2012 by Ingrid Christensen
The Birthday
A Short Story by Ingrid Christensen
Harriet had lamented over her daughter Hannah’s 16th birthday for weeks. It was now the day before the big day and she still had not bought her a present. The truth was, she didn’t want Hannah to turn 16, she wanted her daughter’s life to continue as it had been for the past year, no complications of love and love lost, career choices, environmental concerns, war and peace issues. For the moment these were things her daughter did not think of too seriously but Harriet did, not to mention things like driving lessons and the possibility she would decide in a few years to go to college and live away from home. Life was perfect just as it was right now, yes Hannah was starting to think about boys but nothing serious and more often the crushes she had were on movie stars or pop singers the kind her mother could handle and her friends were all good girls with good grades, nice parents and upbringings. Life was good for the two of them.
Finally Harriet had gone out looking for a birthday present for the day she hoped would never arrive and found herself down a street she had never even noticed before. She felt like she was on some sort of auto pilot drawn there by someone else at the controls. The street was nothing out of the ordinary except for one thing; she was the only person visible in it. As she walked further down the street she found herself looking into a bookshop that was a little unusual, unusual because the front window had funny little characters re-enacting a scene from a book performing a kind of mock stage play. Intrigued Harriet found herself in front of the entrance and walked in.
There was a mix of odours in the shop old leather, paper, incense and perhaps stale tobacco. The books in the store were like she had never seen before some when opened had stories being played out on the page like a DVD only you turned the page for each new scene, others scorned you for going to the last page of the book first and not the beginning of the book, some snatched themselves closed before you could read any of the contents. Still Harriet was fascinated by the store and soon found herself in an area titled ‘Spells and Incantations’. Here she went straight to a shelf and opened a book which fell open on one particular page entitled ‘To Stop Time’, the spell sounded just what she was looking for and the description read as follows;
To stop a young girl reaching her next birthday; this spell will repeat the same day until the spell is broken. However for this there is a penalty to the person who invokes the spell for nothing is free.
Harriet did not read all the details pertaining to the spell binder but instead became intently focussed on what it would give her. Her daughter’s innocence forever, this she wanted more than anything and so she went on to read the spell aloud and unbeknownst to her invoke the spell.
The spell went like this:
I see you (insert name of child) Hannah walking through life.
Needing protection from trouble and strife.
I now protect your innocence.
And take the vow of penitence.
For this day to be repeated
Until the spell is broken
And the world again awoken
Harriet finished reading the spell and laughed at herself thinking how foolish she was to think such things possible. She heard some noises towards the front of the shop and wondered what the time was perhaps she had been there longer than she thought. She checked her watch it was nearly 3pm time for her to head home to meet her daughter from school. She rushed out the front door, a bell on it clanging as she did so.
She realised as she was walking out that she had still failed to buy that gift for her daughter so she rushed by the department store on her way to the car and purchased a gift voucher and card for the next day.
When she arrived home she felt a little strange like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She went inside and prepared a light snack for Hannah and awaited her return home. Not more than a few minutes went by and she heard the front door open and close with care.
‘Mum?’ Came a voice from the hallway followed by footsteps. ‘There you are I just couldn’t wait for this day to be over, I am so excited about tomorrow I just wish the day would end and I could be 16!’
‘Hannah, the day will soon be here no need to wish your time away you may want it back one day.’ Harriet scolded gently.
‘Perhaps Mum, but not today. So what have you bought me for my birthday? Any hints?‘ Hannah quizzed lightly.
‘Hannah! Enough! Eat your snack and finish your homework before dinner.’
Hannah stopped quizzing and did as her mother asked finishing her snack quickly and quietly before heading upstairs to complete what seemed to be never ending homework assignments. She wished that just once she could have a night after school free to relax and watch TV.
Hannah’s dad Robert arrived home around 7pm after a long day at the office and they all sat down to the evening meal. Hannah chatted almost continuously about her day and how excited she was that her birthday would finally arrive, her mother listened inattentively wishing yet again that tomorrow would not arrive, her father nodded and commented in all the right places as he always did.
After dinner they watched a movie together before setting off to bed.