I stand my cards, full of best wishes and promises to telephone, on the windowsill. It doesn’t seem five minutes since my children piled into my bed showering me with handmade presents and sticky kisses. I would cut homemade chocolate cake piled high with marshmallows, sprinkles and love, as they sang an out of tune rendition of Happy Birthday. But squeaky high-pitched voices deepened and grew and now I am alone.
The doorbell rings and I shuffle to the door.
‘Surprise!’
The candles flicker on the the wonky cake held before me. ‘We made it for you Grandma.’ The singing starts, old and young voices merge. The sound of a family.
Written for Friday Fictioneers. A 100 word story inspired by a photo prompt. Check out the other stories here.
fabricating fiction 
How wonderfully heart warming! We’re big on birthdays in my family, and my sister has found a passion for baking so there is always a homemade cake these days. My gran, who used to show jump in her youth, got one with a fantastically professional horse motif, entitled the old grey mare.
I am in awe of people who can create beautiful cakes. Mine always look like a five year old has decorated it.
Mine tend to be pretty similar. Jo seems to have it cracked though, must have something to do with being a mathimatically genius.
I am pretty good at eating them 🙂
Same here. 😀
Beautiful story. I thought this was going to end badly but your turned it round with consummate ease.
She came very close to having a heart attack but fancied a happily ever after this week!
Ah, a lovely heart-warming story this week. So pleased it ended well.
Claire
Thanks Claire.
Aww, that was so lovely. Kids and birthday surprises are wonderful – even better as they grow older and can give you breakfast in bed 🙂 I can remember my first birthday party. I was five and my Mum made me a Maypole cake with five little dolls holding the Maypole ribbons. Each little girl at the party went home with a doll and a handmade dress for the doll. I keep every card my kids and grandkids give me, and I still have the birthday card my aunty gave me when I turned one.
That’s lovely Lyn. I keep all my cards from the kids too. Your first birthday party cake sounds beautiful. A memory to cherish.
This is such a sweet story. I love how it turned around at the end 🙂
Thanks Rachel. A happy birthday indeed.
I was just thinking “how sad”, and then the family arrived! Lovely story 🙂
And they all lived hap….. Well they all lived – that’s a bonus!
Oh, me too. I thought you were going in one direction, but you turned it into a sweet story.
Thanks for reading 🙂
So sweet, thanks for that happy ending 🙂
Thanks Dawn.
Aww. Nice story, I was happy when her birthday wasn’t forgotten.
Me too. Thanks 🙂
Very nice. At first I thought the story ended with the first paragraph – a very different feeling indeed! But the ending was so encouraging and uplifting, I’m glad I didn’t miss it.
Thanks very much for your comments.
Family is so important as you deftly showed, Louise. I used to decorate the girls’ birthday cakes and they and their friends thought the cakes marvelous. If not the best artistically, they were decorated with love. A lovely feel-good story, filled with truth.
janet
Decorated with love. Gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling 🙂
My grandma lived her last few years alone some 150 miles from me. I visited her every month and my heart would break every time I left her. This is a very touching, bittersweet story.
Thanks. It’s tough when circumstance dictates where our time must go. I know that feeling well.
Loved the happy family theme. We need more feel-good in our lives.
Dear Louise,
I love where you went with the prompt. There’s a Hebrew song called L’dor va Dor…From Generation to Generation. You’ve captured that beautiful sentiment. The sound of a family. Enchanting story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks very much Rochelle. It’s the best sound in the world.
Awwww! Such a sweet ending!
Thanks 🙂
Love it.. I actually got a little tears in my eyes from joy.. Thank you.
Bit like I feel with some of your poetry then 🙂 thank you.
Ahhh, something so wonderful and edifying. Very realistic, too.
Sweet story, Louise!
Thanks Kent.
Surprises and what better than the family and the cake all decorated 🙂 Loved it!
Thanks for reading 🙂
I like the way you weaved the passing of time into this with such subtlety. And, a positive, happy ending. I think yours is the first I’ve read that has that. Nice job!
Thanks Amy – mine often don’t end happily. It’s a nice feeling though.
Louise, This is a lovely, heartwarming story with a beautiful, happy ending. I love those kinds of endings, and it’s well written. 🙂 —Susan
Thanks Susan. Much appreciated.
Dear Louise, Very touching story, and the older I get – the more melancholy that finds it’s way into my heart. Family is so important and grandchildren are so very much a wonderful part of life! Well done!
Nan 🙂
Ageing can be an incredibly lonely time. Thanks for reading Nan.
Such a tender, sweet story. I can relate to that scary fast passing of time! Nice job.
Me too! Thanks for reading.
A skilful playing on the emotions there, from hints of loneliness and neglect to a heart-warming scene of more “sticky kisses” – how sweet, literally 😉
Thank you Sue 🙂