Birthday Wish

It's raining. Crystal droplets of rain came crashing down as if racing each other to the ground. The number of sprinters never seem to end, almost merging into perfect strings.

It's raining, like all his past 6 birthdays. His first smell was the sweet November rain. The first thing he heard was the gentle tap on the window pane, like staccatos on the piano. But that's a past that he will never know. A part of him forever buried amongst the synapses and neurons. He will never know the wonderful melodies, only the thunderous slams on the drums.

Another birthday going hungry. Instead of wasting energy salvaging through the dumps, he knows it's wiser to conserve his energy, find a nice shelther and sleep the hunger pangs away. Maybe if he prayed harder this ear, the white cotton clouds will truimph for the rest of his birthdays. If only he had a candle. That's what the other kids do, blowing out colourful candles of all shapes and sizes. Clasping their hands fervently, closing ther eyes in glee and making a wish. He had seen them done it when he peered through their windows.

Rain or shine, they always have their cakes. In pink, brown, white and all the other hues you can imagine. He was sure cakes are girls. Because they love to be in fancy colours and beautiful gowns of whipped cream, hazelnut and chocolate chips. And girls always smell nice.

He remembers what his Papa said: "God doesn't help you if you don't help yourself."

Running quickly through the rain, he grabbed some twigs and stones and headed back to his shelter. His home for the day. His small brown hands grasped the stones tightly. Strike after strike, but still no sparks. No fire to lit the twigs. He sobs, angry that God wasn't helping.

A passerby stipped in front of him. A bearded man, perhaps in his forties. He took out a piece of paper, rolled it up tightly, lit it with his lighter and handed to the boy.

"Quick, before the paper's all burned up."

The boy stares at the man. Mouth opened with nothing streaming out. He blinks. And then he understood. He made his wish and blew out his candle. A rare smile spread across that pixie face of his.

From a distant, he thought he saw a raindow hiding shyly behind the white clouds. sputnik spunned @12:33 AM