Birthday

I think it’s a shame when it’s the morning of your eighteenth birthday and your Mom and Dad tell you they found a cheap cruise leaving from Puerto Rico and they just could not pass that deal up.






I woke up this morning and it was awfully quiet. The bird who usually sat at my  window sill and talked didn’t chirp a word today. I walked over to the window to see something really strange. The white pigeon with a colorful tail like a peacock’s was frozen in midair. One delicate wing was out and as wide as its limbs would make. The other had a few centimeters away from its body. The bird’s feet were about to take off, only the tips grazed the window sill.
I thought this was strange. So of course, me being a huge movie watcher, I steadily put my finger in front of the bird’s face and snapped. Nothing happened. I tried again and then tried clapping. I think I may have done it too hard as I watched the bird frozenly plunged down to what would have been its death…if it were moving.
Shrugging, I scratched my belly and turned out my room. It was very quiet in the house. I knew I was the only one in there but usually I’d hear a faint buzzing somewhere in my head. But, that must have been frozen, too. I walked down the steps, noticing the stairs didn’t creek as I thumped from step to step. I watched the steps from behind my shoulder as if they were going to jump up and run away. When I turned around I screamed, grabbing my chest.
There was a mouse, frozen a few centimeters from the ground. It’s hairy, gray body was stretched out, its pink feet were curled as if they were attempting to grab something. I turned my head to the side, examining the mouse. I bent at the knee to get a better look. If looks could kill, I had a feeling I’d be lying upside down on the floor, my tongue on the floor, dripping saliva. I sat up then gasped as the mouse fell down on the floor, upside down like the invisible force holding it up just couldn’t hold up its seventeen grams.

It registered in my mind that I was freaked out.

I tiptoed to the sink as if the frozen roaches under the floorboard would stir if I stomped. Peering out the window, the sun hitting the plant on the sill I noticed something very peculiar. The particles in the air didn’t float off as they usually did. They were up and not moving. Being my logical self, I swiped my hand through the particles and my eyes bugged when the dust only moved the direction I swayed it and stayed.

“What the hell are you doing?” I jumped and turned as I saw Theo, my fat orange cat staring at me.

The first thought that should have ran through my mind was, “why are you talking?” Actually, I said, “why the hell aren’t you frozen?”

Theo, whose lips actually moved responded, “what the hell are you talking about?”

“All these animals are frozen. When they wake up or whatever, I’m pretty sure I killed two!” I screamed, my eyes big.

Seriously, this is what happened next. Theo, who started ranting off about me being delusional and crazy started changing. First his paws grew bigger than his entire body. Then, his body popped into a different shape with a white line of fur running on his belly. His head changed and a white and orange lion stood in front of me, growling. My first instinct was to scream but no words came out. My next was to run but as if time had stopped all together, well around me as it seems, I froze. My hand was to my throat, my mouth wide open, eyes bugged out. I was frozen in my own body. Theo was not. Then, I watched inside my body as Theo attacked me and everything went black.

I sat up in what was my bed realizing that I had just infact turned eighteen and my parents weren’t on a cruise from Puerto Rico. My mother had a big smile crammed on her face and a small cake in her hands that read, “Happy Birthday!”

And I swore I heard the pigeon, mouse and Theo sneer through the air, “Happy Birthday.”