Collection of Short Stories

Birthday Surprise?

To say that her day was horrible so far would be an overstatement. Ceilia overslept her alarm, forgot to pay the water bill, ripped her favorite cardigan, burnt her toast, and broke her only mug on her haste out the door. Currently, she was stuck in a mile-long traffic jam and the day's recent events just added to her already sour mood. To top it off, her phone was ringing non-stop. She screamed in frustration. She had received 36 calls from her secretary demanding to know where she was, and 3 from her husband, reminding her that he wouldn't be home in time for dinner. She tapped her fingers restlessly on the wheel thinking about the day's work ahead of her.

~~~~~

When she finally pulled into the parking lot of Wilson's Publishing & Press, she was an hour and a half late - a new personal record for her.

She locked her car and hurried briskly up the stairs and into the closest elevator, only to be bombarded with questions from her colleagues, which did nothing to improve her mood. She managed to fend them off until she reached her office, only to have another surprise waiting in stock for her - her boss. Eleanor Wilson herself was waiting outside Ceilia's door, tapping her feet to some imaginary tune in her head with a latte clasped in her well-manicured hands. She looked up when she heard Ceilia marching down the hallway and her face broke into a wide grin.

"Just the person I wanted to see!" Her bubbly attitude constantly annoyed Ceilia to no extent. She pursed her lips and said in a forced demeanor -

"Eleanor! What a pleasant surprise! And how are you this fine morning?"

"Very well, thank you for asking. Now, if you could follow me...There are a few things I would like to say. Also, I dropped off your work for today. It's on your desk, Ceilia dear." She said, gesturing to the ajar door next to her.

Ceilia peeked through the door and pursed her lips when she saw the massive stack of manuscripts she was expected to go through within the next 7 hours. Despite this, she plastered on a false smile and spoke through clenched teeth.

"Of course, Eleanor. I'll be sure to go through all the papers. If you could lead the way to your office..."

This was going to be a long day.

~~~~~

Nevertheless, Ceilia followed her boss through the winding hallways of the building, her heels clicking on the tiled floor beneath her. Eleanor Wilson inserted a gold key into her doorknob and opened the door to reveal a luxurious office done in shades of red with gold and black accents.

"Please take a seat dear. I just need to collect something, and then we'll be on our way." She rummaged through a surprisingly cluttered drawer and fished out another gold key. This one, however, was smaller than the first and had some words inscribed on the handle.

"Hold this."

"Um...may I ask why?" Ceilia replied, feeling flustered. After all, it wasn't every day your boss invited you to her office, only to tell you to hold a delicate gold key.

"Tut tut. I, er...may need to blindfold you as per your friends' instructions. Before you ask why just know that I have no clue either. Kapeesh?"

"Okay?" This was getting increasingly frustrating and a bit suspicious as well.

"Now, if you could just stand up for a sec...Yes." She quickly tied the blindfold to cover Ceilia's eyes and steered her through the maze of endless hallways yet again.

"If this isn't intruding, may I ask where you're taking me?" Even though her mood was unpleasant just a few minutes ago, her heart was now thumping in her chest because of the sheer mystery of it all. She was weighed down with curiosity and a tiny prickle of excitement as well. Is it some sort of a special occasion today? She wondered silently.

A few moments later, Eleanor abruptly stopped in front of a large polished door and ripped the blindfold off Ceilia's face. She clapped her hands in nervousness and said, "Here we go!"

"What exactly am I supposed to do?"

Eleanor blinked in astonishment. What? Why is it so hard for this dense girl to put a key in a lock? "Why, you're supposed to open it, of course." She smiled.

"With what?"

Eleanor groaned in frustration. "You're supposed to put that key I gave you earlier into the lock and then proceed to open the door." She said it slowly (and on purpose) just to annoy Ceilia further.

Ceilia did as she was asked, but when she opened the door, she stepped into a dark and as it appeared from where she stood, a fairly empty room. She took one reluctant step inside and then...

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CEILIA!"

"Ohmigosh!" She jumped in surprise. "What are you all-? This is all...for me?"

"Yes, you, who else would it be for? A cat?" Her husband replied with a smirk.

As she took a closer look, she realized that all her friends and closest family members were crammed into the room. There was a large banner on the back wall which displayed the words, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' in bold, glittery letters. When they parted for her, she spotted the large pink cake surrounded by snacks and drinks on a table. She smiled from ear-to-ear. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind her.

*ahem* "Heyyy. Remember me? The one who decided to plan all this and roped your friends into helping? Also, the one who brought you here. I can't believe you'd forget your own birthday." Eleanor faked annoyance.

"Awww. Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it. She looked around one more time. "Well, then. What are we waiting for? Let's get this party STARTED!!"

Everyone cheered and ribbed each other good-naturedly to get in line for the food.

Yep, when she woke up this morning, Ceilia definitely didn't think her day would end up this good. Surrounding by all her friends, family, laughter, and most importantly, happiness. 

*****

Word Count: 1012 words

I know I said I would update this sooner, and I'm sorry, but I PROMISE to update at least once per week from now on. Anyways, hoped you liked this short story. Have a nice day! 😊

- MauveDiamonds