That Night

"Good night dear."

"Good night, Mom."

I cut the call and put the phone aside. It was at 10.30 pm. One and a half hours to go. It is my birthday tomorrow. And I am home alone. My mom has gone to Delhi for work. I have been in the U.S for the past year. I was going to spend my birthday at home with nobody. I decided to just go to sleep and not wait till midnight. I put my phone to charge, shut the lights off and laid down. I dozed off instantly. Somewhere in

between night, I heard a loud voice. Then a whisper. A human whisper. I woke up instantly. It must be buglers, I thought. I got up immediately and ran towards my window. I opened it slowly and removed my bat from outside. I shut the window and walked slowly towards the door.

They were outside the room. I could hear their footsteps. I decided to wait till they came in and then attack them.

I waited for several minutes, but they wouldn’t come in. I decided to just open the door and see them for myself. I went towards the door and held the handle. I slowly pushed the door open, and was about to attack when I heard someone scream “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR”. It was Mom. I looked at the watch and realized,

hey, it’s my birthday.